I’m the one that started the thread on Upper West Side living, but that was before my HR department dicked around and lost the apartment.
And because we are now less than one month until move day, the pickings are slim. So they sent me an option in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn. Street view on Google maps looks acceptable. 30 minute commute to work on only one train. This one actually has a full-sized kitchen (I love to cook) and room for a guest as I have several visitors coming during my stay. This apartment is also about three times the size of the other apartments in the city, and has features like closets and shelving that the other apartments did not boast. So my work trip will be longer but my living will be more comfortable.
As fall approaches, my commute will be after dark. This apartment is two blocks from the train.
I told them to not wait around and to take the apartment immediately so as to avoid what happened with the other place.
What are your feelings about the general safety of this area and what are your other thoughts about living in this area and also experiencing not only the city but Brooklyn and its surrounding areas?
Brooklyn is super, super hip. I said this in the other thread but NYC is the safest large city in the US. Your biggest concern will be dodging strollers and trying to decide which artisanal mayonnaise to buy. With the opening of the Barclays Center, this area is booming and very desirable.
Also, virtually no apartment in NYC is available more than 30 days before movein. The pickings should be getting greater, not slimmer, at the 30 day mark.
Clinton Hill is supposed to be a really nice and trendy area. I have a few friends who live there and I briefly looked at the area myself, but I couldn’t find anything large enough in my price range.
I lived in Clinton Hill for a ten years. PM me your “address”. A lot depends on that.
Great thing is that you are going to be walking distance to the new Barclays center. Also BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) a major performance center. Some great plays come there instead of “Broadway”. And the BAM Rose Cinema if you like a good ‘indy’ movie theatre.
The HR people said the same. I hope so! I did a search early last week on my own and I think 5 UWS returns came back, one that shared a kitchen/bath with 13 other tenants! That was kind of when I started getting nervous- but if the possibilities are going to open up, then I’ll cool my jets.
Knowing where I’ll be laying my head will allow my plannerly nature to kick in and I can start preparing.
Kind of hoping for this Brooklyn place to work out- if I could actually do some cooking I’d be in heaven.