Forget good bones, great views, high ceilings--it's neighbors
that can make or break an apartment. We all have our stories: the woman
who heard machines in the walls and set out to dismantle them, 3B's mysterious
odors, thumping bass at 2 am, the guy who kept roosters.
And then there are the great neighbors, the ones who help you paint the stairs,
who keep your cats when you're out of town, who let you tag along on Costco
trips and invite you over to watch the L Word on their big-screen TV, who let
you play with their amazing toddler. When they say they're moving to a bungalow
in Maine, you want to bar the door.
Which is to say, we're looking for new upstairs neighbors out on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn. For $1500 a month, you get a seven room floor-through in the Best.Neighborhood.Ever, and--if I say so myself--great neighbors. If you're looking for a new home June 1, drop me a line. I'll be in Atlanta for a few days eating biscuits and taking meetings, but I'll get back to you as soon as I return.
Photo credit: imeleven
7 rooms for $1500?
are you kidding?
Maybe the room is on the seventh floor?
No, she's not kidding. You really can get that there, the top floor of an old victorian house. It's a bit farther than Manhattan than Park Slope is, but it's a great Brooklyn neighborhood. Great for families, and getting better for singles too. Try 'El Mariachi' on Coney Island Ave. for fab mexican food.
Ours isn't one of the Victorians--it's right on Cortelyou above the 99 Cent Gem, between Picket Fence and the Coo-op. The fusebox in my study says 'sterilizer,' which leads me to hazard that it used to be a doctor's office. There are just two units in the building, ours on the second floor and the one above us. The rooms aren't all big, mind you, but there are lots of them, and a grand total of seventeen doors, including two sets of pocket doors.
Sounds awesome. I just emailed your post to a friend of mine who's moving to NYC in 2 weeks. Wish *I* could take it!
And yes, good neighbors are the best. The couple who lived in the apartment across from us are now some of our best friends.
sounds weird to me. is this what this blog is about? i thought it was about decor. I thought it was about style and for people who love to talk about these things. i thought there were limits. Apartment therapy is getting a little too willy nilly for me.
i would actually love to see some kind of neighborhood profile section written by residents for each of the cities--pros, cons, character of the place, warts and all. it would be a great resource for people relocating, either within the city or from elsewhere. and i think what's outside your apartment does affect what's inside--if you don't like your neighborhood, you're not going to invest as much in a place you're just renting anyway.
(okay, that was totally self-serving--i'm getting priced out of park slope when my rent goes up this summer and am trying to find a good brooklyn neighborhood that i can afford and will enjoy.)
well, liz, come on out to sheepshead bay. bring an appetite for caviar and russian baths ;)
...or to Bay Ridge. Or Bayrut, as it becomes more and more known.
liz
if you're looking to stay in the slope
(or pphillip, if you are tired of russian baths)
I know a one bedroom opening up soon
guidoo at mac dot com
I agree it's a little weird to see a want ad here
but I like it and wish there was a regular apt info exchange place on this site
I was in park slope for the second time yesterday.
people were very helpful with directions to the subway and restaurants. Felt like there was a community there.
and tribeca is so very snooty. the rich kids hang around their trillion dollar apartments and look at me frightened, when I am not that frightening looking. It is rich community with poorer hearts.
I agree with many who have written above for an info exchange place for neighbourhoods.
i've heard good things about bay ridge, and i've seen very good prices on craigslist out in sheepshead bay.
guido, thanks!
i thought AT could be about anything apartment related, and we like it like that.
i must not be the only one excited to read this post, as it starts to give me the idea that maybe i could make the leap to brooklyn (which i haven't researched yet).
by the way, currently i'm in san francisco, below kids who run, jump, pound, slam & throw & drop heavy things day and night; the bad seeds track & field team. the walls shake too.
a pug that barks all night if they leave it alone & barking blasts of the delightful reggaeton.
but they seem to love their kids, aside from letting them be indulgent little hellions, & the neigborhood is otherwise soothing,so we're lucky.
orangered, if you like san francisco, you'll like brooklyn. i love both places. they seem to have the same flavors, although in different proportions.
In my humble opinion, San Francisco is much nicer than Brooklyn, and I'm a New Yorker (who is remaining anonymous)
thanks for the invite liz...from all i've gathered, i think i'd love brooklyn/nyc as much as the sf bay area.
(by the way, i'm really enjoying your site, liz, thanks!)
wow, I live on Ditmas ave on the other side of Ocean Parkway (by the F train rather than the Q) and I HATE it. It's dirty, there are 0 restaraunts- if you don't count take out chinese that gives you food poisioning, and my neighbors are all jerks. I'm going to have to get my butt over to the east side of Ditmas because I'd die and go to heaven if I could find one single restaurant I could walk to that was actually good.
If someone is moving from Park Slope, the best bet is Prospect Heights. I've been living here for 4 years and love it (so much so I'm on AT, willing to make improvements to my space on my own dime). It's a great neighborhood with a mix of cultures, families, young married and singles. Not very many trendy shops like PS (yet), but still a great variety of shops/services. Stones through from museum, park and library. I suggest you get in while you can, as the rents are steadily increasing...