Tribeca vs. Chelsea for young couples?

Hi: I specialize in Tribeca, having lived or worked there since 1979, so am very partial to the neighborhood. First, I find that real estate values have done nothing but escalate constantly (I sold my loft 10 yrs. ago for 880k and it's now worth $1.8 million; sold a 3BR Condo for $2.125M 3 yrs. ago I'm likely listing for $3 million soon). But, it comes down to PARKS. There just aren't any in Chelsea at all. Period. No parks at all. Tribeca has the waterfront park area, Washington Market, City Hall, J&R, Century 21 for shopping, Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, 3 dog parks within blocks, exceptional schools (if kids are in your future), and great restaurants. Furthermore, since it gets thinner downtown, it's near east side AND west side trains, so commuting anywhere is easy. Well, if you need an agent, reach out to me. I know every single building in Tribeca . Ann Zemaitis RUTENBERG REALTY 9176761950 azemaitis@CRRNYC.com

I personally find Tribeca very boring. It is quite nice, but I would suggest that other areas are much better for a young couple. Maybe more helpful if you put down what you like to do and what kind of budget you have.

"But, it comes down to PARKS. There just aren't any in Chelsea at all. Period. "

What the hell are you talking about azemaitis? I don't even live in Chelsea and I can list a dozen different parks off the top of my head. There's the Chelsea waterside park, Pier 62 and Pier 63, several dog parks, soccer fields, playgrounds, and that little elevated thing called the Highline.

But yeah, the public schools aren't as good. But it might also be worth mentioning that much of TriBeCa doesn't even qualify for those "exceptional" schools.

I like Tribeca a lot , seems a bit more family oriented , and the schools are pretty good

Doesn't matter which neighborhood is better. Since you are working downtown, pick the one that you can walk to work. Nothing beats a fully predictable commute on foot and the ability to just pop-in or out of the office whenever you need to. I used to live to close to my office that i would go home for a #2 at times and come back.

If you don't have kids and aren't planning any soon, go for Chelsea. Tribeca tends to be "family oriented" and all that that implies. Chelsea is plenty quaint but it has better access to nightlife. And the waterfront parks are great. One thing that Tribeca has over Chelsea (particularly the west of 9th Ave) is access to transportation. On a day like today its a loooong walk from 10th or 11th avenue to the C/E at 23rd and 8th.

Depends what you mean by Chelsea. What goes for Chelsea today can vary greatly from 25th and 6th to 19th and 11th. Those two are very different areas. Either way, Tribeca will be quieter and more residential feeling and is generally a smaller area than Chelsea. Chelsea will have more action, more nightlife and more reasonably priced restaurants.

Ottawanyc
about 12 hours ago
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Member since: Aug 2011
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I personally find Tribeca very boring. It is quite nice, but I would suggest that other areas are much better for a young couple. Maybe more helpful if you put down what you like to do and what kind of budget you have.

Of course you are from Ottawa, so your view of boring is different from the rest of us. And then you didn't even more to NYC, you moved to Williamsburgh which you describe as 97% safe.

Proximity to galleries is not that important, it s not like you ll go everyday... But I don't know Chelsea that well.
For Tribeca, I have lived several years there and plan to move: the restaurants are really overrated (apart from Forgione), supermarkets are such a stroller war nightmare that I never go and only use online shopping, parks are not really better than anywhere else, and it is actually very isolated in terms of subway (unless you live around city hall which is no longer Tribeca). It is practical if you work at Goldman or Citibank.
Instead of Tribeca or Chelsea, I would recommend the Village or Soho. West Village is probably the most charming part of NY, and Soho has some of the nicest architecture and is very central, you can walk anywhere (Village, Noho, Nolita, Tribeca, Hudson Square,..)

Snuffles: Are you saying in the last sentence of your comment:
you lived so close to your office that you would go home to drop- a- deuce in your apartment's bathroom and then return to the office?

@Truth yep..that was when i lived in midtown..nothing beats the convenience of using your own throne on demand.

Snuffles: How true!

I would try Chelsea or Greenwich Village/West Village. For young couples or singles that I know that have moved to Tribeca over last few years, they said it was very boring, fewer restaurant and market options as well. If you are looking for some activity I would not do Tribeca unless you are just enamored with that loft lifestyle--which you can also find in Chelsea/Flatiron.

Of course forevermiracle will never return to SE to comment because it takes 2 weeks for a post to be approved.

Well, neither Chelsea or TriBeCa have large parks , with the exception of the narrow band along the river.

What happened to aboutready ? (Oh, and is everyone still wondering why an adamant, vocal bear would reverse course and buy in Williamsburg two years after huge prices increases in virtually every type of building in every corner of that hood; she could have gotten so much more for less by buying two years earlier).

Chelsea is amazingly vibrant and getting fun new restaurants all the time. The Hudson River Park is accessible for biking walking and running. The Subways are at all the avenue on main thoroughfares. I recommend living on/near 23rd st.
Tons of things to do here and easy to reach all of Manhattan, a lot of it on foot.( midtown, Soho) nice strolls in good weather.
Very busy at night, i.e. safe and brightly lit....

I love what passes for a park in Chelsea.

Also, I can't imagine what would be more torturous than living in SoHo so why would anyone recommend that? It's just a tourist trap at this point.

Agreed on Soho and Chelsea. Don't get it. Unless you're near the promenade in West Chelsea I wouldn't go near that area. As someone who has taken 400,000 subway and bus rides over my many years in NYC, there is no one amenity greater than the ability to walk to work, as others have mentioned here. If the poster is working downtown, it sounds like Tribeca is probably the best match. I'm guessing the poster has a solid budget mentioning these neighborhoods. If so and if its in the $5k-$8k range, I would look into 101 Warren Street. Stick to anything west of Church - South of White. Stay along the Greenwich St corridor if possible. Don't rent at 105 Duane. You could also look at 1 River Terrace or something of that nature. A location like 28 East 10th (Devonshire) or anything within that immediate vicinity is probably a good alternative. Unless you can score something on 17th St btw 6th and 7th Ave in Chelsea, I wouldn't recommend it. Most Chelsea blocks tend be loud. If your budget is $3k or something disregard everything I just said - you're not renting in Chelsea or Tribeca period.

I get a chuckle out of the "no parks in Tribeca" thing. If OP rents at 1 RT or 101 Warren they'll have access to Rockefeller Park, which is beautiful and quiet.

Tribeca is pricier and more family focused. The neighborhood is filled with moms and dads that style themselves like movie stars, wearing $450 distressed jeans and so forth. Excellent schools, access to trains, and proximity to the beautiful park and piers along the Hudson. The restaurant and retail options are limited to mostly extremely high end. Probably closer to work.

Chelsea will be much larger, younger, and much gayer. Much more varied restaurant scene with much more affordable options and very trendy options. 6/7/8th Avenue has subway lines, once you go farther west it can become a long distance to the train. Parks seem to be more on the west side (Hudson, High Line) but those are farthest from the train. The galleries are basically high end stores. You won't go to them unless you get invited to an opening.

If you are a young hetero couple I'd definitely look at the Village including the East Village. As others have said I would avoid Soho like the plague. The East Village is definitely the youngest, most lively, and most affordable of all the neighborhoods I mentioned.

Really depends on your income and socioeconomic brackets - how much do you plan to spend on rent? And how old are you guys exactly?

If you don't have kids, you will hate TriBeCa. Not to mention that it is the "whitest" of all neighborhoods, just annoying moms with their oversized strollers, everyone is the same, pretty sad...
Chelsea, Soho, East Village are much nicer and diverse options. Soho is actually extremely nice to live in if you avoid the Canal st and Broadway corridors.

I enjoy that there is a premium placed on the benefits of walking to work, but no one even suggests FiDi. Is OP even out there anymore? She just mentioned two neighborhoods on a suggestion, but gives no idea of what they like beyond easy commute.

>Is OP even out there anymore?

OP was here 3 weeks ago. It probably took 10 days for the post to be approved, by which time it was buried on p.2 or 3 (in the past, it would have been buried on p.10, but there aren't that many posts these days).

O.P is twisting in outer-space,
like Sandra Bullock.

huntersburg: It's the quality of the posts -- not the quantity.

The east village is extremely poor value, particularly if you wish to buy.

Are we talking parks with a large p or playgrounds/dog runs/paces to hang? Much of Chelsea is close to the square parks, there is a fairly extensive playground at 22nd and 10th, as well as all else mentioned. I would never want to be far west Chelsea, you have far more transportation and dining options closer to the center.

Oh thank goodness you are ok.

huntersburg: LOL!!! LOL!!! LOL!!!

I'm happy she is ok. That's not a laughing matter.

okey-dokey!

Who even "does" galleries these days? Is that really seen as an amenity that you need to have right in your neighborhood?

Back to Real Estate , if anyone needs direct bank financing , please call me at 631-316-7272. Beat any deal that you have , I specialize in SFR / Condo and Coops in NY . Would love to chat and answer all of your questions, thanks! Good luck with your home search !

KrCloser212
38 minutes ago
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Member since: Dec 2013
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>Back to Real Estate

You have no opinion on Chelsea or TriBeCa?

I‘m still here! Didn't know my post got alive. Thanks to everyone for your suggestion.
We've visited some buildings in both neighborhoods. Chelsea does have better access to other parts of Manhattan and more things to do. Tribeca is quieter and higher-end and offers the benefits of walking to work. I know we couldn't get everything we want. Still, a hard decision to make!

If you want a walk to work and an interesting neighborhood, try Chinatown. Chelsea and especially Tribeca are full of rich newcomers (and I realize that this description may fit you as well) which make them rather dull. Chinatown is real NY.

It's nice to be able to walk to work, but basing where you live on that is just silly. Transport in NYC is great and taking the subway is part of the fun. Don't live in Tribeca, it is deadsville and yes you have easy access to work, but not so easy to the rest of NYC. Try and find something more central so you can easily explore the city when you aren't working. I'd look around GV, WV as top choices. And try and be below 14th st if you can.

Ottawanyc, how long does your commute from Ottawa to New York City take?