We are renters in NYC and thinking of buying a place when DC starts K. The odds are that DC will go to school on the UES. However, DH works long hours in the Hudson Yards area, so we are not sure where geographically makes sense. If we live in the UES, it does not seem obvious how to get to Hudson Yards for DH without a lengthier commute (at least 45 min door-to-door, which is not bad, but does mean he won't be around when kids are up in the evening). Conversely, if we live in Hudson Yards area, DC will have to commute to UES (which maybe isn't so bad with bus lanes and point-to-point service). We could live in the middle, e.g. Murray Hill where DH can cross town more easily to Hudson Yards and DC has straight shot up to UES.
Are there good reasons to live in the UES close to the schools? Do communities actually get built around the school neighborhoods? I would be surprised if there are communities because these schools have such small classes sizes (only 60 kids) and I understand many commute to the school (including from other boroughs). So maybe 30 of them are Manhattan (just a guess) of which half of them are not in UES. So maybe only 15 kids in a class are in the UES area (which is a lot as I think about it).
DC started K on UWS, kids are from all over incl UES, Chelsea, Tribeca. It feels less community vs preschool (prob bc of the pandemic) but there are play dates after school at the playground by the school or on Sat in the park. We are on UES and take public bus/walk in the morning and DC takes a school bus in the afternoon.
Closer to school is better for play dates
It really depends on the school. There aren't many kids from outer boroughs AT ALL at the uptown private schools, and certainly not in K-8 (it does change in HS). At a school like Buckley or St. David's, it's going to be a very heavy UES population with a smattering of people from the UWS. Dalton and Trinity are more geographically diverse but I guarantee still heavily weighted to uptown generally.
With what you are describing, I would live UWS and DC could commute cross town, and DH would have an easy commute downtown.
We are in a downtown private K. There are a few people from Brooklyn, but other then that most people live downtown, many very near the school. Lots of playdates are centered around the area. I'm sure each school is a bit different, but I think for the K-8 grades at most K-12 schools, the majority of families tend to live somewhat geographically close to the school. I would not want to be commuting long distances everyday with a 5yo.
We’re UES, school is UWS. Class geography was 1/3 UES, 1/3 UWS, 1/3 downtown in k, but families are slowly starting to move closer to the school. I want an easier commute to school, so we’ll likely move west in the coming years. The kids who commute on the subway from downtown actually have a faster commute than those of us who go crosstown.
I agree with everything you said especially that 2/3 uptown and 1/3 representing everywhere else is pretty typical for an uptown co-ed school (SS schools are going to be much more heavily uptown IME). Also agree that commute times, particularly if you are near an express stop on the subway, can be better from downtown. But you definitely are kind of an island if you're downtown -- those 1/3 kids are going to be all over the place with some in Tribeca, some Financial District, some West Village, etc. and so it's hard to find people to coordinate with. Whereas if you are a crosstown commuter, there will be lots of other families. And even if commute time is longer, a lot of people feel comfortable letting their kids walk or take the crosstown bus earlier than they would the subway from downtown.
Agreed. And crosstown you definitely feel closer to the school in case of emergency or for school events. Still jealous of the straight shot commute though (we’re bus and subway).
When my dc started school uptown (UWS) I lived and worked downtown. It was a nightmare getting to school events and there are/were (pre Covid) a lot when you're new to the school. Hudson Yards isn't quite as far as where I worked but I'd say you want to be in between. Maybe explore the high 50s south of the park? I know CPS is $$$ but there are some nice buildings on 57. You can get to UES and UWS pretty easily from there and you have the Q. Agree as others have noted that many downtowners wind up moving uptown
OP here. Thank you for all the responses! 1) If living on the UES for school on UES, does it make sense to live in the 70s? The 70s are most logistically easiest for us, e.g. subways and cross town bus access. However, we would be ~15 blocks away from the school. So this is close enough to the school for commute purposes. However, is it too far to get whatever benefits exist from living near the school? I.E., close to the school, but too far where people will want to do playdates, etc.? 2) Does being near Central Park have value for kids as they get older? Are kids practicing soccer, doing group outting, play dates there etc.? Or is everyone so busy with their own schedule and organized classes.. you don't really go to Central Park, versus Asphalt Green etc.?
15 blocks is more than fine for play dates- that’s actually really close to school in the grand scheme of things. And being close to Central Park always has value! Even pre-Covid it was a popular play date location.
As someone in the application process, I am just curious how you already know where you’re headed for k! Even siblings/legacies don’t know yet...
@Anonymous A lot of the questions are big picture questions to get a sense for how other parents are doing it. They are UES focused as we are applying to many schools that are close to each other on the UES. Rather than wait till Jan/Feb to scramble, we are doing our research now.
IME, most playing happens at the playground nearby the school. That's been our experience with UES preschool as well as now with UWS K-12. It's a quick get together at the playground right after school and then everybody goes and does their own thing (i.e. activities). 15 blocks is nothing, it's a 20 minute walk or a quick bus ride. i wouldn't overthink it unless you are commuting from a different borough (which I've seen that too for preschool)
We have done both, and living close to school is EVERYTHING. There is nothing like doing pickup and then being only a few minutes from home vs. facing a lengthy commute. So my strong suggestion would be to live locally to school. It's not so much about playdates (though that may help), but about your own convenience. There are lots of reasons to be at school, and being close to home is worlds more convenient. The commute to Hudson Yards shouldn't be too bad from the UES. 30 minutes is the estimate from 86th street. Also key is living near a subway line. With those two things (close to school + nearby subway line for quick access to the rest of the city), you're all set.
Why not consider bus service? Then there would be no lengthy commute for drop off/pick up, and the child would get a traditional school bus experience (may not hate it)? A hassle to get to school events, but can uber it for those few times?
I guess it depends on your particular circumstances. We have always done the after school programs to allow for more work time, and the bus doesn't run then. It can also be quite a long bus ride depending on where you are on the route. But agree that if it works well for your family, it's a good option.
@Anonymous Thank you - did not think of that. I imagine, we would do after school programs as well. It makes me wonder how folks who live downtown and commute all the way uptown are doing it -- I guess after a while they don't.