Manhattan Neighbourhoods. Help!

pesek zman

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 10:25 pm

amother wrote:

Yeah, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to afford to buy an apartment 🙁 the rent is going to be hard enough to swing as it is. But we want to be close to work and someplace diverse where we don’t need a car, and can’t think of anywhere but Manhattan.

You cannot beat the diversity of the city. I've had Shabbos meals where 1 person davens at shtiebel and another at an egalitarian minyan (and everywhere in between) You don't get that anywhere else.

pesek zman

Sun, Oct 21 2018, 10:35 pm

amother wrote:

Pesek Zman — exactly. That’s exactly what we want. Now to figure out how to afford it.

I live on the UWS (x 17 years) pls feel free to PM me if you want

amother

Wine

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 12:50 am

amother wrote:

This reminds me of Passaic NJ. It’s just a short bus ride away to manhattan.

doctorima

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 10:08 am

Passaic is also diverse, but not in the same way as NYC. OP hasn't told us where she's at religiously and where she wants to send her kids to school. Somebody who thinks the UES sounds best for them would not likely to be happy in Passaic.

amother

Chocolate

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 10:52 am

I am go grateful for all of the responses!

Here's who we are: I wear tights and a sheitel, my husband wears a hat on Shabbos (I hate hate hate that these are the things that define us "religiously" as they have nothing to do with actual middos, but there you are) but... we both have advanced degrees and we are a multi-racial family, so living a place that is inclusive and accepting, even if we are among the more right-wing people, is a priority for us.

amother

Chocolate

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 11:11 am

Amother Wine -- is there a place in CH for people who are not Lubavitch? I guess also my perception is coloured by the riots there in the '90s which make me think the neighborhood as a whole has not such great race relations.

Amarante

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 11:34 am

I think that a multi-racial frum family would be best off in Manhattan because the experience of living in Manhattan itself means that people can't be as insular as they are in the Brooklyn neighborhoods in which you can exist without having to meaningfully interact with different kinds of people.

I think the frum neighborhoods on the LES are less convenient in terms of transportation as the LES really doesn't have great mass transit.

With the opening of the Second Avenue Subway even the areas East of the Lexington Avenue line are better served by linking to the subway system.

And of course the closer West, the more expensive - those areas were built for the wealthy from the start and are close to Central Park.

Central Park West was also built for the wealthier and even the further west neighborhoods of the UWS were built with housing intended for the more prosperous.

amother

Wine

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 11:37 am

amother wrote:

I’m not sure if there are many people who aren’t Lubavitch but I know that there are some multi racial families, that’s why I thought of it.

N'sMom

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 11:56 am

pesek zman wrote:

You cannot beat the diversity of the city. I've had Shabbos meals where 1 person davens at shtiebel and another at an egalitarian minyan (and everywhere in between) You don't get that anywhere else.

This.

OP, I have been living on the UWS for a long time, and sent kids through the schools. Dh and I were both out of towners so were used to the kind of inclusiveness you talk about, and definitely found it here. Please feel free to PM me with any questions.

doctorima

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 11:57 am

If you wear tights and a sheitel and your husband wears a hat on Shabbos, you would be in the extreme minority on the UES. The LES is smaller but as I wrote, more OOTish in terms of being warm and accepting and non-judgmental. The UWS could also work, as could Passaic (I think). Also look into Rabbi Fund's shul in Flatbush, which could work really well for you.

As I wrote earlier, much will depend on where your jobs are and where you're sending your kids to school. Having a reasonable commute is just as important as finding a good-fit community.

amother

Pink

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 4:06 pm

amother wrote:

Those who mentioned LES, where do the frum families live? Specific buildings or streets?

Grand Street. Some addresses are on different streets but the buildings are on Grand Street anyway.

Apartments are all in Co-ops which can be a challenge to get into. The main co ops are East River and Hillman, there are also some frum families in Amalgamated and Seward Park.

The neighborhood is very concentrated in those buildings which makes it almost a bungalow colony atmosphere. People feel safe sending kids to each other's apartments because they're right next door, and it's easy to help each other out.

icedcoffee

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 4:15 pm

I recently moved to the UES. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM! We definitely found that you got better value ("more bang for your buck") than the UWS.

amother

Apricot

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 5:10 pm

icedcoffee wrote:

I recently moved to the UES. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM! We definitely found that you got better value ("more bang for your buck") than the UWS.

How much for a 2-3 bedroom apartment there?

amother

Fuchsia

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 7:08 pm

I grew up on the UWS and lived in Passaic they have very different feels. Passaic skews yesheivish/ bt, there isn't as strong a MO presence. UWS is really a big mix, I can definitely see a biracial family choosing the UWS for that mix. I always viewed the lower east side as a pain transportation wise. if you look in to Passaic I would suggest looking in to "the Ahavas".

pesek zman

Mon, Oct 22 2018, 7:23 pm

amother wrote:

Do you think we'd be able to make a 1br into a 2br on the UWS, or is that just a miserable way to live?

So doable! Other than the ultra rich, most couples and families do this, and more! 4 kids in a 3 converted from 2, nurseries carved out of master bedrooms, or in my case, toddler in the walk in closet!