Full disclosure: I am an owner occupier who has lived here for over 20 years, not a renter. The building is not perfect, but the building is a better place to live than it looks. The staff is great, and the gym is wonderful, particularly the pool, which is almost Olympic sized. Most of the people in the building are young families, but there is a mixture of older folk(like me) and singles, too. Since this is mostly an owner-occupied condominium, moving in and out can be a problem, and don't let an owner or realtor get away with not telling you about the fees for moving or for lease renewals. However, I think you'll find that once you are in you'll want to stay. Each apartment is individually owned so to a certain extent you experience will depend on who you rent from. Some landlords are very responsive, and others will do nothing. Get the landlord to agree that you can have any repairs that the building will do done without his or her permission. The building will complete a replacement of all of it's heating pipes by or about Summer 2015, and heat is included. The back of the building faces a rooftop garden and is very quiet. The front is sunny but noisy since it faces West 96th St. and Broadway. The garage is privately owned and not part of the residential condominium. It is VERY EXPENSIVE. You can rent space in other nearby garages for less. But if, like me, you don't own a car, the public transportation couldn't be better. Express subway stop, crosstown and up-and-downtown buses. The bicycle room is a blessing, too. I've kept my bike there for about 18 years with no problems. And if you buy, not rent, you can apply for and get a storage area for much less than renting from public storage. However, the storage spaces aren't available to renters. Apartment measurements are real, and unlike most modern rental square footage spaces do not include public areas. read more
