just shared this info with my kid.
they found a place! 7 minutes walk from his work; 18 from hers. it’s in the soho area; no idea what that is like but they seemed to like it. so thankful; & oldmom - thanks for sharing that info. they did look at few places mentioned in your friend’s realty group.
Upper east side is full of hospitals - Mt. Sinai, Lenox Hill, Sloan Kettering, New York Hospital; it depends on exactly where they’re renting. Closest to the park is Mt. Sinai at 98th and Fifth. I have friends who live on 102nd and Fifth and I’d say the biggest issue is the noise from ambulance sirens all night long. It really depends on where they will be.
They are looking at places near 90th and lexintgton. All night ambulance doesn’t sound good 
Not a bad location. Convenient to express stop at 86/Lex and decent shops/amenities all through Carnegie Hill. Reasonable walk west to Central Park and east to the river/Carl Schurz Park.
Its a lovely neighborhood, I actually like it a lot but with Sinai and Lenox Hill on 77th between Park and Lex, I’d suggest spending some time there in the evenings if noise is something that’s a concern. How big the building is, quality of windows, number of floors off the street are all factors to consider. However, the reality is that NYC is a noisy place to live, especially in primarily non-residential neighborhoods. My S lives on what should be a quiet, tree-lined residential street (no commercial anything) in Brooklyn but he says the early morning noise from the garbage trucks is annoying and he hears sirens from a hospital about 1/2 mile away. He’s on the 6th floor. My D is on the 34th floor in a Fort Greene building and even up that high she hears street noise. They pretty much say it becomes background noise and barely noticeable but everyone has a different tolerance.
Most new-construction high rises in NYC have really good windows to keep out the noise.
Before I moved to my current place in Bay Ridge, I lived in a brownstone (1900-vintage row house) in an apartment where the bedrooms faced the street on the third floor and the kitchen and living room faced back yards. I had a wonderful view outside my windows in the living area but it was very noisy in the bedrooms.
Now I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building and all my windows face other apartment buildings. I have good light but really no view. But I love it because it is REALLY QUIET. I can leave the windows open and there’s virtually no noise–well, sometimes distant foghorns in the harbor a few blocks away (I am a few blocks from the Verrazzano Bridge which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island.) but it’s a novelty, not a nuisance.
Thanks everyone. The kids are moved in. Now they need furniture. Where do you go to buy furniture in nyc? Are there stores specializing in furniture for small apts?
@Iglooo I may have missed this, but in what part of the city did they land?
PS, there’s always IKEA in Brooklyn.
Also FB market place will yield lots of Ikea, Wayfair and similar quality dressers, desks, tables etc. being resold, especially as it gets closer to the end of the month and people are preparing to move and have to get rid of stuff. Personally, I wouldn’t buy anything upholstered or “soft” second hand for fear of bed bug infestation, but I’d feel fine with any “hard” surface that can be cleaned and inspected.
@soozievt Upper east. They are done with ikea. I thought or hoped there are specialty shops in nyc dealing furniture suitable for tight space.
Some specialty retailers are mentioned in the following article -scroll past IKEA and PB! They skew expensive, but there are hardly any midpriced, good quality furniture places anymore.
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-sources-for-small-space-furniture-263619
If upper east,very likely folks will be getting rid of good furniture in FB marketplace etc. We got some nice stuff when we lived there as post docs. That was eons ago but lifestyle in the city doesnt change much with respect to this sort of thing.
@momprof9904 Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for. About not much choice in mid range; someone told me once it is reflecting shrinking middle class. You see it almost everywhere.
There’s a pretty big CB2 store near Bloomingdale’s on Third and an IKEA planning studio across the street from Bloomingdale’s. It’s not an IKEA store per se, but a place to meet with a designer to plan your space. I’ve heard good things. Find a Furniture Store Near you! - IKEA
They may want to visit some of the Housing Works thrift shops. They are very particular about the furniture they accept, plus they’re affiliated with a terrific nonprofit for people living with HIV/AIDS. Good luck to them.
They can join the local “Neighbors” site and look at the marketplace items.
Also the neighborhood “Buy Nothing” facebook page. People in the one in my neighborhood post amazing stuff they are giving away.
I hopped on to mention Housing Works, but @gotham_mom beat me to it! Great stuff, reasonably priced, and an organization with a terrific mission.
This may be of interest:
OOPS See Gotham_Mom beat me to it.
@Iglooo did they keep the car?
Yes. They just got the car and in love with it at the moment. What can you do, heart wants what heart wants. 