Take your pick New Yorkers: fourth-floor walkup or ground-floor apartment?

By Mayra David | March 7, 2016 - 9:59AM

New Yorkers are nothing if not opinionated. And this week, we asked six city-dwellers: Would you rather live in a fourth floor walk-up or a ground-floor apartment in a walk-up?

Done deal Fourth-floor walkup, no question. Excellent exercise and you don’t need bars on the windows. —Confidence, Madison Square Park

Pro perspective I myself don't live in either but as from a real estate agent point of view (and from experience recently shopping with a client) I would much rather live in a fourth-floor walkup than a ground floor. The reasons are plenty: Usually higher up is more charming. It also gives you the feel that you can walk away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Living higher up has a much more homey feeling and I'd feel more private. On the ground floor, everyone in the building walks by your home all the time. —Franck, Upper West Side

Stymied by stairs Light is pretty important to me so I wouldn’t want to live in a basement apartment, but I’d prefer a regular ground-floor apartment to all those stairs! —Lauren, Washington Heights (pictured at left)

High floor, high cost I would rather live on the ground floor (I do), because the benefits of a high floor in a walkup do not outweigh the daily cost of stairs. Moreover, while a ground-floor apartment has its cons (mainly that it can be dark), it does allow you to come in and out quickly, as well as the possibility of a patio (depending on the apartment). Overall, the cost of a high floor walkup is too high. —Jorge, Upper West Side

Ground floor pitfalls Fourth-floor walkup! Why? Ground-floor apartments are loud (from other tenants in the building and outside street noise) and [come with] safety concerns (it’s easier for someone off the street to rob a ground-level apartment). There’s limited natural light in ground floor apartments. —Jocelyn, Upper West Side

...And all the perks of a perch I would rather live on the fourth floor of a walkup because in general they provide better light and views of the city and you can more easily people-watch. Furthermore, you are forced to have a great leg workout every time you walk in and out of your building, which many of us aren't getting during winter months. —Steven, Chelsea (pictured at left)

Verdict: No way but up!

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