Back from JH, at long last! We went yesterday afternoon and spent a while wandering around, and even spent some time talking to a realtor. After having only spent time on and near 74th St for Indian food and groceries, it was really interesting to see the whole neighborhood. A few thoughts:
1) The diversity is truly unbelievable. I always like to tell people that living in NYC is like living in Epcot Center, but if that's true, JH is the core. Just incredible. Just one vignette: Columbian woman with stroller talking to an old Greek guy while an Indian man walks past and an old Jewish couple comes up from the rear. And we saw openly gay couples holding hands! Wow. Fantastic to see, and I really didn't sense any tension at all. It seems that one end of the 'hood is more Indian and another part is more Latin American, etc., but it's still remarkable.
2) We were surprised at how much business was there. Yeah, lots of stores sell cheap clothes or what have you, but this tells me that the community is thriving and shopping within its own boundaries. Plus, there were certainly plenty of the stores we would need, even if the neighborhood still lacks a bookstore (my only negative, shopping-wise). To see stores stretch all the way down 37th, as well as far up 82nd, is great. And bonus points for the killer Buster Brown sign on a shoestore!
3) The housing stock seems to vary, which is probably the result of a neighborhood in some transition, and certainly a result of what I imagine are older folks who've lived there for decades. It was a shame to see a string of English townhouses and half of them be a little run down. I'm sure that sometimes when you're 70 or something, keeping up appearances isn't so top priority. We also noticed some drastic differences in the apartment buildings. You can certainly tell on a glance what's a co-op and what's rentals (but I suppose that's true anywhere). On the initial route we took up 82nd and to 86th via 34th, there were some places falling apart. Then later, after speaking with the realtor, we headed up 80th and strolled down the upper 70s on 34th and saw a different story.
4) Not a ton of foot traffic outside of 37th, and no one in the gardens, enjoying them, at the Chateau or the Towers. But then, it was a Friday afternoon. Might be different on a weekend. We'll see. We hope to come back and see some open houses at some point soon.
5) On a related note, are there any parks or playgrounds outside of the one where there's a farmer's market? I know the colossal Flushing Meadows is nearby, but I'm curious.
6) Further to eating, are there many supermarkets? We walked nearly the length of 37th and didn't see one. There's always Fresh Direct, but... There's gotta be supermarkets. I guess we just didn't see them?
7) A final one! How's the neighborhood for kids? Schools? Recreation and socializing?
Many thanks to those of you on this board. Everyone being so helpful just goes to show me how many folks are really invested in their neighborhood, which is great!
