57 Carmine Street Apartments

Building
The building is very old, but has that West Village historical charm to it. Some of the apartments are renovated with updated fixtures and appliances, but some are not. The downstairs landing area is dilapidated, but don't let that fool you, the owners of the building do a good job of painting the walls and maintaining the apartments themselves. The superintendent is a sweet old man that has lived in the building his entire life (or so he claims!). He's very helpful when things break or... you need directions around the neighborhood. The exterminator comes every two weeks on Saturday's...which is highly necessary because mice also call this place home. I've caught four in my apartment, but the building is very good about sending help and patching up holes. There is no laundry in the apartment, but there are two laundromats very close by.

Apartment
My apartment has not been updated, but my appliances work well. When my oven wasn't functioning properly, the management company was quick to replace it. I rarely hear my neighbors, so that makes me think the walls are pretty thick. My apartment is railroad style but my roommate put up a wall to increase the privacy in the in-between room. The bedrooms themselves are very small, and the closets aren't great either. There are cupboards above both closets which help for storing out-of-season clothing. The light fixtures in my apartment are mostly just bare lightbulbs...which definitely isn't pretty, but hey...that's New York livin'. The apartment is pretty cold in the winter as there is only one radiator. And in the summer (you guessed it) it gets pretty hot. But you could always install additional air conditioning units. I find that I am okay with the heat and enjoy having the windows open because the street is well shaded and absolutely gorgeous.

Street
Some of the apartments face internally, which is quieter but you won't get much sun. The others face Bedford Street or Carmine Street. Both streets are relatively quiet unless cabs get backed up then everyone and their mother is honking. There are tons of restaurants and shops along the streets making it perfect for running quick errands or grabbing a quick bite. The apartment is close to two subways stations: 1 (Houston St), and A, C, E, B, D, F, M (West 4th). And you can walk just about everywhere. It's an amazing location. Read More