Housing Reviews 2018: Cathedral Gardens

CG’s layout is a bit funky, but nobody is shafted

Cathedral Gardens (or, more colloquially, CG) is an oft-forgotten Barnard dorm that regardless always goes quickly during housing selection. It’s comparatively far from campus, sure, but it has large rooms, beautiful windows, hardwood floors and many other great amenities that make it a top pick for many rising seniors.

Location: 217 Manhattan Ave. (at the corner of 110th St.), between Central Park and Morningside Park.

Nearby dorms: None. CG is all on its own.
Stores and restaurants: Starbucks, Central Markets (small grocery store), Cafe Amrita, Larry’s Freewheeling (bike store offering rentals), Giovanni’s Pizza, Deli 360, The Drink, Cathedral Wine & Liquor, a halal cart with all the trimmings, Subway, and an actual subway stop (B & C trains).

Cost: Singles and doubles will be the same price this year, but Barnard hasn’t released the standardized prices yet. Will likely be in the ballpark of $10,712 (last year’s price for a single).

Amenities:

Bathrooms: Two in each suite! One has two vanities, two showers and a bathtub, while the other has a sink, toilet, and shower with a tub.
AC/Heating: Both – and superior in quality to pretty much all other Barnard dorms.
Kitchen/Lounge: Each suite has both a kitchen and lounge. The kitchens are spacious and include dishwashers, and the lounges are huge (just check out these floor plans). There’s also a TV lounge on the 10th floor.
Laundry: Small laundry room on the 10th floor with four washers and eight dryers, using the same laundry cards as all other Barnard dorms except 110.
Fire Escapes: No.
Gym: It’s a long walk to Dodge or the Barnard gym, but you have two wonderful parks at your disposal!
Bike Storage: None.
Wifi: Each suite is set up with cable modem service, but residents must provide their own wifi routers.
Intra-transportation: Two fast, clean elevators. Also, Barnard’s shuttle service can take you to campus if you time your commuting right.
Mail: Students who live in CG can get their packages sent there.
Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood floors throughout, fairly new (CG was built in 2005).

Room variety:

Six six-person suites: four with all singles, two with four singles and one double
Three five-person suites: singles with one double
Six four-person suites: four with two singles and a double, two with all singles
One two-person suite: one double

Numbers: CG has a total of 92 residents, almost entirely seniors with good lottery numbers. The occasional sophomore or junior can be found in mixed groups or with truly incredible numbers. Four-person suites are already gone, and six-person suites will likely go quickly during the six-person group lottery tomorrow morning.

Bwog recommendation:

Although CG may seem far from campus, this dorm’s benefits far outweigh its drawbacks. It gives residents the feeling of living off-campus without the prices of living off-campus through a slightly removed neighborhood, proximity to two parks, and an entirely different subway line. The apartments are new and beautiful, featuring large spaces (especially in the common areas) and lots of natural light. And the walk really isn’t as bad as it may sound; it’s really only about 15 minutes, which is far less than the commutes of most students in larger schools, and most residents actually like the distance. Basically, if you can live in CG, live in CG.

Resident opinions:

“I like being farther from campus. I’m more inclined to visits different parts of the city.”
“The walk is not as long as everyone acts like it is (~15 min depending on where you are trying to go on campus) and it is pretty pleasant (you can walk through the park or down broadway and grab coffee/breakfast on your way to class!”
“I love the proximity to two parks.”
“I love the distance from campus… Makes me feel like I’m in a neighborhood rather than a campus.”
“The walk can sometimes be a hassle, especially when you are running late or not feeling well.”
“It is right next to the B/C which is so convenient if you have an internship off campus.
“It’s a large open living space. Way better than other Barnard housing.”
“The suites are BEAUTIFUL. Hardwood floors, air conditioning, nice dark wood furniture (in most), and nice big windows that let in so much natural light.”
“So much sunlight, some of the windows are almost floor to ceiling.”
“I lived in 5H with my SO, however I would not recommend living there with someone else unless you are extremely close with them. It is basically a studio apartment with 2 beds so there is very little privacy.”
“Professors live in the building so sometimes you could run into them.”
“One sad thing is there isn’t a 24-hour place nearby.”