Barnard Housing Reviews 2015: Cathedral Gardens

And the Barnard housing review saga continues with the school’s luxurious but far-flung outpost: Cathedral Gardens.

Location: 217 Manhattan Avenue, between 110th and 109th

Nearby dorms: Um, next question? CG is the farthest dorm from Barnard’s campus, but it’s not actually as far as people imagine. It’s about a 10 minute walk to 110 (the dorm) and a 15 minute walk to campus.
Stores and Restaurants: Saiguette, Curry King, lots of Indian takeout restaurants, and Central Markets grocery store. One perk of living in CG is that delivery comes right to your door; no trekking to the lobby in your pajamas!

Cost:

Amenities:

Bathrooms: Each suite has 2 sinks, 2 showers (1 standing, 1 with a bathtub), and 1 toilet. Bathrooms look pretty fancy since the dorm is still fairly new. Toilet paper is provided. Score!
AC/Heating: Bedrooms all have AC/heater units, plus the common room has a unit as well.
Kitchen/Lounge: Every suite has its own kitchen and a very spacious common room.
Laundry: 4 washers and 8 dryers located in Laundry room on 10th floor.
Computers/Printers: There’s 1 computer and 1 printer on the 10th floor, but you have to use your own paper. It’s probably easier to just use on-campus printers.
Gym: Lol, we’re talking about Barnard, remember? But your buns will look extra fine from walking to and from campus.
Intra-transportation: 2 speedy elevators. Almost always mysteriously empty.
Wifi: No. If you don’t want to use Ethernet you can buy a router and set up your own wifi. Not too difficult, and honestly it will probably be far more reliable than Barnard’s wifi.
Hardwood/Carpet: Glorious hardwood floors. *longing sigh*

Room Variety:

Numbers:

Mostly seniors, a few juniors. Sophomores: try again next year.
Students can only live on floors 1-6. Floors 7-9 are reserved for faculty. Faculty live on other floors as well.

Bwog recommendation:

Schmancy as hell. These are the best rooms on Barnard’s campus by far. CG is also still fairly new (it was built in 2005) so you won’t find your room falling apart around you. The hardwood floors are super luxurious and you can throw a freaking dance party in the spacious lounges. The distance between CG and campus is actually pretty nice, especially if you like to decompress when you get home. This is a good choice for seniors who are getting ready to live in the real world.
Remember to put on your battle fatigues because almost every upperclass(wo)man is scheming to get these suites.

Resident opinions:

“People who live here love it and people who don’t live here complain about the walk.”
“I really like having the separation between home and school.”
“The worst thing I can think of is that the printer sometimes breaks. Then we have to get up a bit earlier to print on campus.”
“We go into Harlem a lot for Italian.”
“It’s great being able to get food delivered right to your suite door.”

Pictures (from a G suite):