Tenant Reviews for 650 W 42ND ST

I lived here for a year. I was on the 12th floor in a huge alcove studio (southern exposure). I had a great view (well I thought it was great because I could see the Hudson and a lot of downtown but I was directly above the port authority buses). Hardly ever hear my neighbors; only by the vent in the bathroom or the kitchen. I only had one problem when my toilet knob broke but they fixed it the same day. Honestly this is the nicest building for the rent you will pay, some seriously good deals. But the only big downside is the lone walk to any thing (even the subway). If you can manage the walk, this building is awesome. Also, the gym is great! It comes down to about $50 per month and you have to pay all upfront. Full size gym which is always pretty empty, two tennis courts, basketball court, pool table, pingpong table, dry sauna, and steam room. Honestly both the saunas are huge and always empty. The gym closes at 12pm on the weekday so you can always make time. Garage is in the building as well, I parked my motorcycle here for $175 per month. Overall I was very very happy with the building, the only problem was the far walk over here (its practically on 12th ave). Anyway, I felt that I had to comment because I read some bad comments and couldn't believe some people didn't like this building! They must be nuts! You can't get a building like this for this price in New York City except River Place.

First of all, this is an 80/20 building...and it becomes more apparent every day you live here...Security is almost nonexistent...they let anyone into the building/up the elevators and never screen/announce guests. The leasing agent will be very nice to you when they are showing the apartments (also BEWARE they will tell you that you MUST show your apartment the final month of your lease when you choose to move out, I was appalled at this, so I have to allow random people traipsing through my apartment while I paid a full month's rent?!)yet after you move in they have major attitude when you have a complaint. The doorman is NOT 24/7 and while most are friendly (----- belongs in a real doorman building where is would be appreciated)they are not 'real' doormen... Neighbors are loud, and in order to make a complaint, you have to write a formal letter and send it to management...why can't you just call about it? Seriously, they make it difficult to make a complaint. I have on several occasions had to complain about loud parties, smoking in the hallways, 4 AM karaoke sessions in apt above, and screaming running children every other weekend. The neighborhood is terrible as there is no gym (the one in the bldg is NOT worth the $600 a year and be prepared to be gawked at by staff) the sun deck is behind the port authority and filled with bus fumes, you have to take a cab to get anywhere unless you want to walk the 5 long avenues to the subway station at 7th ave, because the shuttle sometimes doesn't show up or comes late and only runs until 10 AM. Oh and I've never seen the afternoon 'rush-hour' shuttle that the leasing agent told me existed. Day of move-in a cabinet was off the hinges, light bulbs were out, and the smoke detector was stuck going off. After a few months dishwasher flooded, stopped working and refrigerator continued to leak and flood kitchen floor every few days. Basically, I would not recommend this building, for many reasons. You can find a much better place for the same rent, with better management.

I give this place 2 stars and not zero because the door people are nice. God forbid you have any real needs (they won't get taken care of but you will constantly be told they are doing so) or bump into any of the sexist/sometimes racist (thought my -------- guest was a worker and yelled at him) workers (can we say voyeuristic "security"?). It is a cheap residential building, or basically a "luxury" building because they have people opening doors. Yay.

Our experience with the building has been really disappointing. We pay a ton of rent for our place. The windows are not sound-proof and we have leakages in every room. Currently, we have leakage in every room. This has damaged the floor and emanates a certain offensive odor (which comes from wet wood or wet cardboards). The management was notified about the same when we noticed it the first time about six weeks ago. However, we have NOT seen the fix yet. Whenever it rains a little bit, the same issue. The nonchalant response from the building management bothers us; especially when the management is so-called reputed Silverstein properties and we are paying so much rent for the property. Other renters must know about this and hence, this review post. Renters must steer clear of these apartments. ~a discontented tenant

I've been living here for almost two years now, and it has been great! Leasing office - friendly and adequate with a polite receptionist YMMV Management - repairs problems in a timely manner. They worked on my floor and replaced the a/c unit twice Doorman - usually after 4PM on weekdays and from noon on weekends. Spiro was probably born to become a doorman. He's that nice. When a doorman isn't around, there is a security guard roaming around. No safety concerns. Concierge - I only interact with them to pick up my packages, but they are just average. They tend to be friendly towards the holiday season for obvious reasons. I think turnover rates are relatively high at River Place, as I saw more than 4 replacements so far, while some of them have been working since the beginning. There was a rude-ish guy named Paul working many hours before but he's been replaced. As some reviewers have suggested, he might have been fired. I liked Leo but he's gone as well. Mike is always nice and Jeff is like a big teddy. Neighbors - I seldom see any of them on my floor. They practically don't exist. Occasionally, I hear a faint game/music/amplifier from an apt below me though. I believe lower floors are for welfare recipients, and so things may be different, but on the 29th floor people are decent from housewives to investment bankers. The fact that real estate brokers themselves choose to live here suggest that River Place is a decent apt. Incidentally, there was a crazy woman with a dog which barked throughout the day, and the entire floor was, I'm sure, annoyed by them. But it seems she's finally gone now. Honestly, I couldn't be happier. I've heard that someone had a quarrel with her. View - I think many units have a great view. Some, including myself, lost a partial view of the city owing to the Silver Towers. Still, I have the Empire State Building, Downtown Manhattan, and Jersey City across the river. It's spectacular. Apt - a studio apt on the small side, but it is clean and cozy. Never once seen a cockroach or a mouse. Needs more lighting though and better shades. It's just too much sunlight during the day and after the sunset it is completely dark! I had to install blackout curtains and buy floor lamps. Large bathtub and hollywood mirrors. GE kitchen appliances. Also, the MTA bus garage is right next to us, and a few nights a week from 2am to ?am, the buses start idling and making a very loud noise that reaches the 29th floor! Maybe the a/c unit under the windows isn't 100% insulated, which is why the wind and noise come through it. Beware if you are on the lower floor facing the garage, because the noise should be unbearable at night. Building - laundry room on each floor, newly carpeted corridors, marble elevators & lobby. Has an ATM machine in the lobby. On site dry cleaner and a convenience store. A new restaurant, Bricco blu, isn't good... I'd rather see a Starbucks. Has an indoor garage but you can't directly enter the apt from there. Cons - you can't have both cable and satellite. there isn't an electric outlet on the wall where a flat tv is to be mounted; had to have an electrician move the existing outlet so as to conceal the wires. Overall, this is a great place to live! But surroundings vary depending on your floor/neighbors, so ask around before moving in.