The Esplanade Manhattan

My mother has been living at the Esplanade for about a month. The apartment is beautiful and the food is excellent. The staff is friendly and helpful. The management is supportive and accessible. We are happy that we made this decision.

This community is located in a really nice part of Manhattan, just a few steps away from Central Park. At the moment they are working on the front of the building so there was a lot of scaffolding in the front when I toured. I was told that the building was created back in 1921. There is no parking lot. In the lobby I was greeted by a very friendly and helpful front desk staff. It should also be noted that the lobby was clean and well maintained. As I walked in, I didn't notice any foul odors. After waiting about 10 minutes to be seen I was greeted by a woman named Ruth. Ruth is in charge of Admissions and would be my tour guide for the morning. Maybe she was having a bad day but Ruth was very rude to me at times when I asked her questions about the facility and seemed very uneasy by my presence. While being shown around I observed residents walking around and socializing. Aside from Ruth, I did notice a female staff react very passively when asked a question by a resident. I didn't see an activities sheet posted, but I was informed and shown by Ruth a gaming area for residents, a fitness area, a library, and I even saw 3 residents playing bingo. Please be advised that the library that was shown to me was on the 2nd floor and was very dusty and the floors were extremely dirty. There was also a patio area for residents to go outside and get some fresh air that didn't look much better. According to Ruth the facility can hold up to 150 residents. Laundry services are provided to the residents by the staff. One thing in particular that concerned me was when I asked about a salon. First Ruth told me they don't have one - but then she backtracked and said we do but it's closed off it's not open anymore. I asked her if I could see it anyway, and she refused. I persisted, and she finally agreed to show me, but only through the glass door. Let's just say I can see why Ruth didn't want to show me the salon. It was extremely junky and quite frankly looked like a fire hazard. Last but not least I can say the living space they provide the residents was extremely spacious, clean, and well lit. The apartments have a television set, well-sized closets, big comfy looking beds, and microwaves. Ruth informed me that stoves are not allowed in the rooms, but hot plates are at your discretion. Last but not least I'm almost positive there are no pets allowed and nothing was mentioned to me about religious services.

My mother went there from rehab and was there for two days before she ended up in the hospital. So she did not spend much time there, but while she was there they were absolutely wonderful. They went out of their way to help make her comfortable and provide good care. They were very easy and pleasant to deal with and were just very nice.

The Esplanade is staffed by patient and caring people who understand their residents. The assisted living facility has an active schedule of programs and classes to keep the residents engaged in entertaining options. The food is well prepared, diverse and standard alternative entrées are offered at each meal. My relative resides in a one bedroom apartment that is roomy, with high ceilings and a walk in closet. The location on West End Avenue is quiet in the evening with little road noise. After substantial research on assisted living options in Manhatten, the Esplanade was chosen based on the relatively modest cost per month, great location in the Upper West Side, comfortable surroundings, great staff and sincere interest in the comfort of the residents. My family member who lives at the Esplanade always tells me he enjoys all the activities --"There is always something going on."--and likes the food. And if my family member is pleased--I am ecstatic.