Finding an apartment

The Holiday Inn Express we checked into on Staten Island was a better fit for us compared to the hotel we had in Brooklyn. This hotel had ample parking, compared to the ten spaces or so the other one had. It was about ten miles from Brooklyn and the toll to cross the bridge is $11, but it was a brand new hotel built on an old parking lot and it seemed like a much safer area. Staten Island is more the suburban living of New York City.

It was Friday and we expected a call from the agency RapidNYC.com. However, business hours came and went and we heard from no one. We weren't sure if it had to do with the fact that there was a holiday and people were taking a four day weekend or what. So Jenn hit up Craigslist and began responding to posts from that day. I said a prayer that we could find a safe place for $1300 or so a month. It wasn't unreasonable based on the research. Within an hour, we received an e-mail from an agent that had a listing for an upstairs apartment. It was the second floor of a house, and the agent was a family friend of the people renting it. It sounded great and we decided to take a look the next day.

When we arrived at the apartment we were taken in by the sunflowers on the porch and the American Flags out front. It was as if it was tailor made for a couple from Kansas.




The inside was nice. It has one bedroom, a huge living room, ample closet space, and hardwood floors throughout. The house was built in 1964 and has been in this family for three generations. The neighborhood is historically Italian/Irish and many of the places are still owned by the original families. We took the place immediately. And to our delight, the rent was $1100 per month, and we had to pay the listing agent $1100 as well so that put us right about $1283 per month.

It was a transaction that delighted us as well as the family that lives here. Below us lives a 79 year old woman who still gets around very well. She has a son who lives with her too. They have been very kind and almost family like. And they have the typical New York/Italian accent.

Since we had the hotel all weekend we decided to spend the weekend buying what we needed for the apartment. It is located in the neighborhood known as Dyker Heights, which is near Bath Beach and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. Brooklyn has distinct neighborhood boundaries and each neighborhood has unique characteristics. Compared to the many others we have been through, this one is quiet and family oriented. There is always someplace to park and everything we need is within walking distance including, grocery, restaurants, a park, laundry, etc. It was a complete score. Another little interesting note is we are located a couple of blocks from The Fort Hamilton military reservation. We are so close in fact we can hear the bugle calls from Reveille in the morning to Retreat at night. It brought back memories from when I heard those on a daily basis when I was in the military.


View from the Porch

The last interesting note is how close we are to the water. It is less than a mile to the jogging path near the bay. Here is a closing picture of the sunset views of the Verrazanos Bridge that connects Brooklyn and Staten Island: