Pelham Parkway v. Riverdale v. Parkchester? (Middletown, Cortland: apartments, rent, neighborhoods)

[Nala8]

Hey, folks, can you help me sort out the pros and cons? I've got some heavy decisions to make. I guess my biggest question is how can these beautiful areas of the Bronx have such relatively cheap rents? I keep thinking, "Come on, what's the catch?" Please, no neighborhood propaganda. That's how I got myself into this situation I am in now: believing the hype. I want to know the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly.

Here is my wish list: a rent of $900 to $1000 a month, relatively safe and quiet, clean, parks nearby, ethnic and mainstream grocery stores and restaurants nearby, cultural diversity, and an easy commute to Manhattan (for work, poetry readings, open mics, theatre, etc.). I am an African-American woman, a poet/writer/performing artist who teaches for a living, usually English (Composition, Reading, Literature, Poetry, Humanities, etc.) at the college level, and also in the nonprofit sector. So, as you can guess, I don't make a lot of money--roughly $48,000 to $50,000 a year. When I was living in NYC (Harlem) this was fine. I live simply and love it, so I don't need a lot of material things, and I am not impressed by the bright lights, if you get my drift.

Am I dreaming? Are there other areas I should check out?

Thanks, everyone. I want to move back to NYC by August. No sense jumping from frying pan A to frying pan B.

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Nala8

Hey, folks, can you help me sort out the pros and cons? I've got some heavy decisions to make. I guess my biggest question is how can these beautiful areas of the Bronx have such relatively cheap rents? I keep thinking, "Come on, what's the catch?" Please, no neighborhood propaganda. That's how I got myself into this situation I am in now: believing the hype. I want to know the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly.

Here is my wish list: a rent of $900 to $1000 a month, relatively safe and quiet, clean, parks nearby, ethnic and mainstream grocery stores and restaurants nearby, cultural diversity, and an easy commute to Manhattan (for work, poetry readings, open mics, theatre, etc.). I am an African-American woman, a poet/writer/performing artist who teaches for a living, usually English (Composition, Reading, Literature, Poetry, Humanities, etc.) at the college level, and also in the nonprofit sector. So, as you can guess, I don't make a lot of money--roughly $48,000 to $50,000 a year. When I was living in NYC (Harlem) this was fine. I live simply and love it, so I don't need a lot of material things, and I am not impressed by the bright lights, if you get my drift.

Am I dreaming? Are there other areas I should check out?

Thanks, everyone. I want to move back to NYC by August. No sense jumping from frying pan A to frying pan B.

900 to 1000 rent:Possible in all three areas.Differences are that in Riverdale your selection will be small and confined to what are thought of as the less desirable areas.In Pelham Parkway you will find a wider array of apartments,buildings and areas of the neighborhood.In Parkchester you will get 1 thing with slight variation... a 1 br Parkchester apartment.They all look pretty much the same.Can't get into whether the "less desirable" parts of Riverdale are worse than the "more desirable" areas of Pelham Parkway kind of thing.You have to fine tune.

Safety and quietude: Most,Riverdale. Middle ,Pelham Parkway. Least,Parkchester.

Nearby ethnic and mainstream grocery stores,restaurants and other shops:
Most,Pelham Parkway.Middle,Parkchester.Least,Riverdale.

Commute to Manhattan: Easiest,Pelham Parkway.Middle,Parkchester. Least easy,Riverdale. Parkchester and Pelham Parkway are about the same time to midtown but I gave the edge to Pelham Parkway because it has an East side(5) and a West side(2) subway and super frequent express bus service because the Pelham Parkway to mid town express bus is also the Bronx Zoo express bus.Much( most) of Riverdale is either a long walk or requires a bus to the 1 train or metro north which is more expensive and less frequent.
Pelham Parkway is also way above the other two with other transportation links,especially the rapid transit BX12 and busses to Westchester.

Cultural diversity: Most,Pelham Parkway.Middle,Parkchester,Least,Riverdale.

Cleanliness: Most,Riverdale.Mid,Parkchester.Least,Pelham Parkway.Parkchester is a complex,not a neighborhood.It's 2nd rank in the cleanliness scale drops to 3rd once you exit the complex.It's hard to compare a complex with a neighborhood.

Proximity to parks and and recreation: Best,Pelham Parkway.2nd,Riverdale.
Least,Parkchester.

Riverdale and Pelham Parkway are both pretty large areas and each encompasses various sub neighborhoods so they will take a little work to compare.Parkchester is Parkchester.It's all pretty much the same so it's more a matter of which building may be quieter or more convenient.

You might also want to consider:
Van Cortlandt Village: The area around the top of and to the West of the reservoir,along and to the North and West of Sedgwick Avenue and South of Van Cortlandt Park.
Norwood: right around the terminus of the D train at Bainbridge Ave and 205 St and around Montefiore Medical Center and Reservoir Oval,South of Gun Hill Rd.
Bedford Park: North of Bedford Park Blvd and South of Mosholu Parkway from the top of The Grand Concourse over to The Botanical Garden.
Pelham Bay: the areas around the last couple of stops on the 6 train,South of Pelham Parkway,East of the Hutchinson River Parkway,North of Middletown Road and West of I 95 .

[bmwguydc]

All are great areas, and the only drawback to parts of Riverdale is for the subway commuter, since it's a very long trip on the 1 train. However, you can always take an express 2/3 to 96th and switch to the 1, or you can take the A train to 207th in Inwood and catch the bus. If you use an express bus or Metro-North to Grand Central, it's a very easy to commute to Manhattan, though on Friday evenings in the summer, it can be faster to take the subway if the roads are heavily congested. In fact, using Metro-North, you would be at Grand Central in under 30 minutes.

Parts of Riverdale are also a tad remote, though for an apartment, I don't think you would be suffering without a car in the neighborhood. Some of the single-family neighborhoods can be very isolated without at least one car, however.

One caveat when searching Riverdale is to make sure the apartment is actually in Riverdale. Some adjacent areas of Kingsbridge advertise as Riverdale, or Riverdale adjacent, in order to charge a higher rent or get traffic to the apartment. Kingsbridge is not a terrible area, but the area does have a different character, and some buildings/streets are completely different after dark.

[Nala8]

Thanks a lot, guys. So very, very helpful. I am on my way.