The Monterey

Please note most of the 5star reviews are fake, and 13+ are blocked. All reviewers have only 1 review. Really wanted to live here but management isn't reasonable.

I have lived at the Monterey for 6 years and I am a huge fan of the Monterey, that includes both the building amenities and everyone that works here. The Monterey doormen, porters and front desk staff like Sean, Artie, Rad, Chris and Christian are great people and super helpful. They make the building feel like home. The maintenance guys are super helpful, kind and always fix issues promptly. The building Management - Henri, Senada, Claudia and Joleen are extremely responsive and go above and beyond to make the Monterey a great place to live. It's clear they really appreciate their tenants. The building is very clean, well maintained and upscale, from the beautiful lobby to the well-appointed common areas like the resident business center and the resident lounge - which is great and affordable for hosting private parties. The rooftop deck is huge with multiple areas with built in grills, sinks, fridges and ice machines. The roof is a fun social scene where residents get to interact with the neighbors and host private parties. The underground parking is super convenient and has an amazing staff. The building's gym is on par with any commercial gym equipped with a great private pool, saunas and steam rooms.

This is a fantastic place to live. Amazing location, amenities, management. Hard to believe a place like this exists in NYC, its more like a resort, with a rooftop garden and pool in the building. My family, including a 10-year old, loves living here and I hope we can stay for years to come. Management reps Senada and Joleen are most responsive and professional. Right near Central Park and the 6 and Q subway lines. Playground right across the street. Thank you, Monterey!"

You can't ask for more when it comes to call somewhere home. I have been living here for 3 years and have to move because of my work but I would highly recommend the Monterey to everyone! As I have been recommending it to anyone I know and looking for a place to live.The Monterey is a great place to live, for so many reasons: Let me start with the people here, who make this place home and became genuine parts of my life here. The management is always very responsive, considerate to the residents' needs, very friendly and always helpful. Also, they always look for new ways of making the place more fun and all around place such as organizing parties, dinners, offering perks, movie nights, yoga classes at the rooftop! Henri, Claudia, and James have been incredibly helpful to me whenever I need and they always go above and beyond to help all of us living here. I should also note that their friendliness and helpfulness didn't changed and even continued further, even after I decided to move out. They have been very supportive and helpful during the process. It is when you really know people are always truly caring and build genuine relationships. Doormen, porters, front desk stuff, they are all amazing!! So friendly, helpful, responsive. I will miss the doormen team a lot! Every single day/night their "welcome home" smile made my day. Building has all the amenities you can ask for in a luxury building: Always clean, well maintained & upscale, great roof deck with a lot of common and private areas, kitchen/BBQ sections, seating areas and of course a great view! 24 hour open gym has a great pool and at a great quality, with also very friendly staff working there. There is also dry cleaning, laundry, full concierge service and a business center with 24 hour access to computers/internet and free printers.Lastly, the location is great: Right by subway 6, one block away from Q, few mins walk to Central Park and all the museums (MET/Guggenheim etc.), close by Wholefoods and so many other grocery, pharmacy stores etc.All in all, as you can expect, I will miss this place a lot and hope to be back again! I would definitely suggest anyone looking for a new place to live to check Monterey! If nothing else, you will have a nice chat and warm welcome from the management :)

Fast forward to 2017 and circa related management. This new "management" is a joke. The elevators are the absolute worst and water is considered a luxury I guess because you rarely have any. I stuck it out since work is located so close by but this place isn't luxury.!!!. The old trusty doormen are the best and make it worth coming in this place. Small box sized apartments with no halls to maximize the amount of units on a floor. Pure insanity. The area is the charm but if you value a buck stay away and all the long term tenants will testify to that fact. We had suicides and all types of unsavory behavior here. Please get a management company that can manage. They are completely harsh with their staff and have diminished the quality of basic necessities in here. Go away or all your tenants will. Their idea of parties are a joke compared to related also. Glad to have gotten out.

I have been living in the Monterey building for a little over a year with my fiancé who is going on his 4th year- my experience couldn't be better. To start, management was extremely helpful in identifying apartment options that suited our wants (gorgeous view, office space) but also our financial needs. Once situated in our brand new apartment with gorgeous views of the Empire State Building, the service remained outstanding. The rooftop is spectacular with use of the grills we have rented out space and threw some memorable parties ! From hanging our art on the walls to putting our dry cleaning/packages in the apartment for us when we aren't home, my experience here has AMAZING. At the end of 2016, my fiancé and I were at a crossroad - unsure as to whether to move out of the city and closer to our parents, or to stay in the Monterey. Management is fair and understanding which made our decision easy- we just cannot leave!

Submitting this company to better business bureau. They basically went back on their word twice. Don't live here, management hates the residents.

I have been a resident of the Monterey at 175 East 96th Street for approximately 14 years. When I first moved-in, the Monterey was one of the only few full service luxury buildings in a neighborhood baron of night-life, bars and/or restaurants. Although the neighborhood has changed dramatically with the opening of new great restaurants, bars, a Gourmet Garage, a Whole Foods, boutique wine and cheese shops and even a rock climbing gym, the exemplary quality and service at the Monterey has stayed the same.For me the highlight of the building is the roof-deck which is opened 24 hours and includes numerous secluded dining areas, places to lay-out and barbeques-it's a great escape from the city below. The Gym and pool are also fantastic and are both kept immaculately clean.The maintenance and management staff are extremely responsive to any and all issues and extremely courteous. The porters, doorman and concierges are all friendly and professional and all go out of their way to make you feel right at home! Lastly, Henri Imarazene and all of the folks in the leasing office are always available, very easy to deal and extremely knowledgeable.

Nice building aesthetically, but that's about it.

Unfriendly staff. Bad experience there. I am glad I moved out and across the street to an equivalent apartment for much cheaper. It was an extremely uncomfortable living situation given that one particular (full time )doorman were so unbelievably rude.

This building is a shining example of how all buildings should be managed. Spotlessly clean, friendly and accommodating staff and all repairs made immediately. The decor is lovely and the outdoor spaces are breathtaking. If you're looking for a lovely rental in the city, I highly recommend coming here.

I have been living in the Monterey for 13 years and the staff is amazing! They are wonderful people who are always willing to help. The amenities in the building are superb including the gym, pool, barbecue area, rooftop area and party room. I have been able to host family and friends multiple times in a beautiful setting. The courtyard is also great for kids to play and to enjoy the outdoors. The building is clean and has convenient access to the 6 train, Central Park and museums. I would highly recommend this building.

I have live at the Monterey for 2 years and I only have great things to say about the building and staff. The building is extremely well maintained with the staff being friendly whenever they see you and always greeting you with a smile. The doormen and porters are very helpful and will trip over themselves to assist you if you have groceries or boxes. The apartments are spacious and have beautiful views of the East River. They also have a large amount of light that shine into them. The rooftop and amenities are outstanding. I used the grill almost everyday last summer and look forward to enjoying them this summer. The rooftop is well kept and it is a wonderful amenity to have. There is also a work room with computers and copier, fax to keep up with my professional duties. The Monterey valet is extremely helpful and has made my life easier. The area is very convenient as there is the 6 train on the corner and multiple shops especially grocery stores nearby, even a Whole Foods!Another plus is the building is pet friendly.Overall a great place to live! Highly recommend.

My husband and I have now lived in the Monterey on 96 st and 3rd avenue for 2 years, and we really could not be happier. This is the third building we have lived in the past 4 years on the upper east side and the Monterey is the best BY FAR. The maintenance staff goes above and beyond- they respond immediately to any request. They even helped me put together a kitchen table once! The front desk staff are incredibly friendly and helpful as well. I always feel extremely safe in our building. Also the building is impeccably clean. I have never seen so much as a fly. The roof top is awesome with views of the whole city and it is open to everyone. There are grills as well. There is a business center where you can print colored copies of anything and scan documents (very helpful and included as well!) y There are so many families in the building. My husband is a member of the gym which he loves- it's inexpensive and there's a pool! ou will love living at the Monterey! I honestly couldn't recommend it more.

I lived in the building for 3 months before being re-located for a job.1. The elevators are very slow - I waited 10-15 minutes on numerous occasions. During rush hour times, just give up.2. Half of the machines in the laundry room don't work or will frequently not take a credit card. This is beyond annoying when you have to move your clothes from unit to unit. Furthermore, there is significant mold build-up in the majority of the washers.3. The trash rooms are small and not cleaned enough. Not only is this gross, it leads to stinky hall ways. 4. The building is generally rundown and old. They give units a light touch up to make them appear new but it is really lipstick on a pig.5. The 6 train is a zoo during peak commuting hours.6. It is loud. Prior to this building, I lived in Greenwich Village and the East Village. This apartment was louder than my 2nd ave and 6th street apartment in the East Village. Don't forget --you are next to a hospital and 96th street is basically a taxi cab hang out.7. The doormen and management staff are not professional.8. It is over-priced.9. When I moved out and had to break my lease, the staff basically tried to rob me. I almost had to got my company's legal counsel to contact them. They refused to say in an email that that they agreed to my 3-month lease breakage fee. I had to send them a check and multiple emails saying I take no response to this email as an acknowledgement of our agreement. They have still not sent me a signed copy of the lease termination rider. It has been three months. These people are criminals.This is an awful place to live. I hardly ever post on Yelp and months have passed since I moved from this building. I am not writing this as an emotional gut reaction. What prompted me writing this was me remembering that the building has still not sent me the executed lease rider. You might be thinking that this entire post is just a reaction to a bad lease breakage experience. That is just the straw that broke the camel's back. All my other points are valid.Do yourself a favor and just don't live here unless you are getting a major, major steal of a price (which you wont be).

The management organizes holiday parties which are great and free breakfast events.The amenities are just mind blowing. The world class fitness center that has pool/ sauna / steam room. The fitness center offers free classes including yoga, pilates, spin class, boot camp. There is sun terrace with 360 views of New York sky line which has grilling areas and great place to spend your evenings. We have hosted lot of bbq parties. There is also brand new lounge area that is great to rent to host parties.Building has in house cleaning/ dry-cleaning and full concierge service which we are very handy and give you that ease of life. I would highly recommend to make Monterey your next home

I have lived in The Monterey for 14 years, 10 with my wife and we absolutely loved the building and all the amenities. Unfortunately we are moving out of state otherwise we would be going on our 15th year. The building has all the amenities you would expect from a luxury building with a gym, resident lounge, resident office with apple computers to name a few. In addition, The Monterey has a gorgeous sun terrace with several BBQs and separate areas for private parties. A must for the summer season! A luxury building would be nothing without quality staff. The building staff and management have been fabulous and have always been available when needed. The staff will go above and beyond to meet your needs. Finally, the location can't be beat with the building only a half a block from the 96th Street Station and the soon to be finished 2nd Avenue Station only a block away. If I ever return to NYC, I know where I would call home.

My wife and I moved into The Monterey at Lex (1501 Lexington Ave.) in 2015. Since then, we have been remarkably impressed by the hospitality of the management office, superintendent, and importantly the front desk. The employees of the front desk do more than just greet you and receive packages on your behalf, they also instill a great sense of security. Furthermore, they really get to know all of the tenants in the building. We have really felt like a part of the community from the first week that we moved in. They always ask how we are doing and about our daughter and they will grab our packages from the back room as they see us walking into the building. The building is also impeccably clean, from the ground floor to the roof terrace. The building's gym is also very nice and rarely busy. I have never had to wait to use a piece of equipment. Finally, the maintenance staff has been exceptional. The superintendent and maintenance staff respond to maintenance requests in a very timely manner and have always been great at resolving our issues (albeit rare). Overall, I would gladly recommend this building to people interested in moving to the upper east side.

My wife & I and our dog and cat have lived here for 5 years now and find the Monterey to be A+ in many respects. First, the building staff. For the most part, the same people have been working since we moved in. Somehow, they manage to remember us not just by name, but by apartment number as well, which is quite the task given that there are well over 500 Apartments. The new owners are in the midst of making a number of upgrades in order to maintain the luxury nature of the building. The apartments themselves are well laid out and quiet. We never hear our neighbors. Service requests are promptly responded to. We both work out at the sports club (you have to join for a modest fee) which has recently been refurbished. Public transport is great with many bus lines and the 6 train on the corner. And, being just 3 block from Central Park is wonderful. Hardly a day goes by without a visit to or near the park.

I've been a resident at the Monterey for 10 years exactly and have been very happy and grateful to have a home here. it's the longest I've lived anywhere in NYC. The Sun Terrace is fantastic in the late spring summer and early fall. Fabulous sunsets and perfect place to sun bathe, and read, or nap in the summer. Laundry room is clean and well maintained. Most of the doormen have been in the building since I moved in and they're fantastic. They go above and beyond and are a key part of my feeling at home at The Monterey. Just renewed my lease and have no plans to leave the building. Also, area has two movie theaters, multiple grocery options with a Whole Foods and Fairway 10 blocks away, as well as cheaper grocery stores across the street. And the view of the skyline is fantastic.

Just walked down 28 flights of stairs at 6:25am because per the desk "all the elevators are broken and we don't know when they will be fixed". Happy Friday morning from the Monterey!

We have lived in the Monterey for more than 10 years and are moving. We'd prefer to stay until we retire and move back home, but the new owners have made that simply impossible. If you do not live here, don't sign a lease! They do not care about the building or the residents. You may get some "luxury" treatment at first, but they clearly find long-term residents to be a problem.Since taking over ownership of the building, they no longer do regular pest control, change air filters in air conditioning units or maintain the common areas well. In fact, for the first time ever, I've seen cockroaches in the laundry room. . .8 years under previous owners and never saw such a thing.The elevators are ridiculous, long waits are the norm, they've stopped putting air in the hallways so while you wait 5 minutes for the elevator you sweat and sweat. . .there has been a hole in the lobby ceiling for weeks that they've just covered with MASKING TAPE - and don't get excited about the grills on the roof deck because they rarely work. What was once a nice, luxury building is now falling into disrepair. It is painful, because we loved our home. . and the regular staff (doormen, lobby guys, maintenance guys) are awesome, we feel for them under this new ownership.Stay away from ANY Monterey LLC properties. . .find a nice Related building or other REPUTABLE management company. Sadly, when our lease expires, we will find a new place to live.

Couldn't agree more with everyone else who has commented on the change since Related sold the building to the new group. Related knew how to manage the building and kept it well maintained. And judging by what the quality of life here after they sold, knew when to sell before everything started to break and sold to owners who don't want to make the investment on basic infrastructure necessary to maintain the building in top operating form. This new group can't keep the elevators running properly. It seems as though one elevator is broken at least once every other week. I've gotten into one elevator at the lobby which went straight up to the penthouse without stopping at any of the floors pressed in between. I've also frequently gotten into an elevator in which the doors partially close, then re-open and then doesn't go anywhere...Nor can this new group can't seem to keep the grills on the roof working (the communal grill hasn't worked the entire summer, so instead of fixing it, they've brought out something that looks like a large rickety George Foreman grill on legs with a hood that doesn't fit and which keeps whatever the last tenant was cooking since it doesn't have true grills...). After a "modernization" of the laundry room, after which you were supposed to be able to use your credit card to buy time on the laundry machines, all that happened was that your credit card got charged and you didn't get any time on the machines. Moreover, if you then tried to go back to the prior way of getting the laundry cards, the laundry card dispenser was broken and you couldn't get a card... And then there was the change of valet service which if you work like crazy and don't have time to sit in a laundromat that I stopped using after they started loosing my clothes and I started getting other peoples clothes... If you're one of the 20% who is renting at affordable levels, then this is a great deal. If you're one of the 80% who is paying market, then you're catching a really, really raw deal...

Pay attention to the reviews and live somewhere else. Since the building was sold from a group other than Related (which was a class act), the building has gone downhill. They have no respect for residents and have created an adversarial relationship between tenants and management. The superintendent position is a revolving door. The latest one they have doesn't have any qualifications. I had thought that position meant they were supposed to be trained to fix anything in the building. This one has no skills or training. I'm sure it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.They are shutting the water on and off very frequently. Add that to elevators routinely going out or registering as "NC" (whatever that means - but I wouldn't think it is good) on the screen telling you the floor. It seems like the upkeep of the building services is an expense they don't want to maintain. For a building that has been traditionally pet-friendly - no more. They now decided they don't like dogs. New leases have a pet fee that was never there before. Rumor is they will be requiring dogs go out through the garage, not the lobby. Lease violation if you don't follow that rule.And, the "public" garden. It is public access, used to be very nicely landscaped and a nice place to socialize. But, of course, they are now saying this is a no dog zone also. Interesting double standard; non-residents can just ignore the staff's plea to remove the dog while residents would have another lease violation. If that is not enough, then all of the residents received a letter about smoking pot in the building stairways. They are hiring security to monitor this. What a joke - 30 floors? Who will move fast enough to get there? And, then at the bottom, they are telling us all to report those who smoke. Really? Is this a college dorm? With one-bedrooms in the 3000+ per month range you would think they would have a bit more respect for the professionals who live here. And, the tradeoff? The bagel breakfast in the lobby a couple of times per year. I'm sure that is what everyone is looking for.If you are smart - move on. Even if you ignore the owner's mentality that they think they can dictate what you do in your own apartment or if you want to have a pet, then just take a look at the building services - a maintenance staff led by an arrogant, no-skilled doorman whose ego far exceeds his IQ. And, if the management is reading this - good move. Thanks for making this an enjoyable, safe experience - correction - that comment was for the building down the street - not this one.

I have lived here for almost 6 years. I moved in when the original owners and management were running the building they were awesome!. The building was sold and went to hell in a hand basket! The place is now filthy the gardens now look like the opening credits of a horror film. The hallways are always dirty and so are the elevators. I will not even get into the state of the trash/compactor rooms -gross is the only word that comes to mind. Besides, most of the staff at the front desk being professional and accommodating and friendly - and I say most because a few insult my intelligence for what I pay in rent .The staff has always made living here a perk with the exception of the one they are now making a Super. He has 0 experience in this field and has no people skills. How are we supposed to feel confident with a Super who has no official education for this job and no prior experience? The turn over in the staff is scary - here today gone tomorrow! Without Rad and Chris and Christian the front desk staff would be worthless. Most days when I enter my hall all I smell is the pot being smoked. If I want to sit in the public garden all I see and smell is all the pot being smoked - and the lights in the garden have not worked in weeks. Thugs and Gangs hang in the garden and smoke pot right in plain sight - I have told this to the desk many times they tell me there is nothing they can do- really? You would think for the amount of rent I pay there would be something they can do. If you want to enjoy the rooftop in the summer good luck to you! Each unit is allowed to have 2 guests - of course, no one pays attention to this rule nor is it enforced. So in the 6 years I have lived here I have only been able to enjoy the roof, maybe 3x due to the overflow of people up there that do not belong up there. Also beware that 20% of this building is being rented to affordable housing. Again, is this luxury? Then we have the resident that has challenging mental issues and sits in the lobby all day yelling on top of his lungs- he scares me and he scares children and he is terrified of dogs- there are dogs all over this building. Yet he is allowed to remain in the lobby making a scene every day. He sits in a chair in the lobby and yells for hours. Does this sound a like a luxury building to you? In closing, my advice to anyone looking to move in here would be to go find a Related owned building(and there are many) and move into one of them. They are a class act all the way around and we miss them owning this building. Also, we were told there was going to be a 8% raise in our rent - but what are getting for that 8%? Nothing! Unless you consider an uneducated nasty Super a step up? If you are looking for a true luxury building this is not the one for you even though they advertise this as a luxury building You are spending a lot of money to live in this dump if you do decide to move in...

Totally agree with other long term residents that have posted reviews. There has been a dramatic change in the building maintenance and operations since the change in ownership. Related was a fantastic building owner/operator. The staff were like family to the residents -- so professional and took pride in the building. The lobby staff has remained relatively unchanged - thank God -- but the majority of other staff is a revolving door. Supers don't last more than a few months so how can residents be confident that operations can be sustained?!? We are also concerned about security and building cleanliness. Elevators, hallways, trash rooms are dirty. Residents are allowed to leave items including trash in the halls -- Related would've NEVER allowed this! The overall standard of the building has changed within the past two years under the new management. Hopefully these reviews will get the attention of management before it's too late and we move out! Thank you for your attention.

As other reviews indicate, the new ownership has driven the quality of this building into the ground. When the property was owned by Related, it was perfect -- a true luxury building. Now it's just another building that doesn't care about its tenants -- only that you pay rent. The gym management is the worst I've ever encountered. They don't fix anything, they don't reply to you, they buy terribly impractical equipment simply because it looks good; they have no idea how to actually manage a gym that humans would use. There's a pool, but it's really just for kids; there are very few hours for adults and they refuse to change them. 20% of the building is affordable housing and they've now leased the ground floor real estate to an urgent care clinic. That doesn't spell luxury where I come from. Also, there's a mosque across the street (which shut down the neighborhood last summer for a 'threat') which isn't comforting. The new management started this incredulous valet service called "THE GRAND MADISON MONTEREY VALET" which is actually just a converted apartment that handles dry cleaning and other nonsense. What kind of name is that? The building ISN'T EVEN ON MADISON. Get over yourself! But this is a perfect example of the misguided management -- it's like they're new money -- they want everything to APPEAR to be accommodating, fancy and convenient, but they fall very, very short of that attempt. Save your money; it's just not worth it. The doormen (Chris, Rad, Christian, etc...) are great and they do all they can to help counteract the lame building management and the views can be great, but isn't enough to qualify this place as worth it.