Normandie Courts is a good place to start out in New York. The rents are pretty decent for what you get, so that's good. The desk staff and doormen are generally friendly, the gym is reasonably priced and the building is centrally located by the 6 train and near the grocery store, video store, drug store, etc. However, there are a number of problems with the building & management that make Normandie not the best place to live long-term.

First, there are only 3 elevators to serve about 34 floors, and they break down CONSTANTLY. On more than a few occasions, there has been only 1 elevator running for days at a time. If you live on one of the upper floors, waiting for an elevator can be a nightmare.

Second, the building seems to have problems with pests. When I first moved in, I occasionally saw cockroaches and silverfish in the apartment. At first I thought they were from the old tenant, since I have never had a problem with them in the past but I think this is a building-wide problem since I have seen them in hallways as well, not just in my own apt.

Maintenance is quick to respond to small problems; however, anything more than that be prepared to wait. We had to wait 2 months for them to repaint our bathroom when the ceiling started peeling. Our refrigerator was broken for months--they came to "fix" it 3 times with no results, and we were only able to secure a new one when we resigned the lease. Also, when our floor flooded during the '03 blackout, all the hardwood flooring came off--we were walking on splinters and tile--they didn't get around to reflooring the apartment for a month.

This is a good building to live in when you first come to New York and want someplace nice and cheap, but if you're looking for a long-term place, you can probably do better.

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