New York, NY

[juilletmercredi]

Any current Columbia students know anything about the Arbor apartments? I just got my housing assignment and was placed there.  They seem nice, but kind of far from campus.

 

I've never lived in the Arbor but I have a friend who has.  She loved the Arbor!  The only reason she moved out was because she took a hall director job, and she moved back after she quit the job.  The Arbor is really a luxury apartment building; I suspect that it was built primarily for faculty and staff of the medical center who wanted a place to live that was close-ish to the medical center/Washington Heights but in a nicer, more upper-middle-class neighborhood.  Unlike other student housing (and like most luxury buildings in New York), it has a parking deck, a lounge and courtyard and a fitness center.  I think there's also laundry in the building if not in the units themselves.  The area around it is super nice, too.  Riverdale is a residential, middle- to upper-middle-class neighborhood.  Lots of shopping, and lots of churches and parks.

 

It is "far" from Columbia in the sense that it's not as close as the other graduate housing, but I consider that a plus, lol.  Anyway, main campus is about a 30-40 minute ride away on the 1 train (which lets off literally at the gates of the main campus).  There's also a shuttle from the Arbor to the main campus.  The schedule is here; it runs pretty frequently.  You'll soon learn that it's kind of a New York thing to commute and most people don't bat an eye at it.  The trains are easy cake to take, and most people just kind of zone out.  I have some friends that live way downtown - in Chelsea, one out by Battery City Park, and some more who commute in from Brooklyn.  I also have a couple friends in Wash Heights/Inwood, although most of them go to CUMC.

 

I also just received my housing assignment from Columbia and have 4 days to decide! It's at 526 West 112th Street, $1,092.98 per month (includes utilities), 1 roommate. Since I won't be able to see the place before saying yes/no, wanted to see if the rent sounds reasonable for the area, and if anyone is familiar with the building or knows anyone living there that can share what the place is like.

 

That's very reasonable for the area especially including utilities especially with just one roommate.  If you look at listings on Craigslist in the Upper West Side, you'll see that 2-bedroom apartments on the market can easily cost upwards of $3,000-3,500+.  Even in Harlem, you could pay that much for a nice quality apartment.  For comparison, I was paying $900 before utilities for my half of a 2-bedroom apartment in Washington Heights, which is way uptown at 172nd St & Haven Ave (and is a cheaper neighborhood than Morningside Heights).  After ~$60/gas + electric and $15 Internet, that was close to $1,000.

 

Columbia housing is the only housing I'd accept sight unseen.

 

I'm not familiar with that specific building.  I know on the same block there's an independent bookstore (Book Culture, a Morningside Heights institution) and a post office (convenient) plus a bunch of other apartment buildings.  You're in luck because all the fraternity houses are on 113th, so hopefully you'll be spared the majority of the noise.  (I use to live on 113th.)  The 1 train is just two blocks south of you at 110th St.  Also two blocks south of you is my favorite grocery store, Westside Market.  Lots of fresh produce at reasonable (for Manhattan) prices.  There are a bunch of shops lining Broadway where you're at, and more on Amsterdam if you go downtown.  Also, 110th St is about where Columbia's sphere of influence ends (and almost, kind of, where the real Upper West Side begins) so you're close to getting away from it should you want.

 

Only downsides is that St. Luke's Hospital is about a block and a half from you and the fire department is around the corner at 113th & Amsterdam, so you may hear the sirens (I live 6 blocks from the hospital and I still do - you get used to after a while).  Also, St. John's cathedral is at 112th and Amsterdam, but they're building a high-rise apartment building there, so you may get some construction noise.  But it's NYC.  It's loud no matter what.  I hear garbage trucks at 3 am.  Go figure.

[black7ack]

Hi guys.

 

Should I worry that I have not received my assignment yet? What's more my housing application is at the "Applcation received" stage. Does it have to do with the program (phd, msc) or school you have been admitted to?

[black7ack]

Call UAH. A real human answers.

 

 

Well, it would be a pretty expensive call since I am currently in Greece, but shooting them an email is a good idea. Thanks

Edited May 17, 2014 by black7ack

[transcendental]

If incoming students to the city are interested in subletting a 1BR in Inwood/Washington Hts for the month of July (flexible into August), please PM me! It'd be a good way to live somewhere and check out places before you sign a lease. 

[cedricyu803]

I will be arriving at JFK on an August Saturday, at 1pm, and then head to the hostel in 24th st of Manhattan.

Since I may hit the peak hours, is it more time-saving and convenient to take AirTrain+LIRR to penn station, than shuttle/ airporter to Grand Central?

Also, is it difficult to hail a cab at evening peak hours at penn/ grand central? I bet, in any case, better than walking to the hostel with two big luggages right?

[efs001]

I will be arriving at JFK on an August Saturday, at 1pm, and then head to the hostel in 24th st of Manhattan.

Since I may hit the peak hours, is it more time-saving and convenient to take AirTrain+LIRR to penn station, than shuttle/ airporter to Grand Central?

Also, is it difficult to hail a cab at evening peak hours at penn/ grand central? I bet, in any case, better than walking to the hostel with two big luggages right?

 

Is your hostel on the east side or west side of the city?  If it's on the east side, I recommend going to Grand Central.  You can hop on the 6 train which stops at 23rd and Park.  If you're on the west side, then I recommend either the LIRR to 34th St or the E train to 23rd and 8th Ave.  I don't know what the cost difference is between the two though.

[cedricyu803]

Is your hostel on the east side or west side of the city?  If it's on the east side, I recommend going to Grand Central.  You can hop on the 6 train which stops at 23rd and Park.  If you're on the west side, then I recommend either the LIRR to 34th St or the E train to 23rd and 8th Ave.  I don't know what the cost difference is between the two though.

Thz. It 's on the east side.

I am more worried about possible traffic jam on the way from JFK to Manhattan. Should I take LIRR instead of travelling on the road?

[vellocet]

Hi everyone!

 

I will begin my PhD at Art History & Archaeology this fall. I have a question about the housing...

 

I wanted to apply for couples' housing with my fiancé, but we didn't have the necessary documentations at the time. So I had to apply as a single, but luckily I was offered (and accepted) a studio unit at Butler Hall.

 

My question is.. For how long are we allowed to have guests at our flats? My fiancé's passport allows him to stay in the US for 3 months at a time. Do you think that UAH would allow him to stay with me for this duration?

[juilletmercredi]

@black7ack: Maybe.  It could mean you're on the waiting list or it could mean that they're still looking.  We didn't get our housing assignment until late August, though.  It does have something to do with the program - PhD/doctoral students get preference in housing.  I don't think there's a school preference, though.  It also has to do with the kind of unit you applied for and the amount of rent you're willing to pay.

@cedricyu803: No, I don't think so.  You can arrange for SuperShuttle to drop you of at your hostel - I took SuperShuttle from Newark Airport to 119th St and it only cost me like $25.  The Airporter is like $16 by itself, so you'll pay nearly the same amount for the SuperShuttle.  I don't think you have to worry about heavy traffic at 1 pm on a Saturday - it's not really rush hour or anything.

And I don't think it'll be difficult to hail a cab in that area unless it's raining.  I can get a cab really easy around Penn Station unless it's raining.

@vellocet: UAH doesn't check your guests, and since you have a studio you don't have roommates to contend with.  Your fiance can stay with you as long as you want.  It is really, truly like living in a regular apartment unit.

[sorairo]

Hi guys.

 

Should I worry that I have not received my assignment yet? What's more my housing application is at the "Applcation received" stage. Does it have to do with the program (phd, msc) or school you have been admitted to?

 

SEAS has been telling me that my app won't be reviewed until June and decisions won't be sent until July, so I assume schools must have at least something to do with it...?

[justastudent]

My grad advisor emailed me to expect an assignment from housing and I had already received the email from housing a half an hour before. I think once the department approves housing in the system it goes pretty quick. At least this week when I got my assignment. 

[somm]

Just got an "acceptance" for NYU housing. No placement, just a conditional offer of housing. I'm concerned that it's going to be significantly more expensive than just finding a place in an outer borough and commuting on the subway - it says it's a minimum $20,000/academic year for graduate housing in a private room. Does "academic year" even include the summer months? I've been told that NYU housing is supposed to be a great deal for what you pay, yet this seems like a huge ripoff.

 

I'm also worried they would take a $1000 deposit from me next week, then refuse to give it back if I get a poor assignment and decide to renege. Apparently I am most likely to be assigned a shared studio, and I am just too damn old to be sharing my bedroom with another guy. It says the acceptance is binding - does that really mean that I can't change my mind if they assign me something too expensive or cramped for my needs?

 

Should I accept it? Will I get into a world of trouble if I'm not happy with my assignment and want out?

[juilletmercredi]

The academic year usually doesn't include the summer months, although I don't go to NYU.  Columbia does its housing pricing for the dormitory-style housing the same way - the academic year is usually September through the end of May, and you have to pay for June through August separately.  (The apartments list a monthly rent that stays the same throughout the year, although they do raise it by about $50 every June).

Even if the $20K did include 12 months, though, that's nearly $1700 and you cound definitely get cheaper housing in Brooklyn or Queens and commute.  If it only includes 9 months, then that's $2200+ a month, which is really outrageous.  It is a great deal - for the neighborhood NYU is in.  Greenwich Village is a really expensive neighborhood.

[ldoone]

^ If the housing is the NYU MacCracken housing I thiiiink it's for 12 months, but that's still expensive. 

[HereToday]

Hey Folks- fellow grad student leaving NYC with my fiancee, but we own our apartment in Crown Heights (Brooklyn) and will be renting it out for a few years starting in August.  It's a two bedroom and 20 minutes to downtown Manhattan (25 to NYU).  A Grad  Cafe-er helped us out in our new city and we thought we'd pay it forward here.  Send me a PM if interested and I'll pass on the craigslist link.  Cheers.

[black7ack]

Hi guys/gals. Could anyone point me to any existing photos of the arbor in riverdale? After 1 hour of search I have been able to find only the few that are in arbor's webpage. Also any information regarding living in arbor would be really helpful since I just received a housing assignment in a 3br there for ~1100$.

[rabbit2013]

Hi guys/gals. Could anyone point me to any existing photos of the arbor in riverdale? After 1 hour of search I have been able to find only the few that are in arbor's webpage. Also any information regarding living in arbor would be really helpful since I just received a housing assignment in a 3br there for ~1100$.

Hey black7ack,

 

These sublet listings are likely for The Arbor and have some photos:

https://ocha.facilities.columbia.edu/property/view/listingid/170148

https://ocha.facilities.columbia.edu/property/view/listingid/135814

 

Hope that helps. I have some experience with Columbia University Apartment Housing, and I hear that it is best to just accept whatever assignment you get. Once you're "in the system," it is apparently much, much easier to transfer to a different unit/building than if you decline your initial offer and then try to get another assignment.

[juilletmercredi]

^This is true.  I've known quite a few people who have transferred units without much difficulty once they were in the system and had lived in UAH for some time.

[black7ack]

Thanks people! 

[Chesterton]

Hi everyone, I hope I'm posting this in the right place... I'll be starting a phd program in English at Fordham come fall, and I'm currently in NYC looking for a place/roommates. I'll be studying at the Bronx campus but would prefer to live in Manhattan. I've posted on the Fordham housing listserv, but it's pretty slow... does anyone have any tips or know good places to search for grad student roommates? Thanks very much!

[juilletmercredi]

Craigslist.  I honestly think that's the best resource, especially since you are already in NYC and can visit places.  If you don't want to sign a lease, you can look in the rooms/shared section and try to find a group who has a leaving roommate and some time left on the lease.

 

Fordham may also have an off-campus housing office that has listings that you can check.

 

Since you will be commuting to the Bronx campus but want to live in Manhattan, I highly recommend upper Manhattan - your commute will be shorter and it's cheaper there anyway.  Inwood would be closest; it's a nice neighborhood with lots of parks and cheap accommodations.  If you live nearby the Bx12, that will take you right to Fordham.  You could also take the A or 1 train to the Bx12 from several places lower in Inwood and Washington Heights, but that could get annoying if you live too far down.  I Google Mapped directions from my old apartment on W. 172nd Street, and Google estimates that taking the A to the Bx12 to Fordham would take me about an hour one way.

 

You may also want to look in Central and East Harlem.  Fordham is nearby the B/D and the 4 lines.  You could also live by the 2 line and switch to the 4 at Grand Concourse.  That gives you range of anywhere in Harlem pretty much, lol.  Central Harlem, in particular, is gentrifying and there are some nice renovated brownstones in the area that you can find for much cheaper that you would in more "desirable" neighborhoods in the city.  There are also some less expensive places on the upper part of the Upper East Side (Yorkville - from about E. 80th to E. 96th, east of 3rd Ave) that you may find, but they tend to get snapped up very quickly and you may be annoyed by the construction on the Second Avenue line (which is supposed to be finished in very late 2016, but it was also supposed to be finished in 2008 and then 2012 and then 2015...lol).

[clearbluesky22]

So this might seem like a stupid question, but for anyone who has lived in Columbia Housing, do you get assigned to a specific bedroom when you are in an apartment share, or just to the apartment itself? I haven't been able to get a hold of my future roommate and was just curious about which room I am going to be in. 

[richmiz]

NYC is awesome but also confusing as hell. As far as the apartment search goes, don't use a broker! They are such big headaches, with their bait and switch tactics and just showing you apartments you don't want to see.

 

Craigslist is unreliable and all the photos and details turn out to be fake. 

 

I've found this site www.zenly.com to be super useful. They have verified pics and video walkthroughs of apartments. Just makes the whole process way easier.

Edited December 8, 2014 by richmiz

[juilletmercredi]

I used Craigslist to find an apartment twice and in NYC most of the details and photos on the average post were true.  Obviously sometimes you see something too good to be true - a 1500 square foot apartment on the UES for $1000/month - so you learn to pass those over.  Sometimes they fudge a little bit (an "Upper West Side" apartment on 145th St).  But most of the listings - especially ones looking for a roommate in a shared accommodation - are quite real with correct details and photographs.

 

I'm browsing this Zenly site (clearly spam, but why not).  It's set up nicely, but it only has Manhattan and only seems to show neighborhoods below 110th St, with the single exception of Morningside Heights (which has 4 apartments, all of which are above $3,000/month and three of which are above $6,000/month).  And even all of those apartments are on 113th St.  A service that would be useful to students would have more apartments under $2000/month (I've seen none) and would have some apartments in the more affordable neighborhoods of Manhattan and in the outer boroughs.

[Chiqui74]

I have an acceptance from NYU and my take it. I'd be moving with my husband and elementary-aged child.  What areas are good for families, especially the schools?  My husband is a (computer) systems engineer/admin so we won't be living only on my stipend but are not exactly rich either.  We are not too concerned with a bit of a commute but definitely don't want to spend an hour getting to work/school every day.  My choice would be to live somewhere in Manhattan but I'm OK going further afield if it means better schools, larger apartment.house, etc. Any thoughts?