The Great Brooklyn Neighborhood Tour

Since moving back to the East Coast in March, I have had the privilege of living in three different apartments, three distinct neighborhoods and with a total of six people, all within Brooklyn. I lived with people from all different backgrounds and ages, from a 20 year old college student about to enter her senior year of college and become legally allowed to drink, to a 39 year old Harvard educated, former doctor about to hit a very different milestone.I experienced, witnessed and lived through countless events on a historial and personal level. During the hurricane that wasn't, also my last weekend in Prospect Heights, I was awoken by the falling of a huge tree right outside my window, a tree, that I later found out, had been in front of the building for over forty years.

A week later, settled into my new neighborhood of Crown Heights, only a ten minute walk but a world of difference, I came home one night to a swarm of policemen and roped off sidewalks. There had been a major shooting 6 blocks from my apartment and two people had been killed, including an innocent bystander. This shocked the neighborhood, an eclectic mix of West Indians, Orthodox Jews, white, creative professions and hipsters. I've only been in "my" Park Slope apartment for nearly a month and with a new freelance gig, my reality has changed dramatically. It seems that with each apartment, there is the possibility of a new beginning and I am making the most out of every moment.

My first apartment in Prospect Heights was a world of first's; first time being outnumbered by male roommates, living in Brooklyn and living in an up and coming neighborhood. My neighborhood was more racially diverse than the East Village but less diverse than my home town. The local ice cream shop, Blue Marble, catered to hipster parents with young children, eagerly lining up for all natural ice cream and young professionals, like me, excited that my fair-trade iced coffee came in a compostable cup.

My apartment building was a mix of young, white professionals and African Americans of all ages, some with kids and some who had been in the building their entire life.The neighborhood itself consisted mostly of brownstones, nearly as beautiful as Park Slope but not as crowded or as developed. Vanderbilt was lined with only a handful of restaurants and Washington had various hidden enclaves like Sit & Wonder, among local corner delis and laundromats.

My next Brooklyn apartment in Crown Heights coincided with one of the most difficult experiences in my life financially and emotionally. The cliff notes are that my cat nearly died and some other stuff happened that I'd prefer not to write about. I don't have many fond memories of my dark apartment, with a window that overlooked a garbage filled courtyard, but I'm happy to have discovered Franklin Avenue and all

the lovely restaurants. Most importantly, I'm still trying to cope with not having Chavela's corn on the cob once a week. And I'm still kicking myself for having only discovered,a week before leaving, that Abigail Cafe, with their mellow atmosphere and healthy menu is the absolute perfect work spot. I usually went to Glass Shop on Classon which was a great coffee shop but you can only drink coffee so much before you need a real meal.

Finally, we come to ParkSlope.Call me simple, but I am easily influenced by amazing food and like Crown Heights, there are culinary delights to be found. I had my mind expanded and blown away the other day with a breakfast dish from Juventino, two poached eggs over wilted greens (swiss chard perhaps?!), brioche with garlic infused chicken broth poured over the dish - a perfect cold day, fall or winter treat.

And now instead of "hipster cafes" with freelancers on laptops, I'm a block away from Café Martin, acoffee shop with enough French staff to allow me to pretend I've just stepped into Paris. Now, instead of being surrounded by "hipsters," I'm surrounded by parents with their children who have won the clothing battle. Once again, a am faced with an entirely new beginning and a neighborhood full of new discoveries. What's your favorite neighborhood in Brooklyn?

New Apartment

I'm totally late on the new apartment update but have still spent the last few days unpacking and then simplifying my possessions so they fit in a smaller space. So yeah, for those of you who don't know, I moved from the crazy East Village, St. Mark's between 2nd and 3rd, to the Upper East Side (or Lennox Hill) in the East 60s on 1st avenue. I went from an insane street with a quiet oasis of an apartment to a quiet oasis of a neighborhood with a loud apartment from cars, buses and trucks on 1st avenue. Such is life. I'm waiting to hear back from my architect friend on what to do to block the noise but am so far, relying on my ear plugs. It's hard not to regret a decision that cost about $500+ in movers along with countless other costs associated with moving when the apartment is so noisy.. I guess neither my roommate or I heard the noise when we visited and we were under some serious time constraints. Such is life.

BUT I love my new roommate. We have tons in common and similar, sunny outlooks on life. I love the neighborhood. Despite flirting with the thought of moving to Brooklyn, I'm happy with my decision to stay in Manhattan. There will be time for BK when I'm knocked up.. or at least coupled up. I'm excited to explore upper Manhattan and feel I'm already familiar with most of downtown from Tribeca to Chinatown. I'm hoping being surrounded by the wealthy and the successful will inspire and motivate me, or at least one might accidentally hit me with their Lexus so I can sue.

Will update more when I have a legitimate internet connection. OH! And you'll be so proud, haven't watched TV (minus today) since last Thursday. New roommate and I are just getting internet and no cable which I'm totally okay with. I may not even watch any TV until I get a newer digital TV (makes no sense to drag my old TV and buy a $50 converter). So more time for blogging/ writing my novel/ coming up with an amazing business plan/ or getting serious about going to grad school.

P.S. There's an awesomely adorable cafe directly across the street from me called Java Girl with coffee and food far better than some old faves that shall not be mentioned. (Nothing beats Abraco so far YET).

Apartment Search Continued

I can't say that I really understand the whole apartment search process. Okay. I'm not an idiot. I understand it, just don't think it makes sense. You have hundreds of different brokers and agencies all offering the same types of apartments- just different listings. And us poor saps looking for apartments have to organize and field all these different calls while coordinating times to see the apartments. I guess in the end, you realize that everyone knows the market. You're not going to find a gem for exactly the right price in exactly the right location with the right sized room, etc. because presumably, the owner will know its worth.

So we've been working with Brownstone Listings, Rapid NYC, Brick Brooklyn, Citihabitats, individual building owners, etc. Any advice? I'm starting to realize that brownstones in high demand Brooklyn really just contain rooms that are 10ft by 11ft or maybe that's just our price range. According to my horoscope, August is a better month for me to move but who knows about that stuff. Haven't talked to my current or future roommate about the possibility of things getting pushed back plus I'm feeling the strong need for a change.

Do we dare throw our search back to Manhattan- back to modern, large apartment complexes in the Upper East Side?

Apartment Search and then Some

I'm taking the Upper East Side off the table again. I hung out there yesterday and although it's close to the park and people I hang out with, I just feel like it's too generic. Not sure how I feel about the general population that lives there. I love how each neighborhood in New York has a distinct character even from one block to another. Plus having to wait for the 456 probably takes just as long as having to wait for any train in Brooklyn.

In other news, I went to the doctor again- follow appointment. This is nothing new, but apparently I have to give up all refined carbs if I want to lose weight. My doctor put it in terms that I could understand- it's like being an alcoholic.. all or nothing. I have to give it all up because apparently I can't handle moderation. Yeah, that's pretty accurate. Although ironically, he didn't try to deter me from having a glass of red wine every once in while. In fact, he seemed to encourage it. It's definitely harder to plan meals given this information. Seems like refined carbs are easier to grab on the go but yeah, I already know this. Anyway, I'm making an announcement in the hopes that it will keep more motivated. Besides, there ain't no AA for reformed refined carbaholics. Okay, maybe there is- it's called Overeaters Anonymous but I'm not ready to go there. Anyway, you can put off a lot of things, but you can't put off weightloss.

So um, here's to the first day of the rest of my life. That would be tomorrow I mean. No more refined carbs. No more pizza, no more bagels (actually gave that up months ago), no more bread basket, or pasta, or pastries, or muffins. BUT here's to cheese!, nuts, peanut butter, butter, delicious vegetables, fruit, and anything creamy and fatty.

I suppose I'll keep you posted on my progress. The goal is to lose 20 pounds by November. I'm hoping that by telling my readers that, I'll be more likely to achieve it.