Tenant Reviews for 320 W 38TH ST

Pros: I have been living in the building for last 2 years. Noise has not bothered me and in some way the location is very convenient. Close to all major transportation and few local groceries, fish market and meat market in the area. The amenities are great. Cons: Building manager is useless. I mean useless. She is so unhelpful and rude. eg : fridge is defective in the building therefore it freezes the groceries. I know so many tenants who have some problem but the building manager refuses to acknowledge them. Whenever things breaks down in the building her response is -its you, its your fault etc. No tenant or staff have good things to say about her. I wonder why she still has a job. Is that Glenwood does not know the problem or refuses to address it.

This place was built with shoddy material and one can hear noises all over the place. The streets are really loud as my windows come out to 37th street and the Lincoln Tunnel rush hour is a mess with honking galore. There are TWO construction sites on 37th st, and they make noise all the time. One can hear people talking in the hallway.Forget about parking as the area is traffic choked. THIS IS THE PART THAT GETS ME REALLY ANNOYED. I pay over $3,000 for this simple 1 bedroom apt. yet I have people on my floor and in the building on Section 8 or some other form of welfare that pay pennies, many of them are trashy (------ types). I am not racist I just dont want to pay crazy money to live amongst trashy people. Outside the building there are homeless addicts left and right, I am sure women feel more unsafe than I. I am leaving after my lease is up. All I know about management is they have manager (Juan, I think) who is very into the rules. This place would be fine if 1) it didnt have "welfare apts." and 2) was not as expensive.

I'm surprised by all the negative reviews of Emerald Green. My wife and I have lived in a one-bedroom apartment for 2 1/2 years now (we were the first tenants in our unit, moved in just after the building was completed) and have overall been very happy with the building. It's a big building, which by nature has pros (lots of staff, services, amenities, available apts., etc.) and cons (lots of neighbors). The building is still practically brand-new, and is very well maintained. The doormen, maintenance and service guys are great. They quickly deliver packages, send up food deliveries, etc. The manager is a stickler for the rules, but I think that's a good thing. The rent-stabilized nature is also great, especially the past two years when all of my friends renting in the city have seen their rents go up 10-30%, and our has been clipping along at the regulated 2.5-3% per year. It's true that Glenwood prices that into the initial rent to a certain extent, but the longer you stay in the building, the more you benefit from it. They also have a number of rent subsidized units (low-income tenants under a special NYC program), which causes some people concern, but I must say I've found them to be friendlier and more respectful than some of the market-rate tenants... We don't really use the amenities (gym, pool, screening room) so can't speak to that. Also the in-building restaurant, Casa Nonna, is great. It's too expensive to eat at multiple times a week, but is a good, quality establishment with a big bar, friendly staff, and good Italian food which is a go-to place for us to take visitors, meet people after work, etc. Their pizzas are especially great! Our apartment itself is spacious, has lots of closet space, and gets great light. Very good soundproofing between the apartments - we've never heard our neighbors, except through the front door. Having our own washer/dryer is great, and you can see they spent some money on good quality appliances, bathroom fixtures, etc. The one con to Emerald Green (and it is a big one) is the neighborhood. It has improved in the two years since we moved in and will continue to do so, but it still physically dirty, charmless, and full of sketchy people, tourists, bored teenagers, addicts and other undesirables. The location is convenient to Port Authority, Penn Station, and Lincoln Tunnel, but I definitely understand if some people (particularly single women) don't feel comfortable walking around at night. I've never had a problem in the neighborhood, but common sense is a must around here.

Concur with some of the earlier comments regarding the condition of the immediate area. Though location is convenient, be prepared to contend with a steady population of homeless, addicts, drug pushers, prostitutes, ------ types, and tourists clogging the streets, along with insane traffic congestion and litter everywhere, seedy XXX stores, shoe and denim wholesalers, fast food joints and crappy convenience stores. There is no quality grocery store in sight. There is nothing about this area that can be called a neighborhood, and certainly nothing that caters to residents of this building. It is a very disgusting location to which I am embarrassed to bring guests. Poor quality of the area is the number 1 reason we are terminating the lease. Building overall is quite stunning and beautiful inside. We were initially impressed by the tranquil, spa-like atmosphere once inside. Staff seem professional at first and then you notice that some are simply quite lazy and don't seem to do anything unless they feel like it. Walls are very thin so you will hear all the noise from your neighbors and that from the hallway. There are occasional problems with hot water not being available, and with heating and air conditioning not working properly. Overall, beautiful amenities, but lots of silly rules on use of the spaces (i.e., having to rent the theater and conference areas), and lounge area is kept positively freezing which deters use of it as a gathering space or relaxation spot. Feel very safe and secure here. Only wish I could move this building to a nicer area of Manhattan.

I'm a bit surprised by some of the reviews for Emerald Green. It's always easy to write when you have negative things to say and few people bother to write a good review I suppose. Firstly, the walls are really thick and sound proofing is great. You don't hear the neighbors. The front door though is not well sound proofed and so the only noise you hear from the neighbors is when they're passing by in the nice, wide, carpeted corridors. Staff are very helpful but there are a lot of them and with one or two exceptions, they do spend a lot of time hanging out at the service entrance. I don't get upset if I have to open a door for myself though (sometimes the doormen are doing other things...) and I've never asked a doormen to get me a taxi. I've got 2 arms and can do it myself. Excellent package handling from the staff. The manager is best described as inflexible but with so many apartments, I think you kind of have to be. Always polite and quick to respond, if not resolve, about any issues. I agree about the holiday tipping. 33 staff and no tipping pool. It's hard to know everyone by name and so tipping became a bit of nightmare! The building is very clean, lovely communal areas which are underused. You pay $350 for access to gym and communal areas. Little bit annoying that there are now non-residents coming in to use the gym during the day. Obviously friends or whatever are giving them they key fob thingy. Maintenance very quick and professional in the apartment. They do have regular problems with the hot water supply. Every couple of months it seems to break down which isn't good when you consider the rental costs. Electricity bills are very high, over half of the total cost is for delivery. Air con is good, heating and hot water are free (but you do pay for the electricity for the fan to distribute the heat). Apartments are so well insulated we didn't have the heating on too much though. Not being able to open the windows more than 2 inches is a pain. There is a lot of noise from 37th street and that and the neighborhood is the main reason that we'll probably leave shortly. It's just really ignorant drivers honking the horn on the way to the tunnel which is a pain. And all of those huge trucks driving to Jersey make a lot of noise. There is a needle exchange program at one end of the block and a half-way house at the other! But I've never experienced any problems. Yes, there are a lot of sketchy looking people hanging around but nothing's happened (although I do think that it seems to be getting worse). Concrete, the bar opposite, can be pretty noisy at night. It's true that you have to carry your dog in and out of the building and you're only supposed to use the service entrance. So overall, I'd recommend the apartments. Nice kichen appliances, high quality finish (but the bamboo flooring seems pretty soft and not hard-wearing and now dreading getting our deposit back), great closet space. The only negatives are that the rents are a little high (although only $100 increase per month for next year, which is pretty reasonable from what I've heard). It's the street noise and neigborhood that will drive us out, but that's midtown I suppose. They are building a new and almost identical building a block from here, which may also explain the lower rent increase.

The building manager here is a total incompetent idiot. I believe she just makes up rules as she goes. Don't expect to get any help from her on anything. The building rules are insane. You can only have people stay in your apt for 3 days. The amenity fees are higher than any other comparable luxury building. Doorman are not allowed to do anything for you other than open the door. During holiday season, they give you a list of 45 people who work in the building but refuse to give you the option to give money to a pool. How do they expect you to tip 45 people? If you want to tip the staff here, expect to spend thousands at Xmas. You have to carry your dog out of the building which is the stupidest rule ever. My shoes are dirtier than my 6lb dog. 4th of July- don't expect to be allowed up on the roof to enjoy the view. No guests allowed & you have to sign up weeks in advance. My stupid rule list can go on and on. Regarding maintence- I had to have 3 air conditioners replaced because they literally do not work. Finally I have an air conditioner that does not work- my apt is hot in the summer. And my electric bill is about $400/month in the summer months. In the winter it's about $200/month and I have no idea why. The maintence people have no idea what's wrong and so cannot help me. Regarding Noise- there are a lot of young people living in this building so there is a lot of noisy drunk drama on the weekends. The doorman & building staff also tend to hang out in the front of the building at all hours & just chat. Why are we tipping again? Lastly, come to the neighborhood day & night before you live here. There are drug busts across the street every friday night. The $1 pizza place attracts tourists & homeless people by the dozens. I get harassed by homeless people every day when I walk my dog. I get harassed by the employees at the pizza place. On the weekdays people in your neighborhood are in a rush to go home on the train or bus and on the weekends it fills with tourists. 38th street is disgusting, the food trucks all over the city end their day on this street. So there is garbage EVERYWHERE. It's absolutely AWFUL and probably the #1 reason why people leave when their lease ends.

My boyfriend and I will be here two years in February, which means we have seen two hurricanes pass through Manhattan in two years. The staff here has been amazing during the storms. I can't thank the doormen and maintenance staff enough for all the long hours and hard work during Irene and Sandy. We have many friends who come to visit who also live in new construction building in Manhattan and they are always so impressed with front desk staff members. During the storm many friends had terrible experiences and I am please to say ours was superior.

No soundproofing and noisy, drunk neighbors!!!

Really bad construction! Very beautiful, but beware! The maintenance people try to help but they just don't know how to repair all kind of things. I get water up my ankles in one of our bathtubs since we moved in and they just cannot figure out what to do (they did use a snake, etc). The heaters (you pay for heat) start with a loud band every few minutes--they can't fix that either. Every few months there is a screw up with the hot water and there is none for a few hours with no explanation. There is no soundproofing. You will hear everything that goes on at your neighbors sideways and upstairs and, shockingly, even below. You might luck out and have quiet neighbors, or you might not. Management does not help and just gives you canned replies and wrong information. In all my years in NY I have never seen so many upper-middle class people in their 30s completely drunk. I have seen 2 men in my corridor throw things at each other, There is a used needle disposal box down the street from the south building on 37th street (west side of 8th Ave) which will give you a flavor of the location. You can't open the windows more than 2 inches even if you don't have children. Management told me that it is the law, but I checked with NYC gov and there is no such law, it is just building policy. The doormen are scared to question people they don't know so anyone who is well dressed can sneak in. Also, we were told that someone from the building always accompanies deliveries, but delivery people come alone. The beautiful common rooms (you need to pay a fee to use them) are usually either too hot or too cold so that you never know if you'll be able to use them and if you call to get them to help it can take a few hours until you get heat or cooling. A lot of space is wasted on very wide corridors when they could have made the apartments bigger. The closet space is great if you are 6'5". For the rest of us, most things are out of reach and you need to keep a ladder handy. The layout is to impress prospective tenants, not for people to live in. The location is excellent for getting around town, but that's about it.

worst management ever! I was charged an electric bill of $2000 for 2month. Obviously something was wrong and as it turned out Con Ed was looking at the wrong meter. This has nothing to do with emerald green but throughout the whole process the management has been totally unhelpful. I wanted to see our meter and they would not let me read my own meter! and the management lady would not budge to anything. She was completely useless and unhelpful throughout our whole ordeal. They call themselves green but your electric bill will tell you otherwise. The apartment is nice but is not worth the price and the unfriendly vibe from that lady. I'm paying these ridiculous rent, she should at least try to help her tenants. I mean that 's her job! Oh and the previous post about the doorman is totally correct! I have no idea why they get paid!