It’s that time of the year again: spring everlasting winter! And that can mean only one thing—the annual installment of Bwog’s housing reviews.  Today, we bring you the deets on one of New York’s hottest clubs along Riverside Park: Woodbridge.

Location: 431 Riverside Drive (115th and Riverside)

• Nearby dorms: Schapiro
• Stores and restaurants: MoWi, M2M, Vine, Ollie’s, 115th Street Halal cart

Cost:

• $9,470 (same as Hogan, EC, Watt, Ruggles, Claremont, and Symposium)

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Each double has its own bathroom that gets cleaned once a week.
• AC/Heating: No AC, but yes heat.  The heat tends to be a bit strong in the shafted rooms and spotty in the rooms facing outside.
• Kitchen/Lounge: There’s a kitchen in every double, though in some it can be quite small with limited counter space.  The lounges are usually converted into a second bedroom (so the two residents do not share a tiny single bedroom), and they are decently sized.  Residents are responsible for cleaning.
• Laundry: Laundry is in the basement, and there is no stair access so you always have to take the elevator, which can be somewhat slow.  You have to walk outside a few steps to get to the laundry room, so be sure to wear good shoes when it gets snowy!
• Computers/Printers: One printer in the lobby.
• Gym: Treadmills and arctrainers in a room adjoining the lobby.
• Intra-transportation: One slow, small elevator with a swinging door.
• Wi-Fi: Yes
• Hardwood/Carpet: Typical grungy dorm carpet that won’t show any stains in most of the rooms.  There is hardwood in some of the renovated upper floors.  Dirty tile in the bathroom and linoleum in the kitchen.

Room variety:

• All two-person suites, but the lines differ greatly, so be sure to look at a floor plan before you choose!
• Some of the rooms on the 7th floor (renovated) are actually two-bedroom apartments instead of just a lounge and a bedroom.  These go quickly though!
• When choosing a line, consider how easily you’ll be able to divide the room into two separate living quarters, whether you’ll have to disturb your roommate to use the bathroom at night, and whether the room will be in the shaft (these rooms can be quite dark).
• Housing ranks the rooms by “demand:” H, K, C are high demand; D, G, I are low demand; all others are medium demand.
• Decide whether you’re going to share a bedroom or split it into a quasi-two bedroom apartment.  Some ways to divide up the room: curtains, a screen, retro beaded curtains if you’re feeling adventurous

Floor plan for 6th floor

Numbers:

• Woodbridge generally gets taken by seniors, although a fortuitous 2014 room selection led to the residence of a number of juniors in Woodbridge, especially in the low-demand rooms.
• Cutoff history for 2014-2015:
  • High demand (H, K, C lines): 30/2439
  • Low demand (G, D, I lines): 20/2198
  • Medium demand (all others): 20/1239

Bwog recommendation:

• Some of the renovated rooms are really nice, and a great option for senior groups of two.
• A great option if you’re looking for some privacy and an apartment-style experience, especially for juniors who are used to living in the freshmen dorms or McBain.
• The wind tunnel/hill between Broadway and Riverside is worse than it appears (especially in the winter), so be sure to bring a strong coat and will.

Resident opinions:

• “You can’t beat the 2:1 bathroom ratio.”
• “The rooms in the shaft can be kind of dark, but the rooms facing Riverside on the upper floors have gorgeous views.”
• “There’s not much interaction between apartments, which can be really nice if you’re looking for a more private living experience.”
• “The wind tunnel can be really rough.  I’ve been literally blown over multiple times.”
• “You have a ton of space.  The living room can be great for hosting a small gathering, but there’s not quite enough space for a huge party.”
• “The rooms in the shaft can be pretty dark.  The bedrooms in some of them don’t have overhead lights, and housing just puts in a standing lamp.  It’s kind of depressing.”
• “You don’t run into people—which can be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it.”
• “Some of the rooms on the upper floors have beautiful views of the Hudson, which makes up for the horrible wind tunnel trek.”
• “Thin walls.  I can hear my neighbor’s phone vibrate through them.”
• “Two prong plugs!  Bring a 2-to-3 converter.”