The wind of riverside drive!

not anyone's idea of a good time...i guess the good news is that the wind is generally coming off of the river so the stroller will end up between west and broadway but not in the water.

It's mighty uncomfortable. But 72nd is not the worst stretch. But be very careful crossing 72nd at the RSD 3-way intersection. There are some cars who don't "see" the last light and barrel on through to the WS Hway.

Lower 70s on RSD itself is bad. I was once 5 months pregnant and got knocked down by the wind, flat on my face when I was checking out an OH at 5RSD.

You expecting, uwsmom? Good luck.

One March, I was walking downhill on Riverside between 101 and 102 in high heels and I had to take my shoes off, for fear of being blown over. 72nd has that wide triangular space that funnels toward West End - but the bright side is, the park is right there and the 75th St Playground is very nice.

Expect a 5-10 degree difference in temperature (it will feel like that) when you get to Riverside during the winter. The windchill does make things worse. But for me it is an acceptable tradeoff. I prefer to see the trees and the river, even if this means that I will have problems walking when the wind is blowing at 40-50 miles an hour during the winter :-)

I used to live in the Normandy (for 7 years), which is on Riverside Drive with entrances on both 86th and 87th. I seem to recall that 86th Street was worse than 87th with respect to the wind -- it seemed like there was a windtunnel effect at times when the wind would come whipping south on Riverside and then east on 86th Street. Once the doorman on the 86th Street side had to grab me as I was exiting a car, as he held on to a scaffolding pole, to keep me from blowing up the street! And when I was pregnant and carrying a folded box for packing something (can't remember what), it literally took me 30 minutes to get from West End Avenue to Riverside Drive on 86th Street -- if the box was at my side, the wind whipped it behind me and turned it into a sail, forcing me back up 86th Street -- if I held the box in front of me, the wind blew against it so hard that I couldn't move. With that said, it didn't happen that often and I loved living in that neighborhood and would do so again in a heartbeat, despite occasional problems with the wind.

LOL. this was worth it just to hear the stories. Sounds unpleasant, especially with babies.
thanks 10023 - #2 due in Nov

It sounds like a bicycle-to-broom transformation zone.

Having put you off, have you looked at the rentals at 11RSD, Schwab House. Postwar bldg, so not your style. But it occupies the whole 74-75, WEA to RSD block and the main entrance is on WEA with side entrances on the 2 side streets. There are 2 3-bedrooms there (maybe even 3?) under 8k. They were/are owner-occupied, so they should be a grade above the usual rental stock.

Given the insufferable exterior, I have not made the Schwab listings a top priority, but it really is a great location (I REALLY want to stay in the neighborhood) and the spaces are large (one even has 2 kitchens - Bonus!). I should stop being an exterior snob and take a look at them. We're just beginning our "serious looking" this month. As West81st mentioned, the one w/ the terrace has been sitting for quite some time. Thanks for the suggestion.

The hallways, lobbies and entrances were recently redone (may even still be a work in progress). It's impeccably maintained. I'm a ceiling height snob and while I haven't measured, it felt to me like the ceiling hts were a smidge above 8'. There's a playroom as well. The owner occupancy is very high, so it is much better kept than the average rental stock on WEA, RSD. NWT?

We also feel the wind of RSD is worthwhile is consideration for the nice months, the views, and quiet, and more. My wife insists that on her list of RSD complaints (short to be sure), wind only comes in at #2 (yes even with a baby). #1 is the distance to the nearest market for when we run out of milk etc.

We have found that our rooms that face the river are significantly colder in winter.

Another plus for Schwab House. You're practically on top of Fway.

uwsmom, those apartments are BIG. nyc10023, if you have a look at the sales (and you most likely have), Schwab House kind of perfectly encapsulates this market. Not a single recorded sale of a unit over $1m, but some activity at the lower end.

btw, the wind is nice in the summer. we have a wind tunnel, and every year i curse it until May.

no larger sales since September. key data point missing.

UWSmom: I know the prewar thing is your thing but the beauty about renting is - you're just renting! It doesn't matter if the place doesn't fit your esthetic. The 50s era "luxury" buildings of which Schwab is an example (rare on UWS) have grown on me. We lost the Schwab mansion, but the Schwab House doesn't look hugely out of place on that stretch of RSD (yes, W81 will guillotine me for this statement).

AR: Doesn't help that the board is strict.

10023 - do you own one of these units? ;)
But seriously, you're right about renting. A well-maintained building is, naturally, at the top of our list... certainly higher than aesthetics.

I knew you were going to say that! No, I don't. I am not a broker, nor am I related to anyone who owns in the bldg. We do have good friends who live in the building (they do not own the any of the units on the market either). They have an original 3 bedroom. Generously-sized rooms, my only 2 quibbles would be the galley kitchen & windowless dining room (it's much larger than the "dining area" in most postwars).

I don't know if this is a turn-off for you but there is a significant senior population. They liked it so much they never left :)

We all like to dish Schwab House, but it's really not bad at all. I know several people there, none of whom have any complaints and seem to genuinely like it. Perfection eludes it, of course, as with any building.

NWT: would you say that those are 8ft ceilings? They feel higher...

I'd say a bit higher, too. Not tall, but not that scrunchy feel you often get in postwar buildings.

Oh, and you get to use either RSD or WEA address, to avoid guest-letdown if you have no river view.

Schwab House is very nice, but a bit less nice than the Schwab house that it replaced: http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON032.htm

[well, IMHO anyway]

Oh, and its owner was a world-class weasly sleazebag, which I'm sure isn't true of Schwab House cooperators.

IIRC, it converted at a good-for-buyers time, so it wasn't saddled with a lot of debt.

The wind can definitely be a bear on RSD in the colder months. Also, some RSD buildings have terrible wind-tunnel problems which create a loud and irritating howling/whistling sound (all year long, but especially in the winter). I have some friends who actually have to don earplugs to sleep because of this.

How about the very end of the south side of 72nd near highway and across from park? Bad wind??

You looking at the Chatsworth? Those 2 blocks are windy, from Bway to RSD. And you'd be shopping, doing kid things Bway & points west, so you'd be schlepping them back and forth a million times a day. Also, the Chatsworth has steps up leading to the lobby. The doormen help with strollers, but it's got to be annoying on a daily basis.

I've been in the building a couple of times - it's adequately maintained but ultimately, it's still a rental building.

But, one huge point in favor of the Chatsworth - it's one of the few large prewar rental buildings (if not the only one) zoned for PS199. Renting a co-op is unstable as one doesn't know if one can rent indefinitely.

I drool over the original floorplans of the Chatsworth occasionally:

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=286846&imageID=464815&total=301&num=0&parent_id=286807&word=&s=&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&imgs=20&pos=9&snum=&e=w

Yes, they seem to have larger rentals there, and I kind of like the location (tucked away, river and park views), but the location also has serious cons. *sigh*
Right, Schwab is co-op, so that's less than ideal. I wonder why the 3 br w/ terrace has sat for so long (since last June I think).

i live on the block you are inquiring about for years, the wind really isnt bad at all. the 2 places i have noticed really bad wind on the uws are up around riverside church and on riverside blvd in front of the new trump buildings

it may just be me - but the last few winters the wind has not been as bad - no/ very few days of extreme wind tunnel effect

I grew up there...Definately windy, but not as bad as some other blocks or areas. Pretty sure your kids won't blow away--I never did! :) I wouldn't consider it any kind of prohibitive element.

uwsmom, what 3 bdr with terrace are you referring to?

gaongaon, I think she means this one:

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/375201-rental-11-riverside-drive-upper-west-side-new-york

wow...this one has been sitting for almost a year....i assume the owners are still living there hoping for a miracle.

on the other hand, in the summer, the wind provides good natural air conditioning provided that you have windows facing out... So what's worse? Horrible wind in the winter when you are outside or delighful breeze when the weather is warm and you can open windows?

Ezal - we in the same city? This winter has been brutal (and long).

>>wow...this one has been sitting for almost a year....i assume the owners are still living there hoping for a miracle.<<

Yeah, and seriously, who's going to want to sublet something with two kitchens? Perhaps if you're planning on doing a share, but I seriously doubt anyone renting this type of 'trophy' unit wants to cramp their style with a roomate...

The owners should just suck it up and either put it up for sale or take it off the rental market. Ain't gonna fly at $7500.

for the right price, i could ignore the 2nd kitchen. maybe you could block it off or something...

the floor plan redefines awkward...not only two kitchens but two living rooms. wonder what the back story here is. bought and ran out of money for the renovation? something doesn't make sense.

>>for the right price, i could ignore the 2nd kitchen. maybe you could block it off or something...<<

Yeah, but even for the 'right' price, you'd still have to move within two years, so what's the use? (Listing says 21-month max lease). I'd never want to box myself in that way, which is why I'd never consider renting in a co-op with strict sublet bylaws.

So, who rented the Schwab penthouse and how much did you pay?
:)