Yesterday hubby and I went to spend the day with our friend's S and C in Brooklyn and to look at a building that I had read about.
Brooklyn has always been a bit of an enigma to me... I had visited a few times (Williamsburg and Park Slope) and was never that impressed... But everyone that lives in Brooklyn LOVES IT! So, we decided to see if we could discover what all of these others already had.
Hubby and I went into the day with low expectations (very low). Though we've never said it out loud, we're Manhattan snobs... We took the subway to Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens. From the upper west side it took us about 30 minutes (which is about the same time it takes to get from the upper west side anywhere downtown).
We step out of the subway into the NYC version of "pleasantville"... it's quiet and serene, there are parks, schools, families, wide sidewalks, neighbors saying hello to each other, restaurant lined streets, etc... We're in a bit of shock... We walk to the building and get a tour of a beautiful, brand new, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, W/D equipped apartment. It's about 250 square feet larger than our current place and is fully equipped... Stainless steel appliances, separate shower from bath tub, double vanity in the master bath, walk in closet, etc... You get the drift... It was nice. The only odd thing about it was the massive air conditioning units... They easily took up about 1-2' of space in each room... Was super weird... but on the positive side, each room has individual climate control... That's like an urban dream!! The building was also great... Has a gym and rooftop deck with the best views I've ever seen (statue of liberty, wall street, etc...) The rooftop also comes equipped with a play gym, bbqs, etc...
After the apartment viewing we met up with S and C for a beer and to get an official tour of the 'hood from folks who've lived there for the past year... We walk up and down streets filled with young families, amazing restaurants and shops (think butcher, fish shop, farmers markets, homemade ice cream, etc...) There are no chains (accept the necessary ones, Rite Aid and Chase bank)... We stop for a beer (everyone else) and a coke for me at this little outdoor grill spot... Was very cute! Then we walked all over Carroll Gardens... Honestly, as hubby described it... It's the best kept secret in NYC... How did we not know that this existed? it's a few subway stops into brooklyn and just the quaintest, cutest little neighborhood we've ever seen... And oh the restaurants... Buttermilk Channel, Prime Meats, Frankies, etc... Some of the best culinary talent in all of NYC is popping up in this hood... There are amazing bars too... Clover Club, Mini Bar, etc...
We walked all over town, stopped at S and C's adorable place to get a tour and also grabbed a bite to eat at Prime Meats (where the waitress addressed us all by first name, which was a nice touch) and did a tour of the local supermarket. It felt a bit like that movie Funny Farm. Everything was so idyllic!
After walking around for hours... we were pretty tired and thought we should head back to the city... Hubby and I were both floored... Something about Carroll Gardens just felt right. The slower pace and element were just perfect (no crazy homeless people begging on the corner or aggressive/angry walkers).
So next up it was time to do a littler pros / cons... There are clearly tons of pros...great neighborhood (I actually can't think of a neighborhood in Manhattan that I like any better), quiet / laid back, big apartment with more bang for buck (a 2br/2ba in Manhattan in a neighborhood where we would want to live would be close to $2k more per month than this place), every major convenience in walking distance but not alot of chain stores, etc... And then, of course, we also needed to consider the cons... the 2 subways in the neighborhood are the F/G... The F intersects with the A/C/R about two stops away, so that's pretty convenient... A trip to downtown Manhattan would be about 15-20 minutes, which is perfect. Other cons... Taxis... It's not like the city where there are a million taxis everywhere.... Granted, there are taxis to be hailed on Smith Street, it just isn't necessarily the same as being in manhattan... Something to consider but lets face it... finding a cab in manhattan can be a huge bitch sometimes too! How many cabs am I really going to be taking? I was also concerned about the cost of a cab from Brooklyn to downtown NYC... I was pretty psyched to learn, after doing some research that a cab from tribeca to carroll gardens, with tip should only run about $16... Well, that's the exact amount that I spend now when i go from Tribeca to the UWS! Then we started to think about getting around, in general... So, once we have this baby, how will we get to NJ where our families live? Well, we were easily able to address that... Whether we live in Manhattan or Brooklyn makes no difference... Once Brady is born our days of NJ transit travel are over (at least until he can walk and carry his own things)... There's no way in hell that hubby and I will ever be able to take a baby, car seat, stroller, all the baby things we need, our stuff, PLUS a baby on a subway/cab to Penn Station and then through Penn Station and onto a train... That's just not happening... It's hard enough now when it's just the two of us (we both end up bogged down with bags)... So with that issue ruled out, we determine that our parents will either be needing to travel to us (via train or car) or if they want us to spend the weekend with them, they will need to transport us, since having a car is not in our future. We decided to play with maps / directions and we figured out that moving to this area of Brooklyn only really adds another couple of miles and minutes to our parents commute into NYC to see us - there are options for ways to get to us (through the city or through Staten Island) and my mom should be able to get to us in about 45 min while it will take my inlaws an hour (they live further from the city). Really not bad and not enough of a consideration to make a difference in our decision... AND, from a train perspective, it makes no difference... if they take a train to Penn Station, they can just hop a subway and be delivered at our door (in the same time it would take them to get to the UWS). You may be thinking... well, why don't they consider Hoboken? Well, we have been thinking about it... But honestly, Hoboken doesn't hold a candle to Brooklyn (in terms of convenience, charm, restaurants supermarkets, etc...) and there's something about the convenience of being on the NYC subway system that makes a huge difference. The path and ferry just aren't the same (in time or money). Also, we both still have this stigma in our minds that Hoboken is a college kids town... Granted, whenever we visit my dad there we clearly see that there are lots of families... But, I think living in Hoboken we would need to get a car, etc... and I don't think we're ready for all of that yet! So, for now, jersey is out!
The only major con that remains is just the situations where me and baby are going to need to go into the city alone... When daddy is around it won't be a big deal... but for me, alone, it would be a colossal pain in the ass... I don't think I could manage a stroller, diaper bag and baby all myself on the subway, which just leaves a cab... which I could easily do, if i can find one, but I guess i could always call a car service... But, the need to go into the city solo shouldn't really arise that often... let's face it, those first few months I will be home most of the time and then it gets really cold and I become a hermit during those months anyway. When I'm ready to go back to work, I will either find child care (MOM!!) or bring the baby with me, in which case the cab cost will be offset by the money I am bringing in. I'm thinking that it's more important than ever for us to pick an apartment that we love (with all the modern amenities - W/D, etc...) in a neighborhood that has everything we need in walking distance... I'm not sure where in Manhattan we will find that... Granted, I've just started my search, but all of the buildings we've been looking at will not afford us the space / amenities we want for a price we can afford... And affording it aside... I'm ready to live in a great neighborhood. We've always chosen an apartment for amenities / size over location and I don't think we can do that anymore... I feel like it would suck to be in the FiDi in a big apartment but with nothing good in walking distance! I mean, where we live right now on the UWS is really nice, but it takes at least 10 minutes to get anywhere... A total pain when the weather isn't cooperating or I'm feeling lazy! I also kinda feel like hubby and I are ready for a change... I've increasingly become more disenchanted by the city... The fast pace, dirtiness, crazy screaming people on the street, etc... This may be the right time to make this type of move.
Now, the only major challenge is how quickly we can make this decision... This apartment that we looked at is the last 2br/2ba left in this building... I don't think we have a ton of time to mull this over... I think we're gonna do it... I think I've convinced myself that this is the right move... have I convinced you?
And if not, did I mention, two full bath??? yeah, hubby and I could shower at the exact same time (and pee for that matter)...
