Hubby and I went back to Carroll Gardens yesterday to see if our first impression of the area still rang true and also to check out the apartment one more time. I'm glad we did it, but holy cow it didn't make the decision any easier. We also timed the subway situation again to truly test (on a Sunday - the worst subway day) just how long it took to travel in the city. It was 30 minutes from the upper west side and 8 minutes from downtown manhattan. You can't really beat that!
When we arrived we started by walking around the neighborhood. It was as we remembered. Lots of shops, restaurants and young families that looked like us. Great little markets, toy stores, etc....we had brunch at a cute little restaurant called Verde, walked smith street and then circled back on court street. It's a great little neighborhood that I think me and the little guy would enjoy strolling there every day.
Next we went back to see the apt. We noticed that the surroundings around this particular building were nowhere near as beautiful as the rest of the hood. A garden directly across the street but to the left there's an autobody shop, and next to the garden is a boarded up building (looked like a fire). But beyond that is a tree lined street filled with brownstones and behind the building is an elementary school and a park.
We went into the apartment and it's a nice apartment. About 1100 sq ft, amazing bathrooms and kitchen... But the bedroom and living room aren't as large and open as i would like them to be. We're spoiled right now with massive windows and 15ft ceilings so comparatively, the windows looked small and ceiling incredibly low (though they were just normal and not the loft style we've grown accustomed to). We took measurements and while all of our furniture will fit... It will JUST fit... Will be tight! Tighter than our current space and that's just because of the layout of this particular apartment. And since all of our furniture is less than 2 y/o we aren't looking to replace it (and I think my husband would sooner divorce me than give up his massive couch).
We left feeling completely unsure of what to do... On the one hand, it feels like the right time to move out of the city - I'm a bit over it.. But on the other hand, I'm concerned that I will feel isolated... I mean, none of my friends will come visit me in Brooklyn... maybe once or twice, but not with any regularity... And this past winter I read about how snow removal in the outerboroughs is terrible and people were trapped inside for days... What if me and little Brady can't go for our daily walk in the neighborhood? (I'm assuming we will go for daily walks, but who knows!?)
I think that's the other thing that's on my mind... I don't really know what I'm going to want once I have a baby and what's going to be important to me (in terms of priorities for selecting a place to live)... One thing I know is that I spend alot of time at home... I can be a bit of a hermit (especially in the cold) so I think having a nice sized place is a necessity... And I would imagine the neighborhood is important since I won't be nearly as mobile when I'm bogged down by baby and baby things... So where does that leave us?
Something is holding us back from signing the lease on this apartment... Is it the fear or change? Are we not ready to leave the city?
Last night we got on the internet and started doing some real research on city apartments and realistically what we can get for what we want to spend... Most 2br/2ba in Tribeca, our preferred neighborhood, are absurdly expensive... So we started looking at the FiDi... exactly where I didn't want to end up... HOWEVER, we can get an apartment that's similarly priced to the apartment in Brooklyn and with the same, or more, space... But the question is... Do I still want to be in the city? Or is Brooklyn the preferable option regardless of this particular apartment? And while the FiDi is close to beautiful Battery Park and the restaurants of Tribeca... FiDi in itself is kinda lame... dark, filled with tourists, lots of hustle and bustle, few restaurants, etc...
All day today both hubby and I did research on city apartments... This told me that maybe we just aren't ready to commit to a move to Brooklyn (or this specific apartment) just yet... something is holding us back. If one of us felt strongly about it, they would easily get the other one to jump onboard (that's how we roll)... But neither of us could really figure out why we just couldn't commit. Honestly, I think we both just want more time so that we can do some more due diligence in the city but unfortunately, time is not on our side... This apartment in Carroll Gardens will go if we don't snatch it up and I have very mixed feelings about that...
I made some appointments to see apartments in the city this week and we'll see how that goes... I hate the idea of rushing into something! This is a pretty important move... Granted it's only a rental, but I want the apartment where we raise our little boy (until he is 2) to be nice and comfortable for our family.
