We live on the UWS now but used to live in TriBeCa and it is very family friends with just as many resources as uptown. You honestly can’t go wrong either way.

We decided on uptown eventually because we could get more for our money at the time. Not sure that is still true at the moment with COVID, but housing cost is generally part of the consideration.

My friend's kids commuted from Tribeca to the Frank Sinatra HS in Queens.

There are a ton of activities near Tribeca for kids! Manhattan Youth has a ton of after school programs, Church Street School for Music and Arts, Chelsea Piers for sports, Downtown Dance Factory, The Wonder, ABT's ballet school is in the area.

You've got Washington Market Park (such a wonderful community park and very very clean), Rockefeller Park, Pier 25, etc. as well.

Once your kids are in middle school, they apply to/attend schools all across their respective district. Tribeca is in District 2 (which runs from downtown all the way up to UES), and the middle schools in D2 are among the the best/most coveted in the city. While 276, 89 and LMCMS are all fantastic local middle schools, it's not unusual for kids in lower Manhattan to travel to other neighborhoods for MS and HS, both public and private, so I definitely wouldn't make a real estate decision based on proximity to any given MS (other than picking a district you like). Also remember that a lot of the family "boom" that Tribeca and Fidi experienced is fairly recent, relatively speaking - newer elementary schools like Peck Slip and Spruce St. just graduated their first 5th graders within the past few years, so it's likely you'll see a growing "big kid" population over time.

Is uptown really the only place to consider when having kids in NYC? I absolutely love Tribeca (and know there are obviously a lot of kids there) but walking around... I just don't know if it's the best place to really put down roots. My DH and I are fairly social -like to go out (when it's safe) and try good restaurants, etc. The thing that concerns me about Tribeca is that it doesn't seem great for older kids. The schools are great until 5th grade, the children's classes in the area are good for babies, etc. but the school and after school activity options for older kids are not as great.

UWS is wonderful but feels a bit... commercialized? Not as "cool"? (can't believe I typed that out). For those of you who know the areas, where did you decide to stay/why and what do you recommend?