Jackson Heights Life

So we're moving to JH from Sunnyside. We LOVE JH.
I've probably seen 20 different apartments in 20 different buildings and I love many of them.
I'm curious about Donner Gardens. Anyone live there? Anyone know anyone who lives/lived there? It's far from the subway and close to Northern Blvd. I'm not crazy about those features, so I'm looking for someone who can speak highly of that area and convince me it's alright to live there. We've found other places that will also work, but I'm curious about this particular building. Can't seem to find any reviews of it.
Thanks!!

Wowwwww. Okay. Good to know. Nothing signed, was just curious.
Thank you!

Aren't the Towers and some of the Chateau buildings located near Northern?  Does this logic hold true for them as well?

If you are buying, I'd caution against buying that far from 37th. You'd have a really hard time selling.

Aren't the Towers and some of the Chateau buildings located near Northern?  Does this logic hold true for them as well?

Regarding if those two buildings are located near Northern -- yes for The Towers, which are between Northern and 34th Ave and no for The Chateau which is between 34th and 35th Ave. but located right across 34th avenue from the Towers.  

The desirability of these two buildings has more to do with the historical value, charm, larger than average apartments and the beautiful gardens.  They are both quite a trek from the subway and there is a big difference, IMO, of being able to shop along the shops on 37th Ave which gives you the pedestrian feel of being in an open air market (charming! fun!) from shopping on Northern Blvd which is like shopping among roadside shops scattered along a highway (dreary, get in, get out).

Are you looking to buy or rent in JH? I echo other comments here regarding Donner Gardens, you're money would be better spent elsewhere. There are obviously much, much better buildings in JH and depending on where you live in Sunnyside, your quality of life could most likely take a big hit by moving there.

Thanks for all of your comments. We're looking to buy. I've looked at loads of apartments and we've settled on wanting a 2BR. Does anyone know of any available?
Looks like we'll be avoiding Donner Gardens! (In truth, the name reminded me too much of the Donner party. Maybe I should have taken the hint!)

Just make sure you are not confusing Donner Gardens (which is over on 81st/82nd between 34th Ave and Northern) with Donnelly Gardens (which is only a couple of blocks away, occupying the block between 78th/79th Streets and 34th/35th Ave).  Donnelly is a decent development, with a garden space - although there are nicer garden developments in the nabe.  Rooms are not all that big in Donnelly apartments, either.  But, they're cheaper than other co-ops, and many of the garden apartments are really amalgamations of several small building associations (10 shareholders) that share a common garden.  Owning in a small co-op brings it's own problems, issues and headaches - everything is more personal, and you are more actively involved with building management.  That suits some, but for others, it's a pain.  A bigger place doesn't have those issues.  When I searched for Donner Gardens, first thing that popped up was a real estate broker's ad for 121 apartments being sold as unsold sponsor shares.  This would be a big red flag for me, for this particular building.

Good luck in your search for a suitable unit.

Mariner

In brief defense of Northern Blvd.:  in the mid to high 80s, there are a string of restaurants, a number of which are good to very good  (i.e. Natives, Pio Pio, Uncle Peters, El Anzuelo Fino, others) and it is generally livelier at night than 37th Avenue. The Compare Supermarket at Northern between 85th and 86th is decent and now open 24 hours --

a few years ago, before buying in my current building, i thought i had less time to move than i actually did, so i looked EVERYWHERE, including donner. i was stunned as to how much worse it was than anyplace else i looked, save for this hovel catty corner to elmhurst hospital. the agent offered this insane package of stuff -- an AC, a washer-dryer, a ffinancial incentive -- to ignotr the stuff eddie detailed. but yikes. what a debacle!