Any Manhattan moms here?

Best places to raise a family in Manhattan? My BFF is getting married in 2 weeks and would like to start TTC next summer. Both she & her DH work in the city, and before she gets pregnant she wants to be in a place. They are looking for a 2 bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood with a good public elementary school, lots of families, and activities & parks for the kids. They have a pretty decent budget- they can spend up to $5,000 a month. Any suggestions for them? TIA!

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

I used to live on the upper west side, on 90th and Broadway. We only had DS there for 2 months, but it's a great neighborhood for raising kids. There a lots of families. It's generally very safe. It's an easy walk to both Riverside Park and Central Park.

I don't know much about the schools, but we still have friends who live there with a DS in preschool and they were happy with the amount of choices and quality of preschools.

My second choice would be the Upper East side, but I feel that's a bit snootier than the west side.

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

We live in the UWS and are expecting our first. It is a very family friendly neighborhood and you see tons of strollers, etc.

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

We used to live in Midtown on the West side we were a 10 minute walk to Central Park. It was fabulous.

Any Manhattan moms here?

Battery Park
Tribeca

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

It's complicated.

Most of my coworkers who live in Manhattan send their kids to private schools from preschool. This is 30k a year. Seriously, with interviews and competitions to get in. I'm sure you can do without... But it's a frequent topic of conversation and these people are not that wealthy. We weigh our taxes against that sum of $$$.

That and the pathetic apartment you get for the $$ is why I'm in the burbs!

If it is your friend, let her rent and try out places. This way, she's not locked in when she decides she needs more space!

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

We live in the west 60's, 1.5 blocks away from Central Park. DH and I have lived all over Manhattan, west village, flatiron, Murray hill, but felt the UWS/Lincoln Square area to be the best for raising a family.

Manhattan is certainly not cheap. We have a 2BR/2BA, and it's certainly more than I ever thought I'd be paying for rent. But, we love the lifestyle we have here so it works for us!

Other super kid friendly areas are battery city and TriBeCa. Those were just a bit too far south for us.

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

I'd say Tribeca. Or head over the bridge to Brooklyn. We're in Carroll Gardens and it is VERY kid/family oriented. Not cheap by any means, but a bit cheaper than NYC. Plus we're 2 train stops away from Manhattan which make the work/life balance awesome.

Any Manhattan moms here?

i would say Upper East Side or Upper West Side. Very family friendly

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

I lived on the UES until DS was 2 and loved it. Ive seriously considered moving back.

I have lots of friends with kids in Battery Park City (school age) who love it too. I'd move there in a heartbeat!

Re: Any Manhattan moms here?

Battery Park City/Tribeca