Yorkville: Specifically East End Ave.:Desireablity/Value?

If you were to say a two bedroom, I'd be more inclined to be positive (at the right time/price, I'm quite bearish). There are two private schools on EEA and the family apartments usually sell. Prices are generally lower here, but for those who want to be here, many feel it is their only desired area (go figure).

It is peaceful and the Promenade and Park are nice. But a long way from anywhere.

I walk over to the dog run at Carl Schurz Park once a week. I have the same thoughts each time. On the walk: "It's so quiet and nice. Less traffic, less noise, such nice open views of the river." On the way home: "This is so F+ing far. I don't know who would want to live all the way east and deal with this schlep just to get to the subway, work, movies, etc." EEA is lovely if you don't have to move out of your neighborhood most days. Otherwise, I think the travel negotiations (walk four long blocks east for subway, or take bus to the 6 or across town) could really be a drag. FWIW, friends who moved to EEA in the last year almost exclusively move around the city in cabs now.

And it's cold. Really, really cold in the winter.

Kids, dogs, old people, long long long walks to transportation as wiffs of the East Side waste transfer station irritate your eyes and assult your nose. The edge of a city can be an interesting place, just don't get too close to the edge.

Boring and far from the subway. There is a reason it is so cheap per foot.

Lots of people don't use the subways - for them this area is great.

Might as well live in Westchester.

i live btwn 1st and york...and EEA seems a a bit of a schlep for me. usually only hit it on the way to carl schurz or john jay parks. otherwise i like the hood. i have wife and two kids. great area for them.

Nice views and some of the old coops have big rooms. Better for families than singles for sure. I would say however that whoever has money to drop on a 3 bedroom or 4 bedroom apartment right now can consider more central areas. I think there is a limit to how much people with spend for an UES or Yorkville apartment (absolute figure, not just per SF.)

Lived on 83rd right by EEA / across from carl shurz park in early 2000's. agree with posts above: EEA is a quiet, elegant block and its like being in the city without really being in the city. That's a positive and negative. Carl Shurz park and the the riverwalk are great. If you ever want to travel below Houston or the west village, it could be a 30-40 min cab ride. One of the primary positives of transportation over there, imo, is the (forget the line #) bus that goes down York and then across 57th street - if you work in midtown like I did / do.

If I were buying there I might be worried about the possible deterioration of the UES above 86th street east of 2nd ave in this extended recession and its potential impacts on value on EEA.

the bus is the M31.
there is also the X90 express to a WFC with stops in Wall St. area.

There's a real three bedroom at 80 EEA for $1.1ish, 2nd floor but very quiet. I saw the same line, higher floor, for $800K around 2004 (much better kitchen, current listing did nice things in living room), so still high for the neighborhood. But, in 2004, $800K for a 3/2 with decent maintenance was very reasonable. Didn't look up here in 1995 or 2000 though, so don't know where things were then.

Many of the Brearley and Chapin families would only live in the neighborhood, so there's always some support for family-sized apartments.

If you are starting a family it is wonderful if you want a quiet suburban feel. I lived there. It does not feel like you are living in the city. You are very far from the subways (too far.) And there is nothing to do other than the park. If you live there you need to have a budget for cabs, if you can afford it.

The M31 is terrible. It would take you an hour or more to get to work in midtown from EEA.

i take the M31 home almost daily and it is only 30 minutes tops from 57th and lex to 79th and york

The M31 has a great route, but it can be agonizingly slow on York. If you want to rely upon it, I'd try it out a couple of times (although UES traffic seems much slower these days, so maybe it's improved).

Regarding the cab ride, actually for some locations it's quite brilliant usually. 79th Street FDR entrance, downtown in minutes. The West Village could be a painful (and/or expensive) commute.

20-25 minutes door to door from 83rd to Park and 57 when i used to take it. To the west side is a different story. nycjunior1 - its not "an hour or more". But i could deal with sitting on the bus and listening to my ipod and reading the paper. personal preference.

depends on the day but about 2 days ago i started an episode of "30 Rock" on my pod when i sat on the bus and was watching the ending as I walked a block to my apartment. that's approx. 22 minutes.

Don't forget about the water taxi down to Wall Street.

So, are the prices we're seeing on EEA too high right now? (e.g. http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/387664-coop-80-east-end-avenue-yorkville-new-york)

As the prices fall, like any fringe area in the city it will come down more than the prime areas. So not so great from an investment point of view either.

It's literally on the fringe of the city (being the farthest east you can go), but my understanding is that historically, EEA is one of the most sought after streets in the city? I know in that 1985 Tom Wolfe article in Esquire, he named several buildings there amongst the most desirable and I don't think that's changed (with the exception of some buyers at 170 EEA, who are suing to get out of contracts).

"As the prices fall, like any fringe area in the city it will come down more than the prime areas. So not so great from an investment point of view either."

This was not uniformly true in the last two dowturns, nor is it uniformly true so far in this one. If the bubble was bigger in "prime areas"...do the math.

New York Times had two great pictures of east end avenue during the day and at night...daytime...kids in school uniforms, evening, totally empty of people, cars, etc.

That area has always been nice and will likely remain nice even during the recession. If the commute to the subway does not bother you it's a great value. If you drive even better, the FDR is right there. I know lots of kids that grew up there because there are big apts there.

Recently looked at two condos at 52 East End. The first, comprising the fifteenth floor, was ridiculously overpriced at 2.9. Many problems. The other, a three bedroom comprising almost all of the sixteenth floor seemed very reasonably priced at 1.675. We'll probably go back for a second look at that one. East End is pretty close to where my wife and I work so the commute isn't an issue for us. We think it would be a good place to start a family.

I love the area. I think there is no other place to live than the upper eastside. Its clean, safe, has lots of stores and restaurants.

We're a funny bunch, aren't we? We'll PAY for a gymn membership, it's a MUST, but grouse about walking to the subway. "It's sooooooo far!" .........whimper

I hear you drdrd but I offer a few words of explantion: January, February, March, pouring rain and packages.

Long term, 2nd avenue subway will do magical things (especially once the construction is gone).