1 Ave, Stuyvesant Town

The corner of 1st and 23rd commences the beginning of Peter Cooper Village. PCV is owned by the same company that owns Stuy Town and the complexes are very similar. The difference is that Peter Cooper is nicer and more expensive. Stuy Town's apartments are pretty nice on their own, and I've never seen a Peter Cooper unit but I can imagine they must be pretty sweet. . . despite the area. The buildings were originally for WWII vets and they were converted into luxury apartments only a few years ago which displaced a lot of the vets and created quite a stir in the city. The outside of the buildings still looks like public housing and they're pretty creepy despite being landscaped and having full interior renovations. The selling of Peter Cooper was the biggest real estate transaction in history so I imagine the management is pretty salty whenever there are vacancies.
Peter Cooper and Stuy Town were both built on the site of the former Gashouse District which was a notorious slum with a lot of gangs. It's no wonder that the surrounding area still kind of looks like a slum. There are some little eateries and shops on the other side of 1st, but they're nothing fantastic and neither is the ambience of 1st Avenue around here. They're mostly little to go places though the bagel shop at 20th is pretty darn good.

Once you cross 20th, you cross from Peter Cooper Village to Stuy Town (the less expensive but still pretty expensive housing complex). The buildings all look like tenements from the outside and the complex is actually really creepy from the outside. They did a great job with landscaping but it's the buildings that are just ominous. The units are absolutely massive by New York standards and though the price tag is pretty high (starting at around $3000 / month for a one bedroom), it's actually not that bad considering the space and amenities. There's a little drug store, gym and laundry in the complex and they have summer activities like movies on the lawn and such for residents. If the surrounding area weren't so ugly, this place would be alright. Unfortunately, the area is really ugly and there aren't any fun restaurants or bars around til you get into the East Village. It's not far from cool things. It just doesn't paint a pretty neighborhood picture. The buildings are all on the former Stuyvesant farm land, and the building at 15th and 1st is on the site of a former Stuyvesant mansion. It's hard to believe the dirty concrete mash that is now 1st around 15th used to be sprawling farm land.

1st in Stuy Town isn't the worst place to live, it's just not pretty. And, though there is a lot to do in a very short walk, there's nothing of note on the actual street so the neighborhood is pretty ugly with no energy. The buildings you can live in here are really expensive but unlike most of New York, you actually get a little space with the price tag. It's kind of a toss up for me, but I probably wouldn't live here. I don't blame people for doing it though . . .