<p>My D will be going to Columbia Teachers College. She wants to live in Murray Hill, but I’m wondering if there are other safe, young neighborhoods with the same feel as Murray Hill that are more convenient to Columbia? Thanks!</p>
<p>Murray Hill is a nice neighborhood but your D will be very unhappy with the long commute to school. Why not stay on the upper west side near Columbia? It’s really a great neighborhood and there’s nothing like walking (or a short bus ride) to school.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. Murray Hill won’t be that convenient to Columbia. Murray Hill would have been fine for Hunter, just a short trip on the 6 train.</p>
<p>I think that Murray Hill would be somewhat inconvenient for someone commuting daily to Columbia’s campus in Morningside Heights ‘cause it would take several subway transfers: walk to Grand Central, take the shuttle to times Square, switch to the Uptown express, and switch again to the uptown local at 96th St. (or take the local all the way from Times Sq.) to Columbia at 116th St. It’s doable certainly, but time consuming, especially in the off-hours. </p>
<p>I’d opt for a West Side neighborhood if I could for an easier commute, where buses going up 8th or 10th Aves are an option as well as the subway up Broadway. Unless she has a deal on an apartment in Murray Hill, the prices are not drastically different. Clinton (the old Hells Kitchen) might be nice in the W. 40s and 50s. Lots of inexpensive bars and restaurants, a young vibe, somewhat touristy, but less so west of 8th Ave, and lots of housing choices: new doorman hi-rises to walk up tenements and everything in between. Of course there are also the standbys of the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights. The former very nice, settled, but not much in the way of entertainment, and more family-oriented. And probably a bit more expensive than Murray Hill actually. What’s wrong with Morningside Heights itself?</p>
<p>Is Morningside Heights a safe, fun neighborhood for young singles? </p>
<p>Actually my D will be attending Columbia grad school part-time (probably 2-3 times per week). Is the commute from Murray Hill so tedious? She has heard so many positives about MH.</p>
<p>I’ll join the chorus of posters who think the Upper West Side makes much more sense.</p>
<p>yes, the commute will be taxing. the upper west side is a great place for young people. maybe even around lincoln center.</p>
<p>If she’ll have to be in class only two or three days a week, it’s not so bad to live in Murray Hill. Where will she be student teaching? Also near Columbia? Or maybe she doesn’t know yet.</p>
<p>Murray Hill is not what you’d call a young neighborhood unless you are in one of the NYU apartment buildings for their medical students and staff (which are indeed young.) The standard UWS or Morningside apt which is usually a share with 3-4 other roommates is going to be a more convenient and more cost effective way to go.</p>
<p>Teacher’s College has housing available for students at fairly reasonable rates (for NYC). Why hasn’t she considered their housing?</p>
<p>[Office</a> of Residential Services @ Teachers College :: Single Housing](<a href=“http://www.tc.columbia.edu/housing/index.asp?Id=Housing+Options&Info=Single+Housing]Office”>http://www.tc.columbia.edu/housing/index.asp?Id=Housing+Options&Info=Single+Housing)</p>
<p>This is about your 3rd or 4th thread about NYC housing. Is there something that’s missing in the information provided in the other threads you started?</p>
<p>The commute from Murray Hill isn’t that bad. Manhattan is only 13 miles long (or something like that). Murray Hill is probably a bit cheaper also.</p>
<p>I don’t understand your D’s desire to live in Murray Hill…to me it’s kind of a boring part of Manhattan. It would be much more fun to live around Columbia where lots of other students live. See if they have a housing board of some sort where other students are looking for roommates.</p>
<p>What happens to the neighborhood around Columbia in the summer? Is it still as vibrant?</p>
<p>Yes, there’s lots going on in the summer including summer school, many grad students live in the area year round and work in the summer. (At least in architecture school.) My younger son went to a high school summer program at Columbia one summer and it was hopping - including street fairs every Saturday on Broadway.</p>
<p>FWIW: My daughter is working every day in the Bronx and going to graduate school at night at Fordham - Lincoln Center. She has been living in Alphabet City, because (for Manhattan) that was what “young” and “affordable” looked like. (Harlem was the other neighborhood that looked like that.) She’s planning to move to one of several neighborhoods in Brooklyn, which are slightly younger and slightly more affordable. The commute is a pain, but much less of a pain than living light-years from her social life would be.</p>
<p>The Murray Hill neighborhood has changed a lot over the last 5 years - it is now packed with recent grads in their early to mid 20’s and is a “hot” neighborhood for this age group.</p>
<p>I have a niece and a nephew living on the Lower East Side (one in grad school at Columbia and one a new public school teacher) and neither could afford Murray Hill, even with multiple roommates. With the right budget any neighborhood in the five boroughs will work- with the wrong budget, you need to choose carefully. Most of the apartments in Murray Hill were traditional 2 bedrooms meant for two unrelated people. Both Upper West Side and downtown have big prewar apartments where 4-5 unrelated people can manage even in a “technical” 2 bedroom. (temporary wall in the living room making two bedrooms). But I don’t know Quest’s kid housing budget.</p>
<p>Murray Hill is overpriced, older and, in an ehh location for TC if you asked me</p>
<p>I think TC’s housing is a relative bargain and, think Morningside Hts/Cathederal Pkwy caters to a student’s lifestyle and budget far better. Harlem as other folks have said and, Astoria (a trek) and, Brooklyn Heights are worth looks too should you want to avoid Morningside.</p>
<p>How do you find TC’s administration? I’m trying to decide whether it is affordable/logical to go and, they seem v. disorganized to me! I hope they have the teaching part down as well as they do the administrating! Ok, I guess that’s a soapbox for another time…</p>
<p>Does anyone know about Columbia housing? I’m not even sure if there is anything available anymore for the Fall…</p>
<p>Are grad students happy there?</p>
<p>blossom, how is the commute to Columbia from the lower east side? Whereabouts does your niece live?</p>