Eh, yes and no. Manhattan Valley is much less expensive than other parts of the Upper West Side; and, you get a lot more bang for your buck. Furthermore, the architecture is beautiful and there is a lot of green. Manhattan Valley has become pretty gentrified in the last ten years, or so. So, shopping and the like are quite convenient. Plus, its proximity to Columbia University makes it a popular neighborhood for grad students. The bad things about it are that it's not totally gentrified just yet, so the demographic can be a little shaky in certain sections of the neighborhood -- but, then again, that's kind of how all of Manhattan is. Also, the red line (1,2,3) is the only train that runs up there which makes it somewhat of a pain getting in and out -- though it's nothing terrible.
