Gogollisa

Hey! So I live in East Harlem now and have been living here for two years, although Im not in the process of relocating to Oakland/Berkeley East Harlem is terrific, for me it was quite simply the only affordable neighborhood in Manhattan apart from Wash. Heights. One thing to remember is that the neighborhood is quite large and varies widely--I've always lived near 116th street and can say for sure that it's pretty ideal--terrific mexican food/ chuchfritos, access not only to the 6 train but also the m15 bus going up first ave and down second ave, and pretty much walking distance from central park. The Grad Center is on 34th, meaning your commute to school would be ~30 mins via subway or the same via bicycle (There's a bike path that goes along the river, all the way down to 63rd street, entrances on 120th street and on 110th, if you don't feel comfortable biking on the avenues). It's kind of a student neighborhood, as many Hunter College students live there (I among them) and the HC School of Social Work is on 119th and 3rd, which would give you a pretty decent library within walking distance to your house (HC is a CUNY school, so you'd have access there and could use their facilities). It's not a "dangerous" neighborhood--I'm a tall man, but my girlfriend feels completely comfortable walking home from the train at night--the area around 125th St./ Lexington Ave has a lot of homeless people, mostly because there's a large bottle processing facility there, but if that bothers you particularly you can avoid that part of the neighborhood pretty easily. I think you'd be hard pressed to find an apartment in a more suitable location-- I say go for it if the price is alright!