90's/100's between WEA and Riverside

I think it sort of is what it is. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of change for the better or the worse around there.

I think the answer depends on what you mean by "improve."

This is an area in which I've recently spent alot of time looking at apartments. I think it's a lovely and peaceful area, but have not lived in this neighborhood. A safety concern that I have, having not lived in this area, is how quiet the side streets are at night if you walk home from the subway from Broadway - are you better off walking up W. 86th to WEA and then up WEA for example.

I live in this gracious, quiet, tree-lined neighborhood and here I am thinking it's already so wonderful. Who knew I lived in a place that needed improvement?

We love it for its residential nature and the absence of any commercial activity. With our many doormen keeping an eye out for neighborhood trouble and random street crime, Broadway's services are only a block from WEA. Both WEA and Riverside are among the only areas on all of Manhattan that prohibit commercial development and commercial traffic (I think Park Avenue is the only other such street). And with that prohibition comes no middle-of-the-night commercial trash pick-ups, no sidewalk smokers outside restaurants, less vermin, less trash, fewer cigarette butts and gum on the sidewalks, and no commercial traffic and double-parked trucks making mid-day deliveries.

This thread's OP suggested in another thread she/he recently started that it would be "nice" to add restaurants and shops to Riverside Drive. "Nice?" Not sure what "nice" means, but the only thing I can think of that would improve our area would be more of what we already have -- peace, quiet, and happy residents.

Lobster, the area you are describing, the side streets West of Broadway are about as safe as New York gets. However, you should always keep an eye out, anything can happen anywhere. But "anything" is a lot less likely to happen between Broadway and West End, or West End and Riverside, between say, 72nd street and 116th street.

@NextEra - Thanks for following me on this site. I a mrelatively new and hadn't realized anyone would want to start tracking me. Indeed, 'nice' is subjective term hence i didn't feel the need to define it for anyone. 'happy' is also subjective so when you say that we have 'happy' residents I am not sure what you mean and feel that you are generalizing to say that about the residents of an area. Clearly i would be happier and think it would be nice to have a small, corner bakery on Riverside.

used to live in the area. to date probably my favorite neighborhood in nyc. quiet, beautiful, convenient, and very safe. for me the perfect balance of city and residential. that comes with a price though.

875gator, we bought a co-op in the area last year -- there has been one incident in Riverside Park but I personally have not experienced any problems .. but I too am not sure what you mean by "improve" .. better schools? more development in general? more luxury retail on Broadway?

I don't think you'll see retail on Riverside Drive anytime in the next ten years; I think the existing community would be against it.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Better sidewalks and improvments to the facades of older buildings. Would also be nice(that's right, I used that word again) if there were better shops or at least open shops along Bway between 96th and 103rd. I don't think there will be any restaurants or food shops on Riveside anytime soon either. I guess the rats will have to look elsewhere :)

875gator -- not following you at all. I have enough trouble remembering my own user name let alone someone else's. But I do read any threads about my neighborhood and so I noticed the two you started on similar topics within the last few days. As for a corner bakery on Riverside, thankfully the zoning won't permit it and as Ali r. suggested, the community would aggressively resist it.

By the way, there are already several good bakeries on Broadway. Silver Moon, at Broadway and 105th is particularly worth a visit. It's even on a corner.

agreed NextEra - riverside drive is pristine and beautiful exaclty because it doesn't have retail/commercial business

875, the Urban Outfitters on Broadway -- which I think is between 99th and 100th -- is brand new, and possibly a sign of more gentrification to come.

and I agree with Next that Silver Moon is a yummy bakery, though oddly, they have lousy coffee.

ali r.

Would having a small corner bakery on Riverside Dr. really make it less pristine? I am sure that the community would support the status quo and it wouldn't be allowed by zoning laws but I guess that is just the way it will be. I still think it would be nice :)

In the low 90s, there's Georgia's Cafe and Bakery on the corner of 89th/Broadway. Nice bakery and nice coffee.

Maybe i will push a cart over to Riverside and sell bread on a corner there.