As a senior at Marymount Manhattan who lived at the 55th Street Residence Hall for three years I can honestly say that I miss it. Compared to my living situation now, it was quite amazing. Living on campus in a safe neighborhood among students and staff in a super nice building near the Upper East Side with a convenience store and gym is pretty legit and kinda swanky for a bunch of 18-20somethings. I mean, I guess not everything about it was all fine and dandy. I’ll list the things that sucked: the strict overnight guest policy, the cost of housing, being put in a lower-level floor room with a lot of people, not having a view, musical theater roommates/neighbors who never stop singing/screaming and tap dancing, no single room options, no pets (not even fish), walking to school in snowy/rainy conditions, and pepetually dirty crevices. Now that I have that out of my system, I can move on to the many good, awesome, spectacular, unique, and grand things about living at the Marymount Manhattan College residence hall, located at 55th Street between 2nd and 3rd avenues.
- It’s actually the nicest college dorm building in NYC // Have you visited the dorms at NYU, Pace, or Columbia? While they’re in good areas and in cool buildings, they are [mostly] much tinier and more out dated than our living quarters at 55th. At Marymount you literally get to live in a high rise building in Midtown East with apartments that have two bedrooms, a kitchen, and full bathroom (yeah, a tub!) — that’s pretty generous and rare. And while the building is not new, it’s newer than most college dorm buildings in the city.
- It’s in the best neighborhood // Okay, maybe this is subjective. Living on the Midtown East/Upper East Side border is pretty rad though, especially when you’re a college freshman. Central park, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square are a quick walk (or speedy subway ride) away and there great shops around. It may be a bit sleepy and not as energetic as neighborhoods like the east village but there’s still a lot to do in the area and it’s very safe.
- You live where “Gossip Girl” took place // Members of the Class of 2012 often ran around the UES watching “Gossip Girl” filming when it was still on-air. One day Penn Badgely was filming on 55th St, NBD.
- There is a convenience store IN THE BUILDING // Need toilet paper? Ben & Jerry’s? Popcorn? A toothbrush for your overnight guest? Cough syrup? You just have to go to the second floor and you can use your meal plan money at The C-Store, which is basically a bodega inside the building that only students have access to. While it may not always have everything you should feel #blessed that you can run down there in your PJs and grab something in a pinch. You will miss it forever when you leave 55th.
- There is a health center IN THE BUILDING // A doctor is right downstairs every day during the week — that’s amazing. When you are suffering from a hella bad head cold / sinus infection and look/feel like a zombie the last thing you want to do is go outside and walk a billion blocks to the walk-in clinic or a doctors office. Go right down to the first floor in your pajamas and find out what’s up. They will write out prescriptions (which can be picked up a block away at Duane Reade, super easy) and give you an excuse note for class, if needed.
- A nice kitchen // College kids are universally thought of living off of a cafeteria/microwave diet. Marymount only has a dining hall/cafeteria on the school campus. But the apartments at 55th come equipped with a kitchen table, full fridge, stove top, microwave, cabinets,› and sink and you are allowed to bring your own toaster/toaster oven. Residents at 55th have the option of cooking their own meals or ordering from local dining locations that accept our meal plan. Ordering from Seamless is always an option, too.
- A 24 hour gym // So yeah, most colleges have a gym so like, whatever. While the 55th Street gym is small, it has the machines needed to get a solid workout in and is open whenever is good for you. Gym memberships are expensive and you don’t even have to leave the building to go, so take advantage of it while you are there.
- You don’t have to rely on public transportation to get to school // You may be overwhelmed by the concept of having to walk sixteen blocks to school everyday but it becomes nothing in no time. At a good pace it takes about 20 minutes to get to school. You never have to worry about subway delays, although if needed the 6 train is right there as well as bus service. The walk home from class (whether you take 2nd or 3rd avenue home) is a nice time to clear your mind, take a phone call, or run quick errands (sometimes a stop at Urban/Bloomingdales is necessary, oops.)
- Views for days // When I was a freshman I instagrammed the view out of my window on the 25th floor way too many times, but how could I not? Sorry for the peeps who live on the lower floors and see brick and/or other peoples windows, go to the 22nd or 32nd Floor lounges – they have good views too!