Riverside Drive and West End in low 100s

Pros
Riverside Park access, pre-war achitecture ,

Cons
Lots of rats along riverside drive.
in the 100's you've crossed the magical 96th street and the crime issue..

I lived on 108 just off Riverside about a decade ago. Never felt unsafe to me, and didn't notice any rats. I actually quite liked the area, and I'm sure it's even nice now. Some friends just moved up there and as far as I know they are happy with the decision.

I lived on:
109 and Broadway, 89th and Riverside, 94th and West End Ave for the past 10 years +-
never felt unsafe, not sure about the rats maybe it's a new thing overthere..
My only issue was parking.. I had to get a garage since on street parking was never an option...

The apartmetns all along riverside drive from 70th on up have had issues with Rats. Former residents of buildings have mentioned the need to "make sure" the front door stays closed.

There was a recent incident in Riverside Park, but in general, it's a safe area.

We really like the bucolic nature of it, and the easy access to Columbia and South Harlem.

Cons: a lot of middling ok grocery stores, but basically you're schlepping to Fairway; streets are crowded with cars looking for parking; longer commute to midtown/downtown; lack of some basic services (good Chinese food comes to mind) on the UWS.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

I lived on 97th and WEA for 17 years, and raised my children there. There were SRO's and crazies at the beginning, left over from the Koch era (still a few but much quieted by property-value rises.) It's a nice family neighborhood.

Certainly the rats came to WEA from the 96th Street subway station reno, I'd assume they'll happily go back there once their home is no longer disrupted.

Pros: lots of families, good playgrounds, the Broadway trains, decent shopping, Columbia and Mannes have great cultural events, some free. Silver Moon bakery has arguably the best baguettes in town (although I prefer Tom Cat, which you can get at Gourmet Garage). For us it was near school. (Trinity)

Cons: Riverside Drive is killingly cold and windy in winter. (I read once that the Indians called it "The Place That's Too Windy Nobody Goes There".) No fashion, hip restaurants, trendy bars.

Oh yeah and parking - forgetaboutit.

As Riversider noted, there's an abundance of handsome old buildings, although I personally wouldn't put them in the same class as the top coops from 72nd-90th. They have a less formal vibe, and some are pretty scruffy. The Park offers the recently-upgraded bike path and public clay tennis courts, plus the ballfields down by the highway, with youth soccer and such. Playgrounds are OK, though the Dino Park isn't one of my faves.

I think the commute to midtown/downtown from 96th is very reasonable. Ali just needs to get used to it. I agree with Ali that grocery shopping can entail a workout. Whole Foods is walkable and Gourmet Garage has good specials. Murray's is tiny, but it's also a lot closer than Zabar's. I think the restaurant food up there is better than in prime UWS; YMMV.

IMO, the rat problem seems to be less in the apartment buildings and more in the Park, where the critters rule at night. There are also big nests in some of the Broadway medians.

Yea, with summer forgot about the cold. Yes. The river brings frigid cold weather, but you benefit during the summer. Plus it stays light out a bit longer. Not to mention the awesome sky views at sunset.

I’m not sure if you get this lower down on RSD as well, but one of my favorites things about the neighborhood is hearing train whistles late at night. I like to imagine it’s the Wabash Cannonball.

I'm just going to say the last time I went to Gourmet Garage on a Sunday, they were out of chicken. Seriously.

ali

Yes, Gourmet Garage can leave one feeling like John Cleese in the Cheese Shop Sketch. I just buy whatever's on sale (and in stock)

Been a resident of the area for 27 years and agree with most of the comments.
But easy access to South Harlem? About the only time I visit South Harlem is for a quick viewing of the NYC Marathon. The sidewalks are less congested on Fifth Ave there.
Now that there is a Costco in East Harlem, there is maybe one more reason to go uptown.
It does seem, however, that interest in Harlem remains very strong among international tourists.

West 81 - always respect your comments. I will say that in the past 2 years, prime UWS has seen a huge uptick in good restaurants. Please try the goods at Tangled Vine, Taberna, Fornerria (sp? Amsterdam & 73rd), Salumeria Rossi (Amsterdam 73/74). Also, Dovetail, Telepan, Cesca, Ouest continue to put out excellent food. 81 was a loss.

Ali, When I was last in Gourmet Garage a young female sales clerk was commenting on the popularity of chicken in the store. She says to the two female cashiers, "I mean, who's going to eat me?" We all had a great laugh.

OTNYC: All true. We don't spend much time in grown-up restaurants these days, so my denigration of the local dining options may be outdated.

one nice thing is being able to see fireflies at night in some of the Broadway median strip, blinking, blinking. That's cool. I don't know if they're also in Riverside Park, but maybe. Getting a cab is easier going south on WE since it starts up there, otherwise, trains are great for getting a seat and they run pretty good. It is very, very cold and windy in the winter. Rats are everywhere in addition to those few streets; east of Broadway they are all over, as well. Shouldn't be a deciding factor. Parking indeed is miserable. If you use a bicycle, Riverside will be a big happy plus. Fairway at 125th is a good, lesser known food shopping choice -- buses go near, plenty of parking, great prices, etc. good BBQ near there, Dinosaur. Good Greenmarkets at Columbia, 97th -- heck, they're GREAT at those two locations. No movie palaces, old Olympia is gone and missed. Post Office sucks, may be one of the worst in Manhattan. New TW cable service ctr at 96th saves the shlep to 23rd every month when your box breaks. area near 106 and Broadway seems to be the frequent setting of choice for tv and feature filming of a place that doesn't look safe but is?

PMG, I would highly recommend some of the SoHa eateries -- Haakon's Hall (although it is open on whim, so you have to call), Patesserie des Ambassades, Zoma -- it's a really fun area. And I hear the new Marcus Samuelsson place, Red Rooster, is coming.

As far as movies, I think they just shot part of the new Joseph Gordon-Levitt bike movie up near 106th, but they had the decency to do it while we were away.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Lived in the area for about 6 years and - up a bit further on RSD near Columbia. The area is a hidden gem if you have kids. The vibe is less formal but the wind whips up the streets in the winter so it's really, really cold.. but the sunsets and feeling of calm are unique.

Stop telling people of the hidden gem! At least until I find a new place. :)