Apartment rentals New York with Subway Access

Insert Bleak "Fare" Pun Here: Second Avenue Subway Far Behind Schedule, Far Over Budget, Sadly Far Off

Looks nice, doesn't it? A clean, modern subway station, a train pulling up right on time. Eventually, at some point in human history, something somewhat like the little image you see with this post will undoubtedly occur somewhere under Second Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. For all the things to recommend about Upper East Side apartment listings -- and there are plenty, starting with their relative affordability in comparison to other Manhattan rental apartments -- subway access isn't currently one of them. Sure, the 4/5/6 trains on Lexington Avenue run pretty well, but they're the only trains on the Upper East Side, and can get excruciatingly crowded (and sluggish) come rush hour. News that the long-rumored, longer-awaited Second Avenue Subway was really happening was the cause of much rejoicing both among Upper East Side renters and UES landlords, whose apartments seemed poised to become that much more appealing. Today brought the sad and sadly unsurprising news, though, that the Second Avenue Subway is both behind schedule and over-cost -- and not likely to arrive in time for its original 2016 launch.

Location, Location, Location (Of The Subway): How Much Will Subway Service Changes Change NYC Real Estate?

NYC dwellers have a dysfunctional relationship with the subway. We love it, of course -- even with fare hikes (and there are reportedly more on the way), it gets us where we need to go for a couple dollars, and keeps cars off the streets. And yet, it's hard not to hate it, sometimes (did we mention those upcoming fare hikes?) But the simple fact is that Manhattan real estate needs the subway. That's why we cheered the expansion of the 7 train into Clinton and West Chelsea, and why we're anxiously awaiting the opening of the Second Avenue subway. But with service cuts already in effect in the outer boroughs and many bus lines either reduced to banker's hours or disappeared entirely, New Yorkers are feeling more conflicted about the subway than ever. The Wall Street Journal, in a subscription-only article, recently charged subway service changes with depressing home sales in various neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn. Now, neither Queens nor Brooklyn nor apartment sales are our thing (although we do the NYC apartment sales thing, too), but the question still holds for people searching for rental apartments in Manhattan. The question being, how are subway changes changing the way we look for rental apartments in NYC?

Breakthrough: End of Drilling on 7 Train Expansion Into Hudson Yards Brings More Good News For Emerging Neighborhood

Yesterday, we wrote about the the latest development in the ongoing boom in new construction luxury rental apartment buildings in greater Hudson Yards -- a neighborhood that is sometimes (if unfortunately) called The Linc, and which encompasses the western edges of Chelsea and Clinton. If it seems like we've been covering the goings-on at Hudson Yards a lot here at the Luxury Rentals Manhattan blog, that would be because we have. It's not every day that you get to see a new neighborhood rise before your eyes in Manhattan, after all, and the presence of blockbuster new construction luxury rentals such as the LEED-certified Emerald Green, one of Manhattan's most impressive new green rental apartment listings, and the equally impresive 505 West 37th Street have already given Hudson Yards its share of blue chip new luxury rental listings. And now, with news that the planned expansion of the 7 train into Hudson Yards has finished drilling, this new neighborhood is close to a new subway link to the rest of New York City -- and possibly to a new life as one of Manhattan's most desirable residential neighborhoods.