A more simplified response than what I wrote above?

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Not a problem!

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They?ve definitely changed. You see more upgrades in terms of buildings. I?ve seen a lot of houses get their brick facade paint stripped and the brick repointed.
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Yes. I walk around at all hours of the day.
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Yes. We?ve a community garden, block party and meetings.
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Yes. Everyone is very helpful. If you have an issue, you have quite a few people to turn to.
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It isn?t that bad. It is possible to not find a spot in front of the house, but you have a grade school up the block. That whole side of the street has no residential housing, which means a spot is almost always available over there.
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By car, you?d shoot down Belmont, make a right on 440 and you?re heading into the Holland Tunnel. Depending on the time of day will depend on your commute.

By PATH, I have timed my walk from just before walking out, down Summit, through the turnstile and onto the platform to be about 25 minutes. It can be done in shorter time. I always put in headphones and never had an issue. The distance is 1 mile and you do have a bus option over to JSQ as well.

By Light Rail? you?ve the Garfield stop nearby, but I?ve not used it so I don?t know what the travel time is down to around Grove or even over to Hoboken.

I own in this area and though I?ve not been here as long as Qui001, I have a solid grasp since I tend to adventure everywhere that I can. Like any other place, you?ve your positives and negatives. Obviously, you?ve driven or walked down the street and know how nice it looks.

A negative would be that there aren?t many options within immediate walking distance. There are a few spots, but once you?ve exhausted them and want to try something different, you?re looking to go downtown.

A walk to Barcade is about 30 minutes. It?s really not a bad walk in nice weather. You can either shoot down Grand or Montgomery. There are buses that can take you downtown and there is the light rail stop on Garfield, though I?ve not tried it yet, it will be what I use when I take a trip over to New Jersey Beer Company with a couple of people from this area.

Olala Empanada is incredibly good. I?ve eaten there at least once a week since they?ve opened. Then you have Honey Bakery on Bergen, which is also fantastic. Crown Fried Chicken is exactly as it sounds. It?s not bad, but I?m not much for fried food, so I don?t eat there with any regularity. I also like Paparazzi Italiano?s pizza.

Monticello is pretty dead outside of Key Food. That?s usually where I buy my milk and a couple of other quick, last minute items. It isn?t bad, but their size means that their selections are a little limited and the prices are a little higher. I still don?t understand why they don?t carry pretzels.

The rest of the shops on Monticello are barbershops, store front churches or empty. Aladdin Lamps is awesome, but that place is for antique chandeliers, light fixtures and for rewiring of said items. Belmont Liquors is also pretty weak in terms of selection, unless you consider Budweiser a really good beer. I tend to walk over to Pastore Liquor on the corner of Summit and Montgomery as they have a couple fridges of craft beer.

Even with some of the present limitations, I absolutely love it here. My neighbors are fantastic. There are lawyers, IT professionals, journalists, animal lovers, teachers, a mechanic, a contractor, a real estate agent, etc. Everyone is very friendly. The neighborhood is quite diversified. I almost can?t think of a group that isn?t included and welcomed.

We have a community garden that grows a whole variety of plants, some food producing which is shared amongst those on the block. Anyone on the block is welcome to grow whatever they like. We have a block party every year in August. It?s a pretty big deal as the street shuts down, cars are moved and, last year, a stage was setup for movie watching and live music performances (a guy on the block has a jazz band).

I saw some mention of Lincoln High School, but I?ve not seen a problem with that. Sure, it means there are some kids walking around just after school gets out, but I rarely see it and I?ve not run into any issues with it. The grade school is there as well which just means some school buses driving down the street.

I?ve never really had a problem with parking, either. There is street sweeping every weekday but Wednesday, so you have to be cognizant of which side your car is parked. However, the street sweeper is also pretty regular in time. It?s pretty easy to just double park your car, let it go by and park again without issue.

If you have any questions, don?t hesitate to reach out by private message. I?d be happy to answer any questions you have.

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It's just as easy to take Summit north to Montgomery or even Summit > Magnolia > Newark for locals. I don't think it will be much of an issue.

Short (2 years) term I'd be interested in how the Pulaski Skyway shutdown will do to traffic/parking in the area. I believe they are already preventing left turns from Grand onto some streets during rush hour (Ivy, no?). It might be worth it to walk around or drive in the area a few weeks from now to see how gridlocked it might be.

Thanks very much, Qui001. That's very helpful and encouraging!

My wife and I moved in 3 years ago, we have 2 cars and just needed to get used to the street cleaning schedule. Surprisingly enough the parking was not bad we always find something near the house but once in a while one of us will have to park around the corner. The past year I have noticed more cars on the block, one of our neighbors told us is because of the apartment building on the side street being full. Something we were worried about was the the H.S. being right behind us but we never see or hear anything even on our days off think because the entrace is on the opposite side. JB elementary school is up a block and you'll see the little kids walking or being dropped off everymorning, we do need trash cans in the corners for the kids since I always find candy wrappers flying around. The neighbors are very friendly many have been living here for 20-30 years, there are new families moving in slowly and converting the multi family homes to single which hopefully will help with the parking. The commute we both work in the city, drive to Grove st where we have monthly parking and take the path but I am sure there are other ways. We both love it but can see how others can be skeptical.

Astor Place has many neighborhood events, you should try to attend one and meet the people.

it's nice enough, but you're right by lincoln, which can get pretty interesting at times (look at threads on every public HS)

It's pretty over there and some of it reminds me of BK. I look into buying a brownstone in 2011 but the parking is a nightmare and we have two cars. That part if town it's either your car or a bus (No thanks!) Good luck!

Can folks who live on and around Astor Place comment on living in the neighborhood? We are contemplating a purchase in the future.

The last threads on this list are from 2010. Wondering if and how things may have changed. Is the are fairly safe? Is there a strong sense of community, is the neighborhood association strong? How hard is it to find street parking on a daily basis? How is the commute to NYC?