Possible ERE Neighborhood: Washington Heights, NYC (rooms for rent)

[NYC ERE]

BeyondTheWrap asked what it's like in Washington Heights. Rather than hijack the thread we were in, I'm starting this new one, and throwing the doors open of my new apartment to any ERE aspirants who might be interested in being my roommate. Email me at 173audubon at gmail dot com.
As discussed here, I've considered exploiting the low rent and my master tenancy to keep my portion of the rent artificially low, and I'm still open to that. But if anyone on this forum wants to discuss moving in, I will keep it equal, which, because my room is bigger than the others, would mean rent of $391 per bedroom for you. Very ERE-friendly housing budget! In NYC, no less. Keep in mind that the rooms are quite small: 8'x8.5' and 11.5'x6.5'.
This map shows that it's one of the safest neighborhoods in NYC. Comparable to the Upper West Side. I think it gets a bad rap because of its proximity to Harlem, which is one of the least safe. Come check it out--don't be put off by the weekend loiterers; they're harmless, and probably keep things safe.
It has a certain "ERE-friendliness," meaning that there's not a lot of middle-class attractions like high-end restaurants or Banana Republics (there are a lot of people from banana republics though!). I'm near Columbia Presbyterian hospital, though, around which there's a cluster of kinda bourgeois establishments--a couple of decent wine shops, Starbucks...okay, a small cluster.
All that aside, I would probably live in Brooklyn if the Hudson Greenway (bike path) wasn't so awesome.
I'm already here, but not in a hurry to move people in--since I plan to be here until ERE, I want to focus on getting the right roommates, so move-in could be as late as 11/1. That said, as I mentioned, I'm interviewing people starting this weekend, so give me a heads-up sooner rather than later.
More info on the apt. + potential bonuses of an ERE-aspirant critical mass:

great light

third-floor walk-up

six-minute walk to subway

45-minute bike ride to midtown

possible meal prep sharing

i got bike maintenance skillz

friendly neighbors (unusual in Manhattan)

aforementioned lack of money-spending opportunities

sweet ERE-style entertainment center--32" box TV with iPod dock hookup and speakers

great vintage tile and shiny wood floors

[AlexOliver]

"there are a lot of people from banana republics though!"
I see what you did there
If you're still renting rooms in two years I might have to check it out. I've always wanted to live in New York.

[NYC ERE]

@ Alex sounds good--let me know when you're looking.

[jacob]

@Zev @AlexOliver WRT banana republics, I was ROTFL, figuratively speaking, and LOL, literally speaking.

[dpmorel]

@zev - as a former resident of NY, I really really miss the transportation system. Being car-free for 3 years was awesome.
My money-wasteful friends live in the village, pay $2200 for tiny-ass apartments, hate it, and drink alone at bars often.
My money conservative friends live in Williamsburg and pay $1k for tiny-ass apartments, drink PBR most nights and have lots of sex (seriously... the life of being fiscally conservative is all rock-stardom).
I do have one money conservative friend (though oddly enough she comes from money), that lives up near you and speaks highly of the neighbourhood.
Personally I think New YOrk is a terrible place to be doing ERE My "cash expenses" went from $500 -> $50/month when I moved back to Toronto.
Here's my NYC cheap rental tip. We lived in Boerum Hill in BK, which is usually an upscale neighborhood.
Buuuut... if you live between 3rd and 4th avenue there, it is street after street of community housing. Note that it is literally only trashy between 3rd and 4th, east or west of 3rd and 4th it is gorgeous. Literally that one chunk has not been gentrified. It was in the process of gentrification in 2008, then the market crashed and it is now half torn down housing, half community/halfway homes and some nice buildings.
The rent is literally half the price as between 4th and 5th or 3rd and Nevins. Our street had a halfway house for crack addicts and our corner store sold crack (seriously), but we loved it. We were literally a 4 minute walk from everything you'd ever want in either Park Slope or Carroll Gardens (awesome, awesome areas). Boerum Hill also has its own gritty little, very affordably priced, indie bar scene with 4th Ave Pub, Cherry Tree and Pacific Standard (probably my 3 fave bars in all of New York).
Also, its a 5 minute walk to Atlantic Ave subway which gets you everywhere in the city. To give you a price, we were paying $1500 for a 2-floor, 2-bdrm with a yard. A nearly identical 2bdrm literally a 3 minute walk east was going for $3.5k/month.
Generally I much prefer Brooklyn to Manhattan. Manhattan was always too loud and too crowded for me. Hopefully Washington Heights is a bit more sane.

[dpmorel]

Also, I am in NYC often. Any chance the room is furnished? I often need a place for 3-4 days at a time...

[NYC ERE]

@DP I totally agree about Boerum Hill. Those 3rd/4th blocks look pretty burned out, and I'm not surprised there's bargains there. I lived between 4th and 5th for a while and dated a girl in Boerum--she was really close to the projects and was pretty freaked out about the frequent gunshots. In any case, I really like that general area of Cobble/Boerum/Carroll. Again, I prefer upper Manhattan just because of the safer cycling route to downtown/midtown. Sadly, there are young people getting flattened on their bikes in Brooklyn on a regular basis.

[dpmorel]

Come on Zev, say it with me... BoCoCa (BoerumCobbleCarrol). It just feels good to say a yuppy neighbourhood nick name like that... doesn't it?
Whats the name for Washington Heights?

..Washy High?

..Was He?
Gunshots are overrated. They tend to blend in like the sirens after a while.

[NYC ERE]

@ DP: WaHi. I guess I'm out of the yuppy loop--BoCoCa, sounds like some kind of skin cream.

[dpmorel]

From Boerum Hill you can get to the city fully on bike lanes. The west bound bike lane is on Bergen (where I lived) and goes right to the BK bridge, which you can cross on bike.
But, I generally agree that biking in BK is door-prize central.

[NYC ERE]

I consider Bergen and Dean to be pretty pitiful bike lanes--an invitation to getting doored because of their narrowness. then you've got downtown Brooklyn to navigate, Chinatown, SoHo, NYU; perhaps a messenger's dream obstacle course, but, to my mind, a commuter's nightmare. To my office, 4.5 miles of shared roads (minus the bridge) from Boerum versus 7 miles isolated bikeway + 2.5 (comparably relaxed) shared from "WaHi."

[BeyondtheWrap]

Thanks for the map, Zev. It will help when my GF and I move into an apartment together in the city. It won't be for a few years, but we don't want to put ourselves in danger just to cut costs.

[NYC ERE]

*bump*