This week we’re focusing on Troutman Street, once the center of Bushwick’s crack trade, now it’s latest snazzy condo row and the residential and cultural backbone of the new Bushwick. In between all that is hundreds of units of rentals in various states of renovation. I picked out the best among what is available right now on Troutman:
$1650 — 2br: For a change, a kitchen that is not that lame, honey-colored country-looking Home Depot line, in a moderately-priced apartment. A proud old row of buildings in a great location close to everything cool. Don’t get me wrong, you can still buy a rock downstairs, but everyone minds their own business.
PETS OK | Troutman and Irving | street view | Jefferson L
$1600 — 2br: This place is solid, if not fashionable. It does have nice old floors, the bathroom is newish, the kitchen, *sigh*, those HD cabinets I mentioned above. But it’s clean-looking, still in a great location, and has a backyard you are encouraged to spiff up and use.
PETS OK | Troutman and Irving | street view | Jefferson L
$1600 – 2br: Not as fabulous a location as the ones above, but still good — plus the J never has any problems and you never wait to go to the city for more than a couple minutes on weekdays, since the M is running normal. Nice patinaed wood floors and decent all around.
Bushwick and Troutman | street view | Myrtle JMZ
$1300 — 2br rr: The longest walk to the subway you can stand will be from Wilson — still only 10 about minutes max to either train. This railroad has some charming old details, but this block isn’t the sturdiest — the building is probably pretty worn, inside and out. But that means deal for you, as it seems the latest price for two-bedrooms this side of DeKalb, even some railroads, is around $1600.
PETS OK | Troutman and Wilson | street view | Myrtle JMZ/Morgan L
$1950 — 3br: On the higher end is this place, which is “gut-renovated” and so unfortunately kind of charmless. But it’s three bedrooms, so if you need to squeeze in a third person and don’t want them on a cot in the dining room, this is a good option. It’s quite luxurious in NYC to have central a/c, too. As the ad says, it is close to everything cool in Bushwick and Knickerbocker is great for basics, especially with the Associated now carrying many organic products and specialty beers.
Troutman and Knickerbocker | street view | Morgan/Jefferson L
noel July 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
That $1950 3bdrm is kind of cheesy. Is it just me or does it appear to be a former 2bdrm rr that they’ve carved into 3 by turning one of the (approx)12×12 rooms at either end into two 6×12 rooms?
pixie July 30th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I think you’re right about them turning that front room into 2 bedrooms. By making it a 3br they figured they could charge a lot more, much more than it’s worth. Those rooms must be teeny. I have a 3 br but the rooms are about 10×12 and one has a bathroom, and we pay $1600.
hhhhrrrrr July 31st, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Wow, I saw apartments for those rents in Greenpoint just this month. What’s the point of living in Bushwick again? Can’t be the cheap rent.
Jeremy Sapienza July 31st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Yeah? I just did a search right this second, and saw exactly one 2br for $1600, and there were no photos and it said in the ad it was small. Everything else is a 1br, or a fake-out post and not actually in Greenpoint. You can get a 2br in Windsor Terrace — certainly prettier than Bushwick, but then not very convenient.
The cheap rent is in fact the point of living in Bushwick. Not to mention the proximity to the city.
hhhhrrrrr July 31st, 2008 at 6:38 pm
The apartment I’m in now in Greenpoint (McGolrick park area) is cheaper than these places in Bushwick. You’re getting fleeced, people.
Jeremy Sapienza July 31st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Uh-huh. How does one find these cheaper-than-Bushwick apartments in Greenpoint if they are not listed where people look when they are looking for apartments? Nobody is getting fleeced if there are 14 unlisted $1600 2br apartments in Greenpoint being rented by some 90-year-old and the rest are $2000+.
Jessica Elsas July 31st, 2008 at 9:07 pm
What about those of us who live here for reasons other than it being cheap? Any of those out there? I don’t feel fleeced, people.
Jeremy Sapienza July 31st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Bushwick is fun and convenient to the city, but this is beside the point. One doesn’t use a single anecdote as sweeping, final proof that all apartments in Greenpoint are cheap, and that people moving to Bushwick are being hoodwinked. Oh, and magically, none of these cheaper Greenpoint apartments appear on any apartment listing site. And Bushwick rents have been decided on arbitrarily and randomly by evil landlords who have the power to make people pay whatever they want. In that case, they should just charge infinity dollars a month and be done with this “the market governs prices” charade.
petebfd August 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
i would think the point of living in bushwick would be the same as living anywhere, you like what the neighborhood has to offer. but whatever cultural cachet these people think they are getting by overpaying for an apartment in the “hot” section of brooklyn will be gone soon enough when the place inevitably becomes “so over”. some people moving to any popular neighborhood in new york or the boroughs will be getting hoodwinked, whether its greenpoint or bushwick or whatever. alot of real estate types are greedy and they’ll try to sell you on an overpriced piece of shit if its worked for them in the past.
so, don’t rent shitty apartments for lots of money, people!!!
ricmac01 August 1st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Hahahahahaha! Can you imagine anyone moving to BUSHWICK thinking they are getting a “cultural cachet”!
And just as bad as renting shitty apartments for too much money is renting a Park Avenue wanna-be, cheap walled/no space but has modern kitchen appliances apartment with SROs across the street and a women’s shelter around the block with AssGro’s can-redemption as your next door neighbor (not to mention the abandoned houses that complete the rest of the block). People can be such fools.
devilducki August 5th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
weeee, that photo’s now my apartment!
devilducki August 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
oh, and don’t be fooled by the photos, the bathroom’s been finished, too. the hallway begins to smell like deliciousness around 6pm, it makes me miss my grandma. all i gotta say is, if you don’t like the neighborhood, don’t move there. it’s odd to pass judgment on those who choose to live there, i think.
Jeremy Sapienza August 5th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Welcome to the hood, devil!
mopar August 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I have viewed about 40 apartments in Bushwick since December, and $1600 is the going rate for a five or six room apartment in Bushwick with heat included. There are also cheaper ones to be found, yes. In Greenpoint, $1800 to $2000 gets you a three-room apartment.