Murray Hill for pied a terre?

Nice & boring just about nails it. Third ave is a party zone around there, but accessibility through Grand Central is great. It's just not much of a neighborhood (especially compared to Park Slope or the Village or the UWS). It's also about the farthest you can get from any kind of greenery in Manhattan, if that matters.

Maybe more important: the MTA is digging under 37th & Park to construct new LIRR platforms and that means some years of noise and excavation. Maybe you can google for MTA updates?

Also tunnel traffic cuts through 37th. Minor compared to the current construction, but permanent.

On the up side, for some of these reasons prices are a little lower there.

Lived there for 10 years, but a bit further east. Boring it is!!! But on the upside, safe, very central ( but only to the east side) and the prices reflect it's a bit blah.

Thanks so much for your insights, especially the MTA tip, which was not disclosed to us. I will be sure to check with you about our next find.

op-are you looking at 45 park? $1000+ per square foot

if you've lived in park slope, this area isn't for you - but neither is gramercy

boss_tweed - where is it green in the city anyway except near parks (gramercy, upper fifth, cpw)?

gottabrain, we were looking at a much more modestly-priced lowrise on e. 37th. I know what you mean about Gramercy...where would you recommend? (Will consider anywhere not too far uptown with a neighborhoody feel)

nprr, my opinion is downtown has a much better feel. west village, tribeca...and yes, bpc.

>boss_tweed - where is it green in the city anyway except near parks (gramercy, upper fifth, cpw)?

Well, anything near the Hudson, from Battery Park City to Inwood, for a start.

But actually I wasn't really thinking about parks per se as much as ANY kind of greenery larger than the tulip beds on the Park Avenue median -- somewhere you can have a sandwich on a bench near a tree, let alone walk a dog. It's a small trek from 37th and Park to Bryant Park, which is is lovely but very, very crowded.

Murray Hill is quite beautiful. Look at the side streets, 38th, 37th, 36th between Park and Lex. Really beautiful buildings. It's true that there's not a lot of night life, but there are plenty of dry cleaners, grocery stores, liquor stores around. Plus it's a short walk to Grand Central Station.

I've lived there for 10 years. Very centrally located, in terms of getting uptown, downtown, or out of the city thru the tunnel. Subways and buses are easy for the east side. Neighborhood is ok, nothing great, but certainly has all the amenities of a neighborhood, safe. Restaurants are bars are pretty standard, certainly not much of a destination for eating out, but more than functional.

Still a youngish crowd, but certainly more families with small kids around, they seem to like the public school on 33rd street.

It also is more affordable than many trendier areas.

Good luck.

there's a decent park/playground around 30th and 1st. a new school will be opening (hopefully by 2013) at 35th and 1st (city bought half of one of the solow lots), which i would imagine will be a boost to the neighborhood.

BossTweed - you can certainly have a sandwich on a bench near a tree in Tudor City park - lovely, and peaceful.

You should distinguish Park ave. in the 30s to 3rd ave. Park ave. does not have the neighborhood amenities, but you will be on Park Ave, if that floats your boat.

I have lived in murray hill in the east30s on park for years.....going east of lexington is where to me it seems like party central and young.....west of lex towards madison is prime murray hill...ie lovely brownstones and prewar buildings......its very central to everything etc.......but if you are looking for clubs, cafes, restaurants, etc...then your best bet is westside downtown......i love murray hill.....but thats just me...and yes..they are building that tunnel under 50 park avenue on 37th and park.....are you closer to park or madison or lex? which building?

if youre planning to drive into town to stay in your pied a terre, be aware of difficult expensive parking options

nprr - have you looked at apartments in the east 50's? That has always seemed to me a very good location for a pied a terre. near shopping, museums, theater, access to lots of restaurants, and easy in-out from airports. Also, seems as if more space for the money there than in other neighborhoods (possibly because not as child centered).

Just noticed that many of you responded after I left on a long trip and stopped following this thread. The place we were considering was 104 E. 37th, but several people have warned us about tunnel traffic on that street. Opinions?

ph41, Thanks for the suggestion about the E 50's. I agree about the convenience and access to museums, but that location seems even more boring than Murray Hill. Still hoping to find something in Gramercy.

Love the area - ideally the best location is between 5th Avenue and Park (maybe as far east as Lex), north of 34th up to around 39th. That's the prettiest area, I think, and I really enjoyed living there. Quiet at night, easy to get to anywhere in the city, always felt safe, all necessary services are close...

>The place we were considering was 104 E. 37th, but several people have warned us about tunnel traffic on that street. Opinions?

Go hang out there at various times of the day and see what you think. That kind of thing drives some people (like me) nuts but other people don't mind it, so it's worth checking out for yourselves.