West 54th Apartments

There are two buildings: make sure you live in the one on 54^th St, not 55^th. The 55^th St side is next to two NYCHA properties and is dimly lit and dirty immediately before and after the Archstone entrance. They’re not really bad ones, but don’t expect to smile at your neighbors when you come out in the morning. Also, that building doesn’t have a concierge it has a hand scanner. But the hand scanner has literally been malfunctioning the entire year we lived there despite multiple attempts to repair (and in all fairness they do have repair people constantly but the technology is frankly just outdated and needs complete replacement which we were told was happening the week we moved in by the management company who has now been bought out and replaced by a bigger company). So instead of controlling your own entrance you have to press the call button and wait for the concierge from the other building to buzz you in. It won’t bother you on the first day, maybe not the second. But eventually it gets really annoying.
There is a nice little backyard area, but you have to walk up two flights of stairs to get from the small area with no tables (55^th st) to the nice patio area (54^th st), and they don’t put the lights on at night. The patio area is connected to the gym, laundry, and community room. If you come in early or late, you have to walk around 10^th Ave because there is no hand scanner out there. They also do very minimal tree trimming and don’t cut back the ivy that is overgrowing on the adjacent building. The grass area where the chairs are kept is worn away and its just dirt now. Someone needs to be taking initiative back there, not just keeping up with day-​to-​day.
The laundry room is nice and clean. The cleaning, maintenance, and concierge staff is incredible. The place is kept immaculate, the staff practically jump at the chance to help you with anything. You also get a lot of square footage and you’re really close to the west side bike /​jogging path, the Intrepid (Friday night movies are awesome there), Central Park, Rock Ctr, Lincoln Ctr, movie theater, Best Buy, etc. You can even walk to a cruise ship. Norwegian Gem departs from 54^th and 12^th. So if you care more about square footage and proximity to those things then this is a good bet. If they weren’t trying to raise me the maximum 4% then I probably would have stayed.

First of all, I have moved out of this building, so don’t go trying to stalk me. Non-​stalkers, read on:
I lived here for 2 years before I moved out, and the building has a lot going for it. The apartments are pretty much the same as similarly-​prices places. Easily-​repaired parquet floors, bright white walls, galley kitchens. The doormen are all very sweet. The «building» is actually two buildings, one with an entrance on 55^th and the other with the entrance on 54^th. I lived one year on each side and the experience was very difference on each. First, you only get the benefit of the doormen on the 54^th side. The 55^th side has a hand scanner for residents with an intercom for visitors. Needless to say, it’s much nicer having the benefit of the doormen. Second, on the 55^th side you have to walk outside to the gym, and in the winter they close off the short-​cut through the courtyard so you have to walk around the block to get to the gym.
About the gym, I think it’s fairly well-​equipped for the size of the building. Nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done. 7 pieces of cardio equipment, weight machines, and free weights. The monthly fee is pretty cheap too, compared to outside gyms.
The thing that caused me to move out was the way they jack up the rent when it comes time to renew your lease. No matter how good you are as a tenant, there is absolutely no negotiation because all of the rents are dictated by the corporate office. So once they jacked up the rent, I started looking and there are far nicer buildings in the City for the same or less than what I was paying, even before the price-​hike.
Also, the din from 10^th Avenue is really loud if you are facing that direction.
So, great doormen, no pests, safe building, BUT, the prices are too expensive considering you can get the same thing for less elsewhere.

I lived here for one year. It is a generally very nice apartment building, and I had good service from the staff and the community management.
Pros: good construction; friendly staff; great location; community kept in good condition.
Cons: The bathrooms and the kitchens are getting pretty old. They need to be updated to still call themselves «Luxury». Until they do this, these places should rent at a discount to other newer HK apartments. Also, the gym is not a gym. It’s an apartment that was coverted to a gym but has a dearth of equipment, although it’s only 50 a month.
Overall, not bad. But the rents are a bit too high for what this building offers. It’s more «low end luxury». I would still recommend if you cang et a deal.
Oh and one more: SO MANY DOGS! So annoying to get in the elevator and have 5 giant mutts enter on the way down. Don’t allow large dogs!!!

This review is based on the building and not the surrounding community!
Management: 3 stars
They always seem a bit aloof and seem to be exasperated when you ask them for information. With that said, the main man (Brian maybe?) is very nice and incredibly helpful.
Door Staff/​Repair Staff: 5 stars
Top notch employees all around. Polite, funny, friendly, and they seem to honestly care about your welfare. I wish I had more money to tip them at the holidays!
The Amenities: 4 stars
The gym is a steal at $ 50 a month, the washers and driers are clean and well maintained ($ 1.75 a wash, $ 1.75 a dry). I just wish they had a few more units for the north building.
The Apartment: 4 stars
Great floors, decent fixtures, and incredible sound-​proofing make for a great apartment life. We pay a shockingly low amount for a 700 square foot one bedroom apartment that can hold a KING-​SIZED bed and bedroom set. In addition, a REAL walk-​in closet is wonderful. Decent cabinet space in the kitchen and new appliances make this an actual place you can cook in.
Other random bits of info:
(+) Close to the Hudson River for biking/​running/​walking
(-) Next to two Housing Authority Buildings
(-) VERY dirty neighborhood (think copious amounts of dog shite and floating pieces of trash)
(+) Close to the Clinton Park which has a BRAND NEW DOG PARK in it.
(+) Bodegas, dry cleaners, and a D’Ag right around the corner.
(-) A trek to the subway (Columbus Circle or 50^th St & 8^th Ave)

I am in NYC for the summer and when I was looking for a sublet I had just a few requirements… I wanted to be on the West side, preferably lower or midtown, I needed a gym in the building, and I wanted female housemates. I found a sublet in this building and I am really happy with it. The building manager isn’t that nice but whatever, I don’t really have to interact with him.
I love that to get into the lounge and/​or the gym you scan your hand. Oh technology. Also, the laundry is on the same floor as the gym and lounge so you can hang out or work out while your clothes are washing/​drying. The lounge has comfy chairs and some tables to eat at if you want. Also there is a flat screen tv with basic cable, a kitchen area (no stove), and a bathroom. The gym has a fair amount of machines in it including a few treadmills and two ellipticals. Everything is new/​modern and it definitely gets the job done. The machines all have tvs on them and there are wipes to clean off the machines, etc. It feels like a gym you would pay to belong to so I am happy with that. Also on the third floor is access to the outside patio. There are lounge chairs for getting some sun and tables if you want to eat outside. The courtyard area is really pretty but I haven’t yet wandered down the stairs to see where the little alley through the trees leads.
I am living with two girls who are law students. They converted a penthouse from a one-​bedroom with a huge livingroom into three bedrooms. Surprisingly all of the bedrooms are fairly large and I am in the one that was meant to be a bedroom so it has an AC, huge window, and massive closet. The livingroom area is small because of the conversion but if I want to have friends over we can just hang out in the lounge.
The location is a bit out of the way from the subway but it is a 10 minute walk to a million (or three) different lines so I like that. I can get anywhere in the city in about 30 minutes from door to door so I am certainly not complaining. I think it would be worse in the winter but I don’t mind the heat. 10^th Avenue is a bit out of the way generally but there are so many restaurants on 9^th that you don’t feel secluded or anything. Also, a lot of Broadway shows are nearby so if that is what you are doing for the evening, the location couldn’t be better.