Upper West Side vs. Wash Heights vs. Riverdale

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Moving/ Relocating

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amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 12:05 am

DH and I are moving to NY this summer. I had wanted to move to KGH or far rockaway, however I am going to be at Columbia and it just seems like a far commute from FR or KGH (over 1.5 hours). So I decided I need to look into closer options. Obviously there is the UWS right there. I also know there is riverdale and the heights. Can anyone tell me anything about these places? My concern is that from what I know they are all rather modern. Might the Lower east side be an option? We are normal OOT yeshivahs - I went to an OOT BY and DH to new yisroel. We are open minded but also don't want to be the only people like us. Any information is greatly appreciated!

thank you!

Mrs Bissli

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 7:50 am

Wow, I went to Columbia for grad programme and we lived in UWS (pre-kids). We're MO though DH learned at Ner.

I think UWS and Riverdale are probably more strongly MO though you won't stand out if you consider yourselves open-minded yeshivish. Washington Heights naturally would be more yeshivish/yekkish. Another area--across the bridge to NJ?

Obviously you'll need to think about the housing costs. UWS IS really expensive though maybe a bit better toward Morningside Heights. (You're ok security wise because East Harlem to the east is down the hill/Central Park). One thing to think about is definitely commuting time, esp if you need to stay really late for coursework etc.

rh1211

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:04 am

I second the NJ idea -- Passaic might work for you. Though once you leave Manhattan, you are correct that your commute will AT LEAST an 1 hour to Columbia. However, so many people commute into the city from both Queens and NJ that you will have lots of company, and the commute would (hopefully) become second nature.

I agree with you, OP, that if you are determined to keep your commute down, the Lower East Side might be your best choice. There are a bunch of past threads with a lot of info on the community. The "yekkish" side of Washington Heights (or really, most of the Heights) might work for you as well.

amother

Cyan

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:13 am

hi, I grew up on the UWS, its a huge mix- anything goes literally but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for you. its also quite pricey. In terms of the lower east side- I know from the lower UWS it's a huge pain by public transportation, I don't know if you plan on having a car but if not before you choose there I would recommend looking at the public transportion. washington heights is cheaper and more to the right but is a different type of neighborhood in terms of the non-Jews so you have to see if you feel comfortable with that. I would suggest you go try out any community you are considering- someone once suggested going on shabbos AND during the week- give you a different feel.
Hatzlacha.

Last edited by amother on Sun, Mar 11 2018, 10:26 am; edited 1 time in total

chatouli

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:22 am

There is a (smaller) yeshivish community in Riverdale at the Young Israel (Rabbi Willig) and Riverdale is a much prettier area than the Heights. Cost-wise it's not bad (except food is very expensive, but you can get that delivered) and the commute to Columbia is really not bad. Assuming you mean the undergrad campus in Morningside Heights, I'd say the commute is probably within 45 minutes, depending on where in Riverdale you live relative to the train/bus.

If you're ok with a smaller yeshivish community within a larger MO one, you'll be fine in Riverdale. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Chavelamomela

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:37 am

I live in Riverdale. Like the PP wrote, Riverdale has a nice yeshivish community too. The "Young Israel of Riverdale" is quite yeshivish/chareidi and you'd probably feel very comfortable there. There's also the Tels yeshiva, which is its own community, but the point is that there are plenty of yeshivish people here, even if it's not the majority.

There are many people who live here who work/learn at Columbia - it's an easy commute.

abby1776

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:50 am

There is a Lakewood Kollel on the UWS and there is a small Yeshivish crowd, that being said the UWS is very very expensive. Riverdale and Washington Heights are cheaper. Although, if you are going to Colombia they might be able to provide some kinds of student housing.

bwaybabe85

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:56 am

I live in Washington Heights and love it. You'd fit in just fine here in the Breuer's community.

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 10:07 am

The yeshivish segment of YU may suit you better than Breuer's if you're not yekkish. There are several different minyanim on the YU side of town including one populated mostly by the YU kollel types, and rents on the YU side tend to be a bit lower than west of Broadway.

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 10:08 am

Also the WaHi mikvah fees are lower than on UWS or R'dale!

bwaybabe85

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 10:43 am

I wouldn't recommend living on the YU side unless witnessing drug deals and having your apartment broken into is something that sounds appealing. There's a reason the rent on that side is cheaper...

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 11:34 am

The Lower East Side is certainly not a "huge pain" to get to Columbia (as a poster described above) probably about 40 minutes by subway (I.e., easier than other places outside the city.) Also, nicer than the heights and more OOT feeling, at least in my experience.

abby1776

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 11:43 am

I dont know anything about the washington heighs mikvah or the riverdale mikvah, but the mikvahon the UWS has recently been rennovated, which may be why the fees are somewhat higher - you get what you pay for.

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 2:53 pm

Thank you for your help. I am aware of the price considerations with the UWS and am OK with that because of the convenience factor. DH will be working very long hours downtown so I am concerned about the commute from passaic as it it well over an hour to downtown for him and well over an hour to columbia for me. The lower east side might be an option - I will look into it and perhaps post about it. I would be interested in hearing more about the yeshivish community in riverdale. would you say it's stronger than the yeshivish community in washington heights or about the same? YU side of the heights is not for us we are not YU at allWhat about the lakewood kollel on the UWS - is there a community there or do most people who learn there really live in brooklyn? Thank you!

L25

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 3:16 pm

I would suggest you coontct the kollel. when I lived there only one kollel family lived there. do you have kids? you might want to consider the eiruv situation in the various places

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 4:49 pm

L25 wrote:

I would suggest you coontct the kollel. when I lived there only one kollel family lived there. do you have kids? you might want to consider the eiruv situation in the various places

we actually don't hold by eiruvim in general, so it doesn't really effect us. Can I PM you?

melalyse

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 4:55 pm

bwaybabe85 wrote:

I wouldn't recommend living on the YU side unless witnessing drug deals and having your apartment broken into is something that sounds appealing. There's a reason the rent on that side is cheaper...

What????????????????????????????????????????????????

shnitzel

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 5:12 pm

The UWS kollel people don't live on the UWS.

There are more Yeshivish people on the UWS but there aren't many so you aren't going to find one large shul with a huge chevra. It is something you have to look for and because there aren't many most likely won't be your age. If you have boys who are school age or either boys or girls of preschool you will definitely meet some at Yeshiva ketana. There are a ton of shtiebels around but even the shtiebels often have a more mixed crowd since it is the UWS and primarily MO. It isn't like moving into a Yeshivish community, there are some amazing things about living on the UWS but you aren't likely to find an instant chevra, which you may or may not care about. Rents are currently at an all time high.

There are a lot of frummy couples in Washington Heights. There is a breuers community and also YU. A lot of the YU married couples who live there are very frum but it can be a bit different culturally than living in a Yeshivish community but you will find a lot of people who are extremely committed halachically and hashkafically, often more so than in a Yeshivish community. There are YU couples on both sides of the heights, meaning that a lot of the people are YU or Stern graduates or currently attending.

I have heard mixed things about the Lower East Side. I have heard that there are no young couples there and that there are very MO hipster young couples living there. Not sure which is true but I am pretty certain that most of the community there is quite a bit older.

shnitzel

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 5:14 pm

amother wrote:

Also the WaHi mikvah fees are lower than on UWS or R'dale!

Have you been to both mikvahs? I think the fee difference is easy to see for yourself. I know a lot of people who use the mikvah in Riverdale or the UWS instead and pay car fare as well. The UWS fee has become really steep though.

amother

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 5:30 pm

shnitzel wrote:

do you live on the UWS?

A friend suggested that if we got involved with the kollel or one of the shteible's we would be able to connect with a little bit of a more RW crowd. What do you think? We are OOT Yeshivish, not super super yeshivish. DH is a lawyer and I am going to columbia so we are open minded as well. Where does the crowd that sends to yeshivah ketana live? All over? Or is there one area that is more popular.

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