By Ilana Berger
Confused and frightened by your housing options for next year? Fear not, we got you. We’ll be covering important details on every dorm that’ll help you choose, first focusing on the Freshman dorms for the babies that will be the NYU class of 2020.
You can click here to see all the rest of our other 2016 Dorm Guides, too
Weinstein is like a gas station bathroom. You never want to be there, but you always end up in the old ‘stein, because it’s always close by with a wide variety of goods and services that smell weird and never work properly.
Address: 5 University Place, between 8th Street & Waverly Place
Distance from WSP: 1 minute
Size: 600 students, 2 towers (East and West) with 15 floors.
Dorm Style: Traditional housing, no kitchen is provided and residents are required to maintain a meal plan.
Room Types: Single, Shared Room for 2 in Suite or Studio, Shared Room for 3 in Studio
2015–2016 rates per semester: $8,356 for a single, $7,942 for a double, $6,248 for a triple.
Pros
>Location: A lot of nice things are right across the street or around the corner from Weinstein, such as your classes (you can roll out of bed at 9:20 AM and still make it in time for your 9:30 class). Washington Square Park (an all-around delightful place to read, eat lunch, people watch, pet dogs, run away from squirrels, etc.) is incredibly close as well. Weinstein is basically on the South East corner of the park. The Washington Mews, an cool cobble stone alley that’s an awesome historical bit of NYC is across from Weinstein on the other side of University Place. You will constantly see tourists stop to take pictures of it.The best bubble tea ever is around the corner on Waverly Place at Kung Fu Tea. It’s usually pretty crowded during the middle of the day, so try to go earlier or in the evenings. Bobst library is three short blocks away (about a 2 minute walk), and the NQR trains on 8th and Broadway are about a 5 minute walk away.
>Food: This will appear in both the pros and the cons. The presence of food is always good for a college student, but that doesn’t mean the quality doesn’t matter. Weinstein has a ton of food options inside the damn building. Sidestein is the minimart connected to Weinstein to meet all of your snacking needs, and is open until 11 PM. It also has essentials like hand soap and toiletries, you can use a meal swipes there. Upstein has Jamba Juice and the only Chick Fil’ A in New York, and Downstein (AKA Passport Dining @ Weinstein but nobody calls it that) is all-you-can eat and has a stir-fry bar, which is a great option for vegetarians and vegans. The hidden gem of Weinstein food, however, is the kosher dining section. The food in this hidden oasis is healthier and high quality. The area is clean, the staff knows you if you go there often, and it’s almost never crowded. Not Jewish? Not a problem. No one will question your religion upon entering the kosher dining area.
>Social Life: Since few of the rooms in Weinstein have shared spaces, students must meander outside of their rooms and into their hallways in order to talk to people who aren’t their roommates. People are also less likely to leave the building because it has all of the essentials for everyday life. You could literally never leave except to go to your classes (although NYU Local does not condone this). This makes it a uniquely social dorm, and the closest to a typical college dorm that NYU has to offer.
>History: Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons started Def Jam in Rubin’s Weinstein dorm. Neat!
Cons
>Facilities: For the price you’re paying to come to NYU, Weinstein is a freaking dump. The rooms are tiny with cinderblock walls, crappy lighting, and everything seems dirty no matter how many times you clean it, especially the bathroom floors. Some of the toilets do not flush properly, so you have to really hold down the lever or flush a couple of times to get the job done. You can image how this could cause many roommate disagreements. The locks on the doors are easy to pick, so invest in a safe if you have some unsavory characters on your floor.
>Decoration: There is no part of Weinstein that is decorated tastefully. The lobby walls were recently painted yellow, channeling an elementary school or a gender-neutral baby room. The East second floor lounge has a pool and ping pong table, but there is no comfy seating. Last but not least, there are no stairs going up on the West Side. The door is locked from the outside, so you can only go down the stairs. This means that people on the second and third floors must take the elevator, which is a huge waste of time and energy.
>Food: Aside from Chick Fil’ A, Upstein is pretty mediocre. A smoothie from Jamba Juice is a whole meal swipe, Quizno’s is gross, the grab-n-go sandwiches are often damp, and the sushi is questionable. It can also get very crowded at peak times. Downstein is a little better, aside from the fact that many of the dishes are obviously leftovers thrown together. The desserts aren’t too great either, although there is a waffle machine. Both Upstein and Downstein have strong school cafeteria vibes.
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Social Life: There is no such thing as quiet hours in Weinstein, especially since people are often hanging out and talking in the hallway. The small room sizes are also bad for having guests over and hosting parties. If you attempt to throw a party with illegal substances in a Weinstein room, it is likely that your R.A. will do something about it.
The bottom line is: if you would rather have nice facilities and more space, but have to walk a few extra minutes, do not dorm in Weinstein.
Click here to return to the full 2016 Dorm Guide list.
[Images via the author/Google Maps/Peter Slattery]
