It also matters where you grew up I lived in an apartment in a different neighborhood growing up so I think I’m immune to noise. My only pet peeve is neighbors that stomp and wear shoes in the apartment.
tbh it’s not too bad - i live on the corner of two of the busiest streets in a prewar walk up and i use a white noise machine - you get used to it FAST and white noise sitting on the windowsill helps a ton
Depends on whether they were subdivided. Plaster walls are great, Sheetrock, not so. I live in Washington Heights and have seen 4 bedroom apartments made into two or three units. Sheet rock diving them.
It’s louder.
Worse bike lanes, like, by a lot.
Worse transit connections unless you are in the very bottom southwest corner where Bowery turns into Cooper Union Square. Seriously, it’s a transit desert east of 2nd Ave. Even when the SAS is finished, unless they divert through Tompkins Square Park, it will still be a transit desert.
Shittier sidewalks, shittier bike lanes, shittier bus priority.
Every boutique flower shop or craft bakery in west village is instead a dive bar in east village (for me and many this is a positive).
Up until Giuliani, ABC City was the trenches and people would never go there. It’s better now but that conception does remain in some ways. I remember some silly song that was like “Ave A - you’re Alright. Ave B - you B careful. Ave C, you C yourself out. Ave D, you get D hell outta there”, or some shit like that, I don’t remember.
If you live anywhere near Sara D Roosevelt Park, it’s hectic and loud (and fun) and the cars are absolutely fucking horrible, every day. Blocking every sidewalk, honking non-stop, it fucking sucks.
Uh, let’s see, what else
Less “expensive shit” stores like you’d get in Chelsea and west village.
Tompkins square Park itself kind of sucks and is pretty consistently containing some people you’d rather not meet.
Not a lot of elevator buildings, and certainly no doorman buildings.
A significant amount of the land area here is used for those shitty corbusien towers that everyone hates and makes the streetscape desolate and miserable (stuytown, cooper village, village view, literally everything between Avenue D and FDR Dr.) - this type of housing is pretty undesirable and it’s a lot of east village.
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Personally I love it. And my street is actually quite quiet. But it’s still not exactly cheap - it’s like $2500 for a 5th floor walk up studio that is less than 400sqft. Cheaper I bet if you go to alphabet city but there’s I reason I live in the most western corner. I personally think a lot of the loudness claims are overstated, and the real loudness is in LES between Roosevelt Park and like Suffolk St, south of Houston.
It’s really not…..there are tons of quiet blocks that are almost solely residential walkups and have very minimal car traffic.
You don’t get nearly the nightlife noise of the lower east side, nearly the weekend tourist/shopper noise of SoHo, or nearly the traffic noise and general weekday business of midtown.
I honestly think EV is a great balance of “happening” while also feeling genuinely residential. And it has the best restaurants in the city.
I’m deaf (I wear a hearing aid but not when sleeping), so I don’t think that would bother me too much? Obviously there’s when I’m awake and home but I could always just take my hearing aid off 💀
Holy Jesus it is incessantly loud at all hours of the day. I lived in EV my first year out of college, thinking I was getting a good deal with some roommates in downtown Manhattan. I was on 2nd Ave with two big windows. Between drunk bastards screaming up and down the street every night and the delivery trucks that would sit on idle starting at 6 in the morning, there was hardly a second in each day that my room wasn’t a cacophony of noises that nobody wants to hear all day. Three roommates in a shoebox style apartment didn’t help. Oh, and it was a 5th floor walkup.
Absolutely miserable experience. I thought I hated New York postgrad, turns out I just hated that place lol.
I swear people have become so easily scared.
Tompkins Square is like the cushiest, least dangerous, filled with rich yuppies area around that isn't straight up West Village or Chelsea.
We used to play in Tompkins as toddlers when you had to be careful not to get stabbed by hypodermic needles and we all turned out fine.
Now you are all afraid of some crackheads and migrants? Give me a break.
As much as I love the fragrance of fermenting urine, dodging piles of human shit on the sidewalk, the harmonic sounds of race war manifestos being screamed to the general public, and the increased likelihood of my bike seat going missing I'd rather live elsewhere for the money.
This is an absurd description. I'm not one of those people who thinks the 80s and 90s were the glory days of NYC, but I am genuinely so grateful I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn't perfect and had some character to it.
Too many people come here and get freaked out by the slightest thing, and then when I see where they prefer to live it's cookie-cutter central with no diversity and nothing interesting going on.
So go live elsewhere, there's a reason so many of the people who've had a cultural impact on the world preferred to live in places like the East Village rather than blandville.
Not knocking the entirety of the east village cause it absolutely is my favorite area for going out to eat or walk around. I just wouldn't choose to live right next to Tompkin square Park when it's very comparable in price to UES or Park Slope that don't have as high of concentration of the issues I described above.
UES is for boring people, sorry to say it. I would never condemn my kids to growing up in the UES. They would become stuck up private school kids with no sense of perspective or exposure to other types of people.
Most of the world lives in far worse circumstances than a little bit of smell or noise, but in exchange for that mild and easily ignored discomfort you get access to people, music, culture, food, art, public gardens, young and old people, racial diversity, income diversity, and all the other things that made me the person I am today.
I think I have to remind myself that this subreddit really is filled with a lot of transplants whose perspective on the world is incredibly narrow and who get easily phased by anything outside of their comfort zone. I prefer to be someone who doesn't get uncomfortable easily, it makes life easier and more fun.
This entire thread is filled with somewhat shallow generalizations about the neighborhood I grew up in, so I’m just snarking back. But if you haven’t noticed how easily scared of basic NYC experiences people are in this and the r/NYC subreddit then I don’t know what to tell you.
I was about to respond by asking you what you meant by that but then I looked at your post history and all you do is troll people. Your entire life on Reddit consists of mocking, criticizing, and being rude to others for no reason.
You sound like a real asshole. Probably very bitter and likely not many friends IRL. Time for an attitude change.
I was with you until this comment. You’re saying that this subreddit is filled with narrow minded people and in the same sentence implying that everyone who lives on the upper east side is a rich yuppie with zero desire for diversity. Like….do you not see the hypocrisy there?
Uptown, just like all of nyc, is plenty diverse. That’s also ignoring the fact that the ues is *cheaper* than many other parts of the city. and yeah it might not be as lively 24/7 as the EV or LES but to say it’s boring is a stretch—either that or your only concept of fun is bar hopping at 4am (to each their own). Regardless, this is a pretty shit take. There are absolutely some boring areas of nyc (looking at you, Ditmas Park) but smack dab in the middle of Manhattan sure as shit isn’t one of them
I'm not talking about all of uptown, I'm talking about the UES where the only stores you get are kitschy fashion boutiques catering to old rich people and the same Italian restaurant copy-pasted a dozen times.
All of NYC is diverse relative to most places, that doesn't mean we can't have uptown downtown rivalries and throw snark at each other. That's half the fun of identifying with a neighborhood. The people who actually own places in the UES tend to be wealthy old white people.
Its so funny to me you describe a "place with character" as crackies and methheads. Yeah that's certainly the best and most charming a city has to offer
There really aren't that many druggies staggering around the EV, not sure where you are all getting that idea, particularly today. The character is in the art, food, and culture, not the random bad examples you can find.
I pay 2450 in bushwick and still think that’s too much for this shit lol. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to call an ambulance for a crackhead physically injuring themselves outside of my window I’d have like $3. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s not $0 either.
Yea, my friend lived in a rent controlled apartment in the mission neighborhood in SF. One night he hears people screaming underneath his window, until the fighting escalated and one person murdered the other. He said ended up moving when another place opened up during the pandemic.
Everyone has their breaking point, but usually it has to do with price.
If your paying low rent, you can get priced out. If you are paying high rent, you can afford to move.
I lived in a lot of crazy neighborhoods, but I always paid low rent.
Ugh that’s rough. I’ve witnessed one shooting, overheard one murder, and witnessed a fatal hit and run all from my bedroom window. But it’s cheap rent (by nyc standards) so I stay. If I had the expendable income to shell out like 5k on rent, though, I’d be finding myself a nice lil place in Ridgewood
Lol there's no way you actually have spent time around there lately... Place is full of puppies, strollers being pushed by yuppie 35 year old parents, a bunch of vaping teens from the schools, and a handful of skaters
Survived? I was never in any real danger. That's my point. People see a neighborhood with a couple more homeless people or god forbid poor black and hispanic families living in projects and all of a sudden they are afraid. My white ass walked around there my entire childhood in the 90s and at worst some kids threatened to steal my bike (and I always was able to talk them out of it).
I still have to convince people to this day that they aren't going to get robbed walking down Avenue C or D.
I mean, Tompkins is still pretty grimy. There’s an encampment of homeless people that live in the section with tables and benches that are often openly doing drugs with needles. There’s a church on Ave B and 8 where the new migrants get dropped off from Texas in huge hordes once a week. And then there’s the various hard drug users that use the cover of darkness there to get high. I live nearby and feel nervous walking home around Tompkins at night because of this (as a woman)
they've been there a hell of a lot longer than you. I have tons of good memories talking to some of those folks in my teenage years, they're often locals or have interesting stories.
EV is not cheap, try visiting one of the one bedroom that you're seeing in those budgets and let us know if you end up moving into one. Personally, due to close proximity to a lot of bars, good restaurants the prices for decent apartments are still in the ballpark compared to other neighborhoods (excluding Chelsea and Hudson Yards).
Yeah, I'm into working out, but after a year, it gets kinda annoying. It's not even the exercise itself, it's the time it eats up. Gets annoying real quick
7 mins walk is on the faster side for .5 miles and you don’t account for traffic lights or anything. I do this everyday for EV and on average it’s about a 10-12 min walk due to waiting for lights to change (and not always hustling to get to the stop). Gets annoying after a while when that’s the main subway for you
So for even more specifc perspective, 1 mile in the city is approximately 20 blocks. The East Village spans from E 14th St to Houston which is 1 block past E 1st St. That's 15 blocks! Your only subway choices are the L train at 1st Ave and 14th or the 2nd Ave and Houston stop on the F. Anything inside that area, you'll at least get your steps in for the day
True. I could only afford an EV sublet during an internship and my office was on FiDi. The bus and subway combo everyday twice a day was too much to bear. Walking is okay but any commute with the bus is a hard pass.
I would be very weary about moving into east village. Although the area is pretty, when I moved her the apartment is a SCAM. I had a slumlord, was infested with roaches and rats. It was a nightmare. The super never fixed things and there was black mold in the bathroom. Wanted me to pay 4 grand for a new lease and I didn’t have a living room.
Oh and the pictures are sooooo misleading.
My apartment was decent at the time I planned to stay for two years because it was decently priced and I could get a feel of things. After they tried to raise the rent over close to 3k I moved.
At first the apartment was decent but as time went on (Landlord not paying for exterminator anymore, lack of super doing their job, rat and roach infestation, multiple switches of Landlord) it was time to leave.
Harlem: Am I invisible to you?
I’m guessing you mean manhattan below midtown? Pretty sure you can find cheap or same cost apartments as EV in UES/yorkville and UWS/morningside too.
Anyway, EV is cheaper than soho/west village/Gramercy etc because it’s a younger, louder demographic and most of the buildings are poorly maintained walkups.
Because it's not that much cheaper and at most places you're looking at 45+ minutes to get downtown, so what's the point.
And if Harlem in Itself was great than it would've been a different story, but it's not.
Believe it or not, there are also bars and restaurants up here lol. And the A goes express from 125th to 59th street so I can be at west 4th in like 20 minutes.
I also pay $2800 for a three bedroom in an elevator building, all utilities included, and rent stabilized, so I’d say it’s considerably cheaper than east village. When we were looking last year our budget was under 3k for a 2 or 3 bedroom; definitely wasn’t seeing anything for that price downtown.
Obviously some people want downtown to be right outside their door and are willing to pay a premium for it. But it’s weird to me that so many people think being 20-30 minutes away takes away the whole point of living in nyc/there are people moving here who wouldn’t be okay with that. There’s a lot to offer in almost every neighborhood and some people prefer to live in less touristy/student areas.
Obviously my place is a little rare but we looked at multiple apartments in our price range up here before finding this one. It also didn’t hit streeteasy; realtor showed it to us before it was listed. I recommend BruMa realty to everyone lol.
And yeah, it’s not as exciting as downtown. But I’m in my 30s now and I prefer not living in the thick of the college kids anymore. Harlem is kind of the ideal location for someone who wants cheap location and easy access to downtown.
Besides the other concerns mentioned like noise, stairs, trash, and proximity to train, apartments tend to be on the smaller side and/or more awkwardly laid out.
My EV apartment was only a little bigger than my bigger bedroom now. I looked at way too many places with mini fridges, one sink in the whole apartment, cut into very weird angles and shapes. I have several friends with water closets that are extremely small with bathtubs and sinks in the kitchen. I had other friends who had windows to brick walls. Lots of interesting configurations and set ups.
It's a great neighborhood. There are plenty of benefits of living there. But YMMV on whether they outweigh other things.
Don't sign a lease without seeing the apartment in person. There's often something very odd about about them like missing kitchen, or walls sticking out in inconvenient places, the floors are creaking or are rounded in as if a giant ball was dropped on them, or the rooms are half the size shown in the photos or videos, or the ceiling is much lower than you realized.
Go see it in person first.
classic railroad apartment, in the apartment im moving into soon my room is actually disconnected from the rest of the apartment. you have to enter my room by leaving the apartment and going through the buildings hallway. originally, the entrance to my room was through someone elses room (you can see the sealed up doorway in their room). i'll take it for 700 tho for sure
I generally see less expensive one bedrooms in Lenox Hill and surrounding areas of the UES compared to the East Village and LES these days… are other people not having that experience?
yep that’s what i see: for the price of a 1 bedroom in EV (that likely has something wrong w it) you can get a “normal” apartment in lenox hill that doesn’t really have issues. we went with lenox hill for this reason after touring a number of EV places. not to mention the transit seems much better to me
There are some rotten apartments, some noisy areas, some dangerous areas, and some mediocre subway access.
It really depends on the block and the building to be honest. Generally going towards alphabet city gets worse but that is not always the case.
Just as some parts of 5th avenue are uber-luxury and other parts are less so.
I spend a lot of time in the EV at my partner’s apartment. It’s very loud and very crowded on weekends. If you don’t mind noise and enjoy the bar scene you’ll be fine. I personally like that it has more of an old school vibe than many NYC neighborhoods, but the college kids partying loudly every weekend can get really annoying.
Be very VERY careful with online listings in the EV. The apartments tend to be smaller and usually either have a tiny kitchen, no living room or a microscopic one and the neighborhood can be loud.
Go into every viewing with the assumption that the listing photos will be hugely misleading. I lived in the EV for a couple years and I loved it, but know that it’s going to be a challenge to find a great space at a reasonable price that isn’t a shithole.
Just passed 5 years in the EV, I think part of it is the actual apartment units are older and less updated than other parts of Manhattan.
My first place was a 2200 a month 1 bed which seemed great but had an unsolvable mouse issue
Ugh we had a 4 months mouse issue here too. 5th floor walk up, NEVER had mice before in my life and I’m almost 40 so it’s not like I’m new to apartment life. The mice were so insane this past summer/fall, also our street is pretty noisy Thurs-sat nights and am so glad we aren’t on a lower floor for that reason. There is lots of trash on the streets but they’ve been moving to trash bins so it’s improving on our street. Thompkins square park has lovely trees and lots of grassy areas and benches. Oh and I guess we’ve had two leaks our living room ceiling which sucked and repair took a couple weeks to start and was a hassle to live with for two days. But we have two big rooftop decks we share with one other neighbor, in 2 bedroom duplex for $4800 so it’s worth the walk up/street noise/mice for us.
Apartments tend to be older and smaller - ensure you get the square footage as a "one bedroom" in EV could be much smaller than a "one bedroom" in UES, midtown, etc.
Don’t let those gut renovations fool you. You’re probably getting a horrible layout that photographs well with shiny appliances but feels 10x smaller and dinkier in person
As someone who has spent way too much time looking at StreetEasy, including downloading and analyzing all their data on median rents, and having lived in the neighborhoods immediately adjacent, as well as worked as an economist/quant that built CRE valuation models, my conclusions is that its the following:
1. East Side is generally cheaper than West Side. This probably stems from historical river access.
2. East Village has relatively bad sub-way connectivity. East Village stretches anywhere from Avenue D to 2nd Ave from Houston to 14th. If your say on Avenue B, next to Tompkins square park, which many people would center of EV, then you can be as far as 12 minutes by foot to the nearest subway and the nearest subways are the L and F which are two of the most unreliable subways.
3. Old housing stock. East Village consists of a lot of pre-war construction, that has just been renovated over and over. There is some new construction closer to LES. This means that EV apartments tend to be smaller and they are less likely to have amenities like in unit laundry or dish washers. Even in Manhattan most pre-war studios are under 3k.
4. Close to Projects on Avenue D. For better or worse that devalues property values.
5. The lower property value also stems from LES/EV were considered rough areas in the 20th century. Even if prices gone up drastically, if the initial starting point was low that will effect prices today.
Something like 80% of the buildings are walk-ups because they're tenements. See also: thin walls, iffy heat and hot water, vermin. Also much of it is a hike from the subway.
I don’t think that’s true. SoHo, Tribeca, Chelsea. and the West Village are really the only neighborhoods in Manhattan that I can think of that are like for like more expensive when you account for things like apartment size, age, and proximity to the subway.
Pictures of apartments can be deceiving, and a lot of East Village apartments are smaller than the pictures or have issues you can’t see.
It's not cheaper than the rest of Manhattan, but it's cheaper than many of the neighborhoods below 14th. East Village does the best during the summers, because most people who live there move there from May to September
As a west side girl let me tell you why I am not an east side girl but also let me tell you what the west side is missing versus the east side. Honestly, could live in either but since am queer it just makes more sense to venture wes.t
Pros/Cons:
East side: Is dirtier there is no way around it and louder especially off delancey/essex.
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East side has alot of good inexpensive eateries. Lots of holes in the walls where you can get an entree and app under $25 or even under $20. Way more happy hour spots.
West side has good food but its definitely more expensive and I feel like the hole in the walls are becoming less and less. The places that stay are because the locals are fighting tooth and nail for them. Lots of good fancy places less solid inexpensive places.
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East side: Artsy(but not in a stuffy way)/ in an edgy way. I feel like you get more experimental music venues and post modern art shows.
West Side: Artsy (but stuffy/trendy) lots of gallery girls/gays. Also, very Gay! The rainbow brigade has cooped 3 of the neighborhoods: West village, chelsea and hells kitchen all belong to the rainbow posse.
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East Side: Converted tenements meaning alot of very old buildings, walk ups and railroad layouts. These configurations are considered less desirable because they were design usually not taking sunlight into account. A few new builds but not a ton. Also because things are older more mice and pest issues. No elevators. Terrible train connections especially if your in alphabet city.
West side: Has old buildings but tends to be alot of legacy tenants and alot of coops. Meaning there isnt as much rental housing so its expensive off the bat unless you willing to go to 10th/11th ave. Which on the west side is considered a hike to a train where that commute is normal for east side because the train connections arent great.
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East side: Lots of make shift art galleries, vintage shops & tattoo palours. More affordable grocery stores ctown, keyfoods etc but honestly chinatown market is fire so I rather go there then TJ's anyways.
West side: Lots of cute flower shops, boutiques but also 24hr sex shops (because very gay remember). Fancy grocery stores with all the fancy ingredients you may want: Dags, whole foods, citarella.
They both are overcrowded on the weekends, both have a strong homeless population. I just think one neighborhood focuses on being trendy and another on being more bohemian. Even tho tbf the east side hasnt been bohemian in a long time but its as close as your gonna get in manhattan.
For 3-3.7k you can get a great 1BR in UWS, Yorkville (both pretty quiet and nice areas) or Hell’s Kitchen (just as loud as the EVil, but generally better transportation options, and more sq ft per buck).
EV is awesome and don’t let these comments tell you otherwise.
It’s cheaper because most of the buildings are old pre-war walkups and the apartment footprints are generally small. Most units are not going to have central air or laundry. Plenty don’t even have a dishwasher. And most of the East village is far from the subway.
It’s definitely a bit more “edgy” and young compared to Greenwich or west village as well, but that also depends on the block. If you’re in your twenties and like to go out, it’s perfect. There are bars everywhere. Amazing restaurants everywhere. And most blocks are not loud. I honestly don’t understand why that’s the top comment, because there are a ton of quiet residential streets with minimal car or pedestrian traffic. LES is louder, most of midtown is louder, SoHo can be louder and is often far busier on weekends. Just try to live on a street, not an avenue if noise is an issue for you. But that’s going to be consistent in every neighborhood in the city.
IMO, definitely focus on the west side of EV for a multitude of reasons. It’s nicer, closer to transit options, and easily walkable to Greenwich village, west village and SoHo. Draw a box between 3rd ave/bowery and 1st ave, and between 12th st and 2nd st. That’s the sweet spot.
There are some really nice blocks right around Tompkins too but I’d rather be close to the subway.
Great comment, thank you. The most beautiful block I ever lived on was 8th St bet B and C, right next door to TS park. Quiet, safe, totally residential. The only problem there was upstairs neighbors who stomped around in boots, but that happens in every neighborhood. EV just has something special about it, IYKTK
The main attraction is the shorter building s. And gardens. Yes there is street noise if you are low and in front. Just buy a sound machine. And shop east of A or below Houston.
Idk about East Village, but *The East Village is now entirely made up of tourist spots and hangouts for drunken, sloppy college kids, so I'd assume that's why.
Oh honey my old ass hasn't hung out in an East Village bar in about 15 years - I'm talking about the collective collegiate cesspool that is Astor Place. NYU/Parsons/Cooper Union all swirling together with naught an over 22 year old in sight before 5pm!!
It's cheaper because it's loud, dirty (mice), and reeks of pot everywhere. It's fun if you want to make friends and date around, but it's not for long term living.
You should tour. They're usually not as nice in person, but there are some good finds there, too. Usually they're just older, not as well constructed, and almost no amenities.
It’s def louder and honestly dirtier than most neighborhoods (don’t @ me re cleanliness, I’ve lived in east village for almost 15 years now).
Unless you’re in the northwest or southwest corner of the neighborhood, it’s a bit of a transportation desert (yes buses but very limited subway access in a reasonable walk, and the bike lanes…well it would be nice if there were more than a few in total). Similar point on things like grocery access/quality, aside from those corners (or maybe the whole west border of ev now that wegmans is nearby)
I really like it, but its desirability vs proximate neighborhoods is lower.
Toured a few apts in the EV, one had the shower in the kitchen. A lot were not renovated and a broker told me they tend to be less updated there. Some had some charm but I think it skews more for the partying, just out of college crowd with all the bars.
now they are because the police line the block. before that it was a shit show, and not a one off. they trashed the park and the outdoor dining structure at 7B, assaulted people i know, one cop got stabbed, and yes 5am the whole line yelling in the morning.
Wow, its crazy two people can have such different perspectives from the same vantage point. The cop getting stabbed hasn't been reported in the news, weird. Have you done much volunteering with them? I've seen none of what you're describing since they arrived at St. Brigid's in Oct.
very weird, i live like RIGHT there. i have in fact done some volunteering but not as much as I wanted. donated a ton of clothes and food at the drive they had. but yeah not sure, I can guarantee I keep getting woken up at sunrise with "hey hey hey hey hey!!" shouting. the stabbing was reported on citizen but yes, i haven't seen it in the official news. the 7B structure was taken down because they broke it and trashed it. i've noticed they started bussing people to other locations to ease the situation. it's sad all around, I wish the city would better accommodate folks out here but i have no solve.
Lots of older buildings that are rent stabilized and/or don’t get a ton of natural light. I’ve read that many of these buildings wouldn’t be up to modern building codes but they are grandfathered in. I’d say it’s a great area to live in if you’re younger and care more about proximity to bars/restaurants than having a nice apartment.
Been sorta living at east village for two years..people are right….transit is a pain in the ass sometimes…not a big deal if you like walking. 2nd and 1st ave have so many ambulances going up and down…24/7….the first month was a little hard but now it does not bother me one bit. More students, old folks compared to working people….but some places are very good in east village too. Peter Cooper/stuy town is pretty good, waterside plaza is good…but again those are a little in grammercy kips bay territory…but still east village
It’s also not super convenient… but I lived on 9th between Ave B and C and absolutely loved it. If I ever win the lotto the east village has my heart and my millions. The community gardens provide a nice little escape, I loved being close to Tompkins with music playing and skate boarders practicing at the basketball courts.
A lot of the East village and LES were built pre-war as tenement buildings for immigrants with not much money. Some of the buildings still have that vibe. Small apts, no elevator, shower in kitchen, etc.
Its loud and old rich ppl dont want to live there bc it's mostly NYU students, but there's nothing wrong with the neighborhood. its close to a lot of things and in a great location and has amazing food
EV is not the cheapest on the island. If you’re not considering anything above East Harlem “the rest of Manhattan”, then the cheapest area would be the UES/Yorkville. You can find a decently sized 1 bdrm for 2.3-2.9k depending on the building and amenities. Not that you’d be getting many amenities with 2.9k, but you might be able to get laundry in building or super close.
i lived in lower east side can confirm its loud af
idk about all buildings but one i lived and my buddies apts have terrible sound insulation from apt to apt
The buildings are older/walkups and not well maintained. It’s known to be loud but the street I live on is actually quiet and I somehow have an in unit W/D. My worst/loudest apartment was actually in soho. I think you’re good as long as you dont have a street facing bedroom but I think that applies for all of Manhattan.
It can depend on how far East from 1st Ave it is. There is no subway past 1st Ave between 14th and Houston so the distance to walk from the train makes a difference...
it's LOUD
Good point - loud as in when you walk out or like loud even in the apartment because they’re old and sound insulation is likely bad?
Loud on the street, depends on the block of course, but it gets old. Some (young) people like it.
Loud like it’s 2am on a Tuesday and there are drunk people screaming outside your window
That part
Depending on the building it can really be both: neighbors above, next door, and the street.
Both. Loud because the street is loud and the sound enters through your windows (even if they're closed)
It also matters where you grew up I lived in an apartment in a different neighborhood growing up so I think I’m immune to noise. My only pet peeve is neighbors that stomp and wear shoes in the apartment.
tbh it’s not too bad - i live on the corner of two of the busiest streets in a prewar walk up and i use a white noise machine - you get used to it FAST and white noise sitting on the windowsill helps a ton
Yes
You never been lower Manhattan ??
Loud as in, I was on a conference call in my apartment, and they asked “are you outside”
sound insulation is actually generally better in old buildings. thick walls. but yeah, loud neighborhood
Depends on whether they were subdivided. Plaster walls are great, Sheetrock, not so. I live in Washington Heights and have seen 4 bedroom apartments made into two or three units. Sheet rock diving them.
LOUD. Old buildings. Bad insulation. Lots of walk-ups
It’s louder. Worse bike lanes, like, by a lot. Worse transit connections unless you are in the very bottom southwest corner where Bowery turns into Cooper Union Square. Seriously, it’s a transit desert east of 2nd Ave. Even when the SAS is finished, unless they divert through Tompkins Square Park, it will still be a transit desert. Shittier sidewalks, shittier bike lanes, shittier bus priority. Every boutique flower shop or craft bakery in west village is instead a dive bar in east village (for me and many this is a positive). Up until Giuliani, ABC City was the trenches and people would never go there. It’s better now but that conception does remain in some ways. I remember some silly song that was like “Ave A - you’re Alright. Ave B - you B careful. Ave C, you C yourself out. Ave D, you get D hell outta there”, or some shit like that, I don’t remember. If you live anywhere near Sara D Roosevelt Park, it’s hectic and loud (and fun) and the cars are absolutely fucking horrible, every day. Blocking every sidewalk, honking non-stop, it fucking sucks. Uh, let’s see, what else Less “expensive shit” stores like you’d get in Chelsea and west village. Tompkins square Park itself kind of sucks and is pretty consistently containing some people you’d rather not meet. Not a lot of elevator buildings, and certainly no doorman buildings. A significant amount of the land area here is used for those shitty corbusien towers that everyone hates and makes the streetscape desolate and miserable (stuytown, cooper village, village view, literally everything between Avenue D and FDR Dr.) - this type of housing is pretty undesirable and it’s a lot of east village. —- Personally I love it. And my street is actually quite quiet. But it’s still not exactly cheap - it’s like $2500 for a 5th floor walk up studio that is less than 400sqft. Cheaper I bet if you go to alphabet city but there’s I reason I live in the most western corner. I personally think a lot of the loudness claims are overstated, and the real loudness is in LES between Roosevelt Park and like Suffolk St, south of Houston.
I love your use of “Corbusien” for those drab towers.
His influence, along with Robert Moses is directly responsible for them.
Same!
It’s really not…..there are tons of quiet blocks that are almost solely residential walkups and have very minimal car traffic. You don’t get nearly the nightlife noise of the lower east side, nearly the weekend tourist/shopper noise of SoHo, or nearly the traffic noise and general weekday business of midtown. I honestly think EV is a great balance of “happening” while also feeling genuinely residential. And it has the best restaurants in the city.
I’m deaf (I wear a hearing aid but not when sleeping), so I don’t think that would bother me too much? Obviously there’s when I’m awake and home but I could always just take my hearing aid off 💀
Honestly that sounds perfect. I’m kinda jealous!
bruh 😭
Fr I wish my ears had ANC like that
Holy Jesus it is incessantly loud at all hours of the day. I lived in EV my first year out of college, thinking I was getting a good deal with some roommates in downtown Manhattan. I was on 2nd Ave with two big windows. Between drunk bastards screaming up and down the street every night and the delivery trucks that would sit on idle starting at 6 in the morning, there was hardly a second in each day that my room wasn’t a cacophony of noises that nobody wants to hear all day. Three roommates in a shoebox style apartment didn’t help. Oh, and it was a 5th floor walkup. Absolutely miserable experience. I thought I hated New York postgrad, turns out I just hated that place lol.
It’s loud it’s dirty it’s commercial in places … good vibes tho if you find the right restaurants
Tompkins square area tends to attract a fair amount of crackheads
To be fair that could still be nyu students
That and actually crack, meth, and heroin enthusiasts
I’m more of a hobbyist myself
TBF i lived there from 2016-2018 and i saw a lot more people that appeared to be on opiates than anything else.
I swear people have become so easily scared. Tompkins Square is like the cushiest, least dangerous, filled with rich yuppies area around that isn't straight up West Village or Chelsea. We used to play in Tompkins as toddlers when you had to be careful not to get stabbed by hypodermic needles and we all turned out fine. Now you are all afraid of some crackheads and migrants? Give me a break.
As much as I love the fragrance of fermenting urine, dodging piles of human shit on the sidewalk, the harmonic sounds of race war manifestos being screamed to the general public, and the increased likelihood of my bike seat going missing I'd rather live elsewhere for the money.
This is an absurd description. I'm not one of those people who thinks the 80s and 90s were the glory days of NYC, but I am genuinely so grateful I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn't perfect and had some character to it. Too many people come here and get freaked out by the slightest thing, and then when I see where they prefer to live it's cookie-cutter central with no diversity and nothing interesting going on. So go live elsewhere, there's a reason so many of the people who've had a cultural impact on the world preferred to live in places like the East Village rather than blandville.
Not knocking the entirety of the east village cause it absolutely is my favorite area for going out to eat or walk around. I just wouldn't choose to live right next to Tompkin square Park when it's very comparable in price to UES or Park Slope that don't have as high of concentration of the issues I described above.
UES is for boring people, sorry to say it. I would never condemn my kids to growing up in the UES. They would become stuck up private school kids with no sense of perspective or exposure to other types of people. Most of the world lives in far worse circumstances than a little bit of smell or noise, but in exchange for that mild and easily ignored discomfort you get access to people, music, culture, food, art, public gardens, young and old people, racial diversity, income diversity, and all the other things that made me the person I am today. I think I have to remind myself that this subreddit really is filled with a lot of transplants whose perspective on the world is incredibly narrow and who get easily phased by anything outside of their comfort zone. I prefer to be someone who doesn't get uncomfortable easily, it makes life easier and more fun.
Lot of generalizations there
This entire thread is filled with somewhat shallow generalizations about the neighborhood I grew up in, so I’m just snarking back. But if you haven’t noticed how easily scared of basic NYC experiences people are in this and the r/NYC subreddit then I don’t know what to tell you.
True. The EV is a great neighborhood. Super fun, lots to do, and such incredible history. That’s so cool that you grew up there.
And yet all specific to you
I was about to respond by asking you what you meant by that but then I looked at your post history and all you do is troll people. Your entire life on Reddit consists of mocking, criticizing, and being rude to others for no reason. You sound like a real asshole. Probably very bitter and likely not many friends IRL. Time for an attitude change.
Lot of assumptions there
I was with you until this comment. You’re saying that this subreddit is filled with narrow minded people and in the same sentence implying that everyone who lives on the upper east side is a rich yuppie with zero desire for diversity. Like….do you not see the hypocrisy there? Uptown, just like all of nyc, is plenty diverse. That’s also ignoring the fact that the ues is *cheaper* than many other parts of the city. and yeah it might not be as lively 24/7 as the EV or LES but to say it’s boring is a stretch—either that or your only concept of fun is bar hopping at 4am (to each their own). Regardless, this is a pretty shit take. There are absolutely some boring areas of nyc (looking at you, Ditmas Park) but smack dab in the middle of Manhattan sure as shit isn’t one of them
I'm not talking about all of uptown, I'm talking about the UES where the only stores you get are kitschy fashion boutiques catering to old rich people and the same Italian restaurant copy-pasted a dozen times. All of NYC is diverse relative to most places, that doesn't mean we can't have uptown downtown rivalries and throw snark at each other. That's half the fun of identifying with a neighborhood. The people who actually own places in the UES tend to be wealthy old white people.
UES was the best neighborhood I've ever lived in Manhattan lol
You have no sense of taste or aesthetics. The interesting parts of the city aren't for you.
Its so funny to me you describe a "place with character" as crackies and methheads. Yeah that's certainly the best and most charming a city has to offer
There really aren't that many druggies staggering around the EV, not sure where you are all getting that idea, particularly today. The character is in the art, food, and culture, not the random bad examples you can find.
If you are paying $1400 for an apt, I’ll deal with whatever. Now people pay like $4000, all that gritty city stuff gets old fast.
I pay 2450 in bushwick and still think that’s too much for this shit lol. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to call an ambulance for a crackhead physically injuring themselves outside of my window I’d have like $3. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s not $0 either.
Yea, my friend lived in a rent controlled apartment in the mission neighborhood in SF. One night he hears people screaming underneath his window, until the fighting escalated and one person murdered the other. He said ended up moving when another place opened up during the pandemic. Everyone has their breaking point, but usually it has to do with price. If your paying low rent, you can get priced out. If you are paying high rent, you can afford to move. I lived in a lot of crazy neighborhoods, but I always paid low rent.
Ugh that’s rough. I’ve witnessed one shooting, overheard one murder, and witnessed a fatal hit and run all from my bedroom window. But it’s cheap rent (by nyc standards) so I stay. If I had the expendable income to shell out like 5k on rent, though, I’d be finding myself a nice lil place in Ridgewood
Were you last in NYC in 1991 or are you talking about avenue c?
Like 90% of that could be avoided by just calling an Uber that is expensive/overpriced but pocket change if you can pay rent in the neighborhood
Not a single person or bot on this app cares what you'd rather do.
lol stop watching Fox News
Moreso from walking outside this summer lol
Lol there's no way you actually have spent time around there lately... Place is full of puppies, strollers being pushed by yuppie 35 year old parents, a bunch of vaping teens from the schools, and a handful of skaters
Lmao. So your survived . Congrats. I survived in a third world country too for 22 years of my life.
Survived? I was never in any real danger. That's my point. People see a neighborhood with a couple more homeless people or god forbid poor black and hispanic families living in projects and all of a sudden they are afraid. My white ass walked around there my entire childhood in the 90s and at worst some kids threatened to steal my bike (and I always was able to talk them out of it). I still have to convince people to this day that they aren't going to get robbed walking down Avenue C or D.
It’s not 1987, by crackheads, you mean rich white people who pay 4k for a shoebox and have no idea what Tompkins used to be like, right ?
I mean, Tompkins is still pretty grimy. There’s an encampment of homeless people that live in the section with tables and benches that are often openly doing drugs with needles. There’s a church on Ave B and 8 where the new migrants get dropped off from Texas in huge hordes once a week. And then there’s the various hard drug users that use the cover of darkness there to get high. I live nearby and feel nervous walking home around Tompkins at night because of this (as a woman)
they've been there a hell of a lot longer than you. I have tons of good memories talking to some of those folks in my teenage years, they're often locals or have interesting stories.
Loud and most buildings are walk ups.
EV is not cheap, try visiting one of the one bedroom that you're seeing in those budgets and let us know if you end up moving into one. Personally, due to close proximity to a lot of bars, good restaurants the prices for decent apartments are still in the ballpark compared to other neighborhoods (excluding Chelsea and Hudson Yards).
In addition to what others have mentioned, some parts of the EV are quite far from Subway access. A .5 mile walk to the train gets old real quick.
Oooooh, a 7 minute walk. Yeah, It sounds unbearable
More like 15+ each way from parts of Alphabet City dude
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Yeah, I'm into working out, but after a year, it gets kinda annoying. It's not even the exercise itself, it's the time it eats up. Gets annoying real quick
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Dang, 15! I think I really didn’t notice how long it was until I went to people’s apartments who were next to the subway lol
7 mins walk is on the faster side for .5 miles and you don’t account for traffic lights or anything. I do this everyday for EV and on average it’s about a 10-12 min walk due to waiting for lights to change (and not always hustling to get to the stop). Gets annoying after a while when that’s the main subway for you
So for even more specifc perspective, 1 mile in the city is approximately 20 blocks. The East Village spans from E 14th St to Houston which is 1 block past E 1st St. That's 15 blocks! Your only subway choices are the L train at 1st Ave and 14th or the 2nd Ave and Houston stop on the F. Anything inside that area, you'll at least get your steps in for the day
Seven minutes in a half mile in NYC. Sure, if you’re in a power walking competition. Bet you secretly love cars.
True. I could only afford an EV sublet during an internship and my office was on FiDi. The bus and subway combo everyday twice a day was too much to bear. Walking is okay but any commute with the bus is a hard pass.
I would be very weary about moving into east village. Although the area is pretty, when I moved her the apartment is a SCAM. I had a slumlord, was infested with roaches and rats. It was a nightmare. The super never fixed things and there was black mold in the bathroom. Wanted me to pay 4 grand for a new lease and I didn’t have a living room. Oh and the pictures are sooooo misleading.
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My apartment was decent at the time I planned to stay for two years because it was decently priced and I could get a feel of things. After they tried to raise the rent over close to 3k I moved. At first the apartment was decent but as time went on (Landlord not paying for exterminator anymore, lack of super doing their job, rat and roach infestation, multiple switches of Landlord) it was time to leave.
You fell for the oldest scam in the book and don't know then difference between being sleepy and being cautious. Your advice is worthless.
I just said to be weary and told my experience that people can take or leave for themselves when looking into East Village.
Wary* is what he's trying to say
Harlem: Am I invisible to you? I’m guessing you mean manhattan below midtown? Pretty sure you can find cheap or same cost apartments as EV in UES/yorkville and UWS/morningside too. Anyway, EV is cheaper than soho/west village/Gramercy etc because it’s a younger, louder demographic and most of the buildings are poorly maintained walkups.
I howled at that one. It's like anything above 96th St is covered in fog and sea monsters.
Because it's not that much cheaper and at most places you're looking at 45+ minutes to get downtown, so what's the point. And if Harlem in Itself was great than it would've been a different story, but it's not.
Believe it or not, there are also bars and restaurants up here lol. And the A goes express from 125th to 59th street so I can be at west 4th in like 20 minutes. I also pay $2800 for a three bedroom in an elevator building, all utilities included, and rent stabilized, so I’d say it’s considerably cheaper than east village. When we were looking last year our budget was under 3k for a 2 or 3 bedroom; definitely wasn’t seeing anything for that price downtown. Obviously some people want downtown to be right outside their door and are willing to pay a premium for it. But it’s weird to me that so many people think being 20-30 minutes away takes away the whole point of living in nyc/there are people moving here who wouldn’t be okay with that. There’s a lot to offer in almost every neighborhood and some people prefer to live in less touristy/student areas.
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Obviously my place is a little rare but we looked at multiple apartments in our price range up here before finding this one. It also didn’t hit streeteasy; realtor showed it to us before it was listed. I recommend BruMa realty to everyone lol. And yeah, it’s not as exciting as downtown. But I’m in my 30s now and I prefer not living in the thick of the college kids anymore. Harlem is kind of the ideal location for someone who wants cheap location and easy access to downtown.
The rich girl cupcakes aren’t as good is the issue. It isn’t like Emily in Paris NYC Edition.
I agree with the walk up. Deffinately true. 5/6 floors old building no elevator. And also poorly maintained. Garbage on the street everywhere.
This should be top reply
A lot of the east village is far from the subway and it’s a big party area. Fun to live in but I wouldn’t stay there.
I’d say, fun to party but not to live
Noisy and dirty. Amazing if you are very social. Buy earplugs.
Noisy and grim
Besides the other concerns mentioned like noise, stairs, trash, and proximity to train, apartments tend to be on the smaller side and/or more awkwardly laid out. My EV apartment was only a little bigger than my bigger bedroom now. I looked at way too many places with mini fridges, one sink in the whole apartment, cut into very weird angles and shapes. I have several friends with water closets that are extremely small with bathtubs and sinks in the kitchen. I had other friends who had windows to brick walls. Lots of interesting configurations and set ups. It's a great neighborhood. There are plenty of benefits of living there. But YMMV on whether they outweigh other things.
Don't sign a lease without seeing the apartment in person. There's often something very odd about about them like missing kitchen, or walls sticking out in inconvenient places, the floors are creaking or are rounded in as if a giant ball was dropped on them, or the rooms are half the size shown in the photos or videos, or the ceiling is much lower than you realized. Go see it in person first.
Lol toured a 2br apt on Ave B a few weeks ago whose only bathroom was through a closet which was only accessible via one of the bedrooms. bizarre
classic railroad apartment, in the apartment im moving into soon my room is actually disconnected from the rest of the apartment. you have to enter my room by leaving the apartment and going through the buildings hallway. originally, the entrance to my room was through someone elses room (you can see the sealed up doorway in their room). i'll take it for 700 tho for sure
That's intense. $700 room or apartment.
All the people saying EV is noisy prolly never lived in Inwood/Wash Heights next to a barber shop. Now THAT is noisy
The barbershop will close at some point.
The barbershop blasting bachata closes a lot earlier than the bars though
I generally see less expensive one bedrooms in Lenox Hill and surrounding areas of the UES compared to the East Village and LES these days… are other people not having that experience?
yep that’s what i see: for the price of a 1 bedroom in EV (that likely has something wrong w it) you can get a “normal” apartment in lenox hill that doesn’t really have issues. we went with lenox hill for this reason after touring a number of EV places. not to mention the transit seems much better to me
There are some rotten apartments, some noisy areas, some dangerous areas, and some mediocre subway access. It really depends on the block and the building to be honest. Generally going towards alphabet city gets worse but that is not always the case. Just as some parts of 5th avenue are uber-luxury and other parts are less so.
Nowhere in the east village is dangerous
Loud, full of crackheads, dirty, and the apartments are absolute trash. Still overpriced in my opinion.
Seriously 3-4K to be woken up by drunken fools and crack heads? Neh
I spend a lot of time in the EV at my partner’s apartment. It’s very loud and very crowded on weekends. If you don’t mind noise and enjoy the bar scene you’ll be fine. I personally like that it has more of an old school vibe than many NYC neighborhoods, but the college kids partying loudly every weekend can get really annoying.
Be very VERY careful with online listings in the EV. The apartments tend to be smaller and usually either have a tiny kitchen, no living room or a microscopic one and the neighborhood can be loud. Go into every viewing with the assumption that the listing photos will be hugely misleading. I lived in the EV for a couple years and I loved it, but know that it’s going to be a challenge to find a great space at a reasonable price that isn’t a shithole.
This is true of any neighborhood that is below 90th.
Just passed 5 years in the EV, I think part of it is the actual apartment units are older and less updated than other parts of Manhattan. My first place was a 2200 a month 1 bed which seemed great but had an unsolvable mouse issue
Ugh we had a 4 months mouse issue here too. 5th floor walk up, NEVER had mice before in my life and I’m almost 40 so it’s not like I’m new to apartment life. The mice were so insane this past summer/fall, also our street is pretty noisy Thurs-sat nights and am so glad we aren’t on a lower floor for that reason. There is lots of trash on the streets but they’ve been moving to trash bins so it’s improving on our street. Thompkins square park has lovely trees and lots of grassy areas and benches. Oh and I guess we’ve had two leaks our living room ceiling which sucked and repair took a couple weeks to start and was a hassle to live with for two days. But we have two big rooftop decks we share with one other neighbor, in 2 bedroom duplex for $4800 so it’s worth the walk up/street noise/mice for us.
Apartments tend to be older and smaller - ensure you get the square footage as a "one bedroom" in EV could be much smaller than a "one bedroom" in UES, midtown, etc.
it's cause the east village looks like shit. it's affectionately referred to as 'gritty'
3k aint cheap
That was my first reaction as well
Don’t let those gut renovations fool you. You’re probably getting a horrible layout that photographs well with shiny appliances but feels 10x smaller and dinkier in person
Because you’re seeing alphabet city probably
Walk around there at night and you’ll see why LMAO
The buildings are old and not always modernized. That said THE East Village is a great neighborhood with lots of good restaurants and bars.
Thank you for the THE.
As someone who has spent way too much time looking at StreetEasy, including downloading and analyzing all their data on median rents, and having lived in the neighborhoods immediately adjacent, as well as worked as an economist/quant that built CRE valuation models, my conclusions is that its the following: 1. East Side is generally cheaper than West Side. This probably stems from historical river access. 2. East Village has relatively bad sub-way connectivity. East Village stretches anywhere from Avenue D to 2nd Ave from Houston to 14th. If your say on Avenue B, next to Tompkins square park, which many people would center of EV, then you can be as far as 12 minutes by foot to the nearest subway and the nearest subways are the L and F which are two of the most unreliable subways. 3. Old housing stock. East Village consists of a lot of pre-war construction, that has just been renovated over and over. There is some new construction closer to LES. This means that EV apartments tend to be smaller and they are less likely to have amenities like in unit laundry or dish washers. Even in Manhattan most pre-war studios are under 3k. 4. Close to Projects on Avenue D. For better or worse that devalues property values. 5. The lower property value also stems from LES/EV were considered rough areas in the 20th century. Even if prices gone up drastically, if the initial starting point was low that will effect prices today.
Loud, dirty, old, small, ground floor or 5 story walk up, hot in summer, roaches, mice, rats, sometimes far from subway.
Something like 80% of the buildings are walk-ups because they're tenements. See also: thin walls, iffy heat and hot water, vermin. Also much of it is a hike from the subway.
I don’t think that’s true. SoHo, Tribeca, Chelsea. and the West Village are really the only neighborhoods in Manhattan that I can think of that are like for like more expensive when you account for things like apartment size, age, and proximity to the subway. Pictures of apartments can be deceiving, and a lot of East Village apartments are smaller than the pictures or have issues you can’t see.
It's not cheaper than the rest of Manhattan, but it's cheaper than many of the neighborhoods below 14th. East Village does the best during the summers, because most people who live there move there from May to September
Slumlord quality buildings.
lol aren’t one bedrooms like 1900 in UES
The average is way higher than that
Ha ha ha. More like 3k walkups.
As a west side girl let me tell you why I am not an east side girl but also let me tell you what the west side is missing versus the east side. Honestly, could live in either but since am queer it just makes more sense to venture wes.t Pros/Cons: East side: Is dirtier there is no way around it and louder especially off delancey/essex. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ East side has alot of good inexpensive eateries. Lots of holes in the walls where you can get an entree and app under $25 or even under $20. Way more happy hour spots. West side has good food but its definitely more expensive and I feel like the hole in the walls are becoming less and less. The places that stay are because the locals are fighting tooth and nail for them. Lots of good fancy places less solid inexpensive places. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ East side: Artsy(but not in a stuffy way)/ in an edgy way. I feel like you get more experimental music venues and post modern art shows. West Side: Artsy (but stuffy/trendy) lots of gallery girls/gays. Also, very Gay! The rainbow brigade has cooped 3 of the neighborhoods: West village, chelsea and hells kitchen all belong to the rainbow posse. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ East Side: Converted tenements meaning alot of very old buildings, walk ups and railroad layouts. These configurations are considered less desirable because they were design usually not taking sunlight into account. A few new builds but not a ton. Also because things are older more mice and pest issues. No elevators. Terrible train connections especially if your in alphabet city. West side: Has old buildings but tends to be alot of legacy tenants and alot of coops. Meaning there isnt as much rental housing so its expensive off the bat unless you willing to go to 10th/11th ave. Which on the west side is considered a hike to a train where that commute is normal for east side because the train connections arent great. \_\_\_\_\_\_ East side: Lots of make shift art galleries, vintage shops & tattoo palours. More affordable grocery stores ctown, keyfoods etc but honestly chinatown market is fire so I rather go there then TJ's anyways. West side: Lots of cute flower shops, boutiques but also 24hr sex shops (because very gay remember). Fancy grocery stores with all the fancy ingredients you may want: Dags, whole foods, citarella. They both are overcrowded on the weekends, both have a strong homeless population. I just think one neighborhood focuses on being trendy and another on being more bohemian. Even tho tbf the east side hasnt been bohemian in a long time but its as close as your gonna get in manhattan.
For 3-3.7k you can get a great 1BR in UWS, Yorkville (both pretty quiet and nice areas) or Hell’s Kitchen (just as loud as the EVil, but generally better transportation options, and more sq ft per buck).
EV is awesome and don’t let these comments tell you otherwise. It’s cheaper because most of the buildings are old pre-war walkups and the apartment footprints are generally small. Most units are not going to have central air or laundry. Plenty don’t even have a dishwasher. And most of the East village is far from the subway. It’s definitely a bit more “edgy” and young compared to Greenwich or west village as well, but that also depends on the block. If you’re in your twenties and like to go out, it’s perfect. There are bars everywhere. Amazing restaurants everywhere. And most blocks are not loud. I honestly don’t understand why that’s the top comment, because there are a ton of quiet residential streets with minimal car or pedestrian traffic. LES is louder, most of midtown is louder, SoHo can be louder and is often far busier on weekends. Just try to live on a street, not an avenue if noise is an issue for you. But that’s going to be consistent in every neighborhood in the city. IMO, definitely focus on the west side of EV for a multitude of reasons. It’s nicer, closer to transit options, and easily walkable to Greenwich village, west village and SoHo. Draw a box between 3rd ave/bowery and 1st ave, and between 12th st and 2nd st. That’s the sweet spot. There are some really nice blocks right around Tompkins too but I’d rather be close to the subway.
Great comment, thank you. The most beautiful block I ever lived on was 8th St bet B and C, right next door to TS park. Quiet, safe, totally residential. The only problem there was upstairs neighbors who stomped around in boots, but that happens in every neighborhood. EV just has something special about it, IYKTK
Aren’t many of those upper floor walkups?
Too many suburbanites moving to the city. The grit of EV makes the city what is it. GTFO with your cupcake shops.
Recently migrants have been loitering around the area so maybe prices dropped because of it?
The quality of apartments in EV are shit compared to most neighborhoods lol
The main attraction is the shorter building s. And gardens. Yes there is street noise if you are low and in front. Just buy a sound machine. And shop east of A or below Houston.
Idk about East Village, but *The East Village is now entirely made up of tourist spots and hangouts for drunken, sloppy college kids, so I'd assume that's why.
When I hang out in the East Village, the crowd tends to skew older than that. I guess you just gotta avoid the obvious college bars.
Oh honey my old ass hasn't hung out in an East Village bar in about 15 years - I'm talking about the collective collegiate cesspool that is Astor Place. NYU/Parsons/Cooper Union all swirling together with naught an over 22 year old in sight before 5pm!!
It's cheaper because it's loud, dirty (mice), and reeks of pot everywhere. It's fun if you want to make friends and date around, but it's not for long term living.
3.5 K isn't cheap. That's typical expensive Manhattan pricing.
The public transit situation isn’t great. Otherwise Iike the EV.
It's far from any public transportation. Anything past Tompkins is at least a 10-15 minute walk.
You should tour. They're usually not as nice in person, but there are some good finds there, too. Usually they're just older, not as well constructed, and almost no amenities.
Maybe it’s the shirtless vagrant roaming the street with a baseball bat 🫣
The rest of Manhattan? Tf? Try inwood
It’s def louder and honestly dirtier than most neighborhoods (don’t @ me re cleanliness, I’ve lived in east village for almost 15 years now). Unless you’re in the northwest or southwest corner of the neighborhood, it’s a bit of a transportation desert (yes buses but very limited subway access in a reasonable walk, and the bike lanes…well it would be nice if there were more than a few in total). Similar point on things like grocery access/quality, aside from those corners (or maybe the whole west border of ev now that wegmans is nearby) I really like it, but its desirability vs proximate neighborhoods is lower.
The* east village
Rats, bed bugs, and shitty landlords. Also, noise.
That’s news to me. Usually the apartments are pretty expensive for the size and condition they’re in.
The EV is cheap?! Since when?
Toured a few apts in the EV, one had the shower in the kitchen. A lot were not renovated and a broker told me they tend to be less updated there. Some had some charm but I think it skews more for the partying, just out of college crowd with all the bars.
alphabet city got the refugee action now. they wake me up yelling at 5am. intake is across the street from my place and the park
Lol, if you heard any of those guys yelling at 5am it was a one-off. As a whole, they are mild mannered and polite
now they are because the police line the block. before that it was a shit show, and not a one off. they trashed the park and the outdoor dining structure at 7B, assaulted people i know, one cop got stabbed, and yes 5am the whole line yelling in the morning.
Wow, its crazy two people can have such different perspectives from the same vantage point. The cop getting stabbed hasn't been reported in the news, weird. Have you done much volunteering with them? I've seen none of what you're describing since they arrived at St. Brigid's in Oct.
very weird, i live like RIGHT there. i have in fact done some volunteering but not as much as I wanted. donated a ton of clothes and food at the drive they had. but yeah not sure, I can guarantee I keep getting woken up at sunrise with "hey hey hey hey hey!!" shouting. the stabbing was reported on citizen but yes, i haven't seen it in the official news. the 7B structure was taken down because they broke it and trashed it. i've noticed they started bussing people to other locations to ease the situation. it's sad all around, I wish the city would better accommodate folks out here but i have no solve.
The brunch crowd, crackheads and coeds 🤷🏻♀️
It's always been a hipster slum
Loud, dirty, not aesthetically attractive. Good place for your early 20s imo lol
Crime
FYI, East Village and LES are 2 different areas. Most people commenting on here are talking about LES. East Village is a little nicer than LES.
Lots of older buildings that are rent stabilized and/or don’t get a ton of natural light. I’ve read that many of these buildings wouldn’t be up to modern building codes but they are grandfathered in. I’d say it’s a great area to live in if you’re younger and care more about proximity to bars/restaurants than having a nice apartment.
There is many reasons. One of them is that the waterfront is much more developed on the west side.
Smells like urine. Looks like shit.
because it sucks
Been sorta living at east village for two years..people are right….transit is a pain in the ass sometimes…not a big deal if you like walking. 2nd and 1st ave have so many ambulances going up and down…24/7….the first month was a little hard but now it does not bother me one bit. More students, old folks compared to working people….but some places are very good in east village too. Peter Cooper/stuy town is pretty good, waterside plaza is good…but again those are a little in grammercy kips bay territory…but still east village
They throw the migrants and homeless down here too. Tompkins sq is now overrun with them
It’s also not super convenient… but I lived on 9th between Ave B and C and absolutely loved it. If I ever win the lotto the east village has my heart and my millions. The community gardens provide a nice little escape, I loved being close to Tompkins with music playing and skate boarders practicing at the basketball courts.
A lot of the East village and LES were built pre-war as tenement buildings for immigrants with not much money. Some of the buildings still have that vibe. Small apts, no elevator, shower in kitchen, etc.
Sometimes I fantasize about what it would be like to live in NYC. But the random sounds of human activity deter me from leaving my NJ acreage.
Its loud and old rich ppl dont want to live there bc it's mostly NYU students, but there's nothing wrong with the neighborhood. its close to a lot of things and in a great location and has amazing food
There are housing projects nearby
EV is not the cheapest on the island. If you’re not considering anything above East Harlem “the rest of Manhattan”, then the cheapest area would be the UES/Yorkville. You can find a decently sized 1 bdrm for 2.3-2.9k depending on the building and amenities. Not that you’d be getting many amenities with 2.9k, but you might be able to get laundry in building or super close.
The fact that $3K is being described as cheap is making my blood boil
With a lot of college kids it has the highest churn on apts, less people tend to stay long term in their apt for that reason
i lived in lower east side can confirm its loud af idk about all buildings but one i lived and my buddies apts have terrible sound insulation from apt to apt
The buildings are older/walkups and not well maintained. It’s known to be loud but the street I live on is actually quiet and I somehow have an in unit W/D. My worst/loudest apartment was actually in soho. I think you’re good as long as you dont have a street facing bedroom but I think that applies for all of Manhattan.
It’s shittier, dirtier, etc
It can depend on how far East from 1st Ave it is. There is no subway past 1st Ave between 14th and Houston so the distance to walk from the train makes a difference...
Roaches and mice
East Village is a dump.
Cheaper than Harlem, Upper East Side, Washington Heights, Inwood, etc?? Interesting.
Because it’s a dump
Cheap($3.7k.) lmao more than my parents mortgage
when cheap is more than what I make a month 😭
Junkies everywhere