Jackson Heights Life

I have two friends who live in different Greystone buildings on the block - both love it.  I also think 80th street from 37th avenue to Northern Boulevard is a beautiful stretch of blocks.  Parking in that area is a b*tch though.

The units are beautiful, and the residents clearly take a lot of pride in the buildings.  I think that the Greystones are more expensive than most other walk ups in the neighborhood because of their historical value. 

I always forget I joined this board 'til someone links it from the yahoo group.  LOL!

Anyway, I lived in the Greystones for about 9 years and loved it (we only moved because we wanted more space), though I admit I was spoiled to the walk-up situation because we were on the first floor, direct from the staircase.

One small thing though is that the gardens behind the Greystones, at least on our side that was between 79th and 80th, aren't like Dunnolly or Hawthorne (other places I've owned co-ops in) in that not very many people use them, the grass is more like a field.  Not being of the green thumb variety, didn't bother me much, but for the true garden enthusiasts, these aren't your central "courts" like many of the other co-op communities.  (Unless they've changed since 2003?)

No idea why it's divided over two blocks though (in fact it always struck me odd, because its like the gardens extend into what would be the property of the other co-ops on 79th and 81st).

I don't want to engage in the kind of owner-snobbery I hear from my neighbors sometimes, but I do see that some of the renters toss trash out their windows into the garden below.  Other than that, the buildings are beautiful and well cared for. One great thing about walks ups, is that maintenance tends to be cheaper as there is no elevator to maintain.

No, please do engage in owner-snobbery!  It gets lonely sometimes being one of the few elitist snobs on these boards!

There's a reason why the private gardens in Gramercy Park are nice and well maintainted - entrance is available only to those residents with a coveted key, they don't allow Frisbees, don't allow jogging on the grass, no feeding the birds, etc.

People appreciate and maintain things when they have an ownership interest.  How well do you treat a rental car vs. the car you own?

The morons tossing trash out their windows is probably a combination of boorish behavior and class resentment towards the apartment owners.