Sublet Hunting

Who needs a gym membership if you live on a five floor walkup?

I visited four potential sublets this weekend, and all four of them were drastically different. Each on a different train stop, kinds of roommates, and amount of stairs to walk up.

As my friend, who lives on the beautiful Upper East Side says, "Everything in New York is a compromise."

Sometimes you pay a little more in rent to be closer to the train, or deal with roommates because of a great location.

The first apartment of the day was in lovely Astoria, Queens. Many actors live here because of the proximity to Manhattan and the cheap rent. Fun Fact: according to Wikipedia, there are more Greek people living in Astoria than in all of Greece.

The neighborhood was very walkable, with restaurants of every kind all jumbled together. It was a family-friendly place, many folks were out walking their babies and dogs.

Astoria

Apartment #1: I liked the neighborhood, but loved the apartment. So much space! The landlords lived on the lower level of the duplex, while the residents lived above. I was greeted by the roommates, a pair of sisters, and they had baked me cookies! I could tell that we would get along well. However, their apartment is about a 12 minute walk from the closest train station.

Onto Apartment #2, in Sunnyside, Queens. I got off the train and instantly felt out of place. (Did I mention that I have a pink winter coat?) A man on the street gave me a stink eye that said, "Hey little girl, what are you doing here?" and my gut told me that I wouldn't be living there. Not to mention the five floor walk up to get to the apartment - it was dirty inside, and the roommate couldn't meet me because she was sleeping. At 4:30p in the afternoon.

I made my way back to Astoria for Apartment #3. As I entered the kitchen, I had a terrific feeling about it. Again, it is part of a duplex, but it is on a brownstone lined street. I passed a father playing hopscotch with his daughter outside. The best part was that it is two blocks from the station! The largest bedroom of the day, at 12'x12', it comes furnished. All of the roommates are actors, even the residents who live in the apartment above!

Cobble Hill

Apartment #4 was located in completely different borough, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. I fell in love with the neighborhood, and spent an hour walking around. This neighborhood is very trendy and gentrified, with tons of cute coffee shops and restaurants lining the streets. It felt like Bethesda, MD, but with much older buildings. I could see myself living there, but not in that apartment. The space was very small, and I just didn't get the right vibe from the roommates.

I made an offer on Apartment #3, and I should know in the next 48 hours if everything is a go!