Where to live for Yeshiva/Albert Einstein College of Medicine?
June 3, 2014 11:47 AM Subscribe
My cousin's boyfriend has accepted a postdoc at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. He'll be moving here in August. He is a research scientist and will be keeping very odd hours and making frequent trips to campus to access the lab. Where should he live? Details under the fold.
He is pursuing the possibility of some sort of housing assistance through the college, but it is unclear if this is even available for postdocs. He has asked me for advice, but the Bronx is out of my area of expertise. He is a liberal, white southern guy who has never lived out of the south. He's prepared for culture shock. Chief concerns are safety & affordability, but it would be great if there were some amenities & restaurants in the area. I used to live in Washington Heights, and I am familiar with Inwood and Riverdale, but I am unsure if these areas will be close enough via public transportation given the frequency he will need to be on campus. I am looking for advice on 1) neighborhoods that might be a good fit for him or ones to avoid, 2) any Yeshiva/Albert Einstein listserves, googlegroups, etc. that might have listings for room shares, 3) any info that might be helpful for a secular postdoc at Albert Einstein College. Thank you!
He is pursuing the possibility of some sort of housing assistance through the college, but it is unclear if this is even available for postdocs. He has asked me for advice, but the Bronx is out of my area of expertise. He is a liberal, white southern guy who has never lived out of the south. He's prepared for culture shock. Chief concerns are safety & affordability, but it would be great if there were some amenities & restaurants in the area. I used to live in Washington Heights, and I am familiar with Inwood and Riverdale, but I am unsure if these areas will be close enough via public transportation given the frequency he will need to be on campus. I am looking for advice on 1) neighborhoods that might be a good fit for him or ones to avoid, 2) any Yeshiva/Albert Einstein listserves, googlegroups, etc. that might have listings for room shares, 3) any info that might be helpful for a secular postdoc at Albert Einstein College. Thank you!
Here's an apartment building in the area. It's a condo, but they have a rental office, and there are studios there, that could be very affordable.
Here's what people who have left reviews about it on Apartment Ratings have to say.
The ratings don't seem to be all that positive, but it might be a good place to start the search.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:21 PM on June 3, 2014
Here's what people who have left reviews about it on Apartment Ratings have to say.
The ratings don't seem to be all that positive, but it might be a good place to start the search.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:21 PM on June 3, 2014
Best answer: Pelham is reasonably safe and cheap (find Lydig Ave. and Pelham Parkway, just for example), but fun it is not. The new super-express Bx12 bus means that Inwood is a reasonable distance away. Either the east or west sides of Manhattan are easily reachable from the Pelham Parkway 2/5 stop, but this is not a short ride.po
posted by 8603 at 12:26 PM on June 3, 2014
posted by 8603 at 12:26 PM on June 3, 2014
Best answer: My friend who went there lived in Spanish Harlem (closer to 125th Street). That's a sort of compromise between living up by school away from a Manhattan-centric lifestyle and living extremely far away from campus. I have to say, the walk from the subway looks pretty long (there are bus connections though).
Also, as a reference point, I am pretty intrepid at traveling around the city, more than anyone else I know, and I visited my friend who lived in Pelham Bay exactly no times for the year she lived there. It is really pretty far away from much of Manhattan and certainly Brooklyn and Queens, if that is an issue.
posted by mlle valentine at 12:30 PM on June 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, as a reference point, I am pretty intrepid at traveling around the city, more than anyone else I know, and I visited my friend who lived in Pelham Bay exactly no times for the year she lived there. It is really pretty far away from much of Manhattan and certainly Brooklyn and Queens, if that is an issue.
posted by mlle valentine at 12:30 PM on June 3, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't know the area, but I've worked w people from the school, who were all super friendly and nice. Can he talk to his department or colleagues? I think they'd be a great resource.
posted by cestmoi15 at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2014
posted by cestmoi15 at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2014
Best answer: I was a postdoc at AECOM from '05 until '09. I lived in Spanish Harlem and got the 6 to the Bx21 or the 5 to the other end of the Bx21. Took around 45 minutes. My friends that lived in the area mostly just lived in the Pelham/Morris Park area. Boring, but safe. I had one friend that lived on City Island and she liked it, but again, not a lot going on and I don't know how likely it is that you'd get a place there. It's not big.
posted by gaspode at 7:48 PM on June 3, 2014
posted by gaspode at 7:48 PM on June 3, 2014
There is also an express bus, (BxM10 IIRC, but I may be wrong) that drops you off right outside the Forchheimer building. Goes up the east side of Manhattan for pickups, originating at Madison Square Park.
posted by gaspode at 7:50 PM on June 3, 2014
posted by gaspode at 7:50 PM on June 3, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! As far as living right around the campus, yes, that is totally an option. But I didn't know if there were particularly good or bad areas that we should be aware of. Sometimes a neighborhood can vary drastically within the space of a few blocks. The express bus options are particularly helpful.
posted by kimdog at 11:32 AM on June 4, 2014
posted by kimdog at 11:32 AM on June 4, 2014
Best answer: To add to what I said above...if it were me, personally, I would get the Einstein shuttle map and pick the shuttle stop that is closest to the 2/5. Live next to that shuttle stop. (Craigslist.) Done and done. If you live too far from the train, you might live to regret it.
This is not a high-demand area; he will be able to find something. There is a ton of shopping right next to the train--he will not NEED to go into Manhattan or beyond except for evenings out.
The Bx12 is indeed an awesome bus, BUT (I take it several times a week) I would not rely on it for postdoc hours. You don't want to be miserable and tired late at night yet still on the bus. It flies late at night, but in the morning, with traffic, it's sort of a drag. I would not want it to be my main transport to/from a wet lab job. Depends on his job and/or personal drive.
There is also a YU main campus/Einstein shuttle that will deposit him more or less at 185th and Amsterdam. BUT who knows what the future of this is, what with the de-merger?
This is a true middle-class area of the Bronx. Impressive ethnic mix even by NYC standards. He will most likely enjoy it. It is not overly scary.
posted by 8603 at 7:12 PM on June 4, 2014
This is not a high-demand area; he will be able to find something. There is a ton of shopping right next to the train--he will not NEED to go into Manhattan or beyond except for evenings out.
The Bx12 is indeed an awesome bus, BUT (I take it several times a week) I would not rely on it for postdoc hours. You don't want to be miserable and tired late at night yet still on the bus. It flies late at night, but in the morning, with traffic, it's sort of a drag. I would not want it to be my main transport to/from a wet lab job. Depends on his job and/or personal drive.
There is also a YU main campus/Einstein shuttle that will deposit him more or less at 185th and Amsterdam. BUT who knows what the future of this is, what with the de-merger?
This is a true middle-class area of the Bronx. Impressive ethnic mix even by NYC standards. He will most likely enjoy it. It is not overly scary.
posted by 8603 at 7:12 PM on June 4, 2014
Response by poster: Just an update, I went with my cousin and her bf to Morris Park this weekend. It's a perfectly lovely neighborhood, and after scouting out the primary business districts we have a much better idea where the most convenient places to live will be. Thanks to everyone for your input. This is going to be much easier than we originally thought!
posted by kimdog at 8:44 AM on June 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by kimdog at 8:44 AM on June 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
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A quick google of the neighborhood -- Morris Park -- gets lots of results for Italian food and nothing scary like "GANG DRIVE-BY KILLS BYSTANDERS" or whatever. Yelp shows a Starbucks, a yoga studio, and... lots of Italian food.
If there's some reason that living there is out of the question, it looks like the closest subway lines are the 5 and the 6. 86th Street is the closest stop on the 5 that is going to be notably more accessible than just living in a boring blue collar immigrant neighborhood like Morris Park.
posted by Sara C. at 12:15 PM on June 3, 2014 [1 favorite]