This week, we’ve focused on an area within a 5-minute walk of the Knickerbocker M station. Because this train line travels along Myrtle, there are two quite distinct areas that satisfy this criterion: north and south of Myrtle. South, in this area, is dotted with squat, unattractive public housing, but because of this and the slightly longer distance from Bushwick’s “cool” sections, you often get more for your money. On the north side, it’s much more intact and attractive, and closer to fun stuff and the L train.
$1350 — 2br/2ba: Gorgeous original details in this apartment, including the bathroom tile in one of the bathrooms and tons of the wall moldings. The kitchen is brand new, if strangely laid-out, and a second bathroom is newly renovated — two full bathrooms is amazing for roommates. Downside is that this is basically in the projects, though as projects go, these are pretty calm and quite low-density.
PETS OK | Bleecker and Central | street view
$1199 — 2br rr: Good price for this two-bedroom railroad, lots of character — built-ins, transoms, moldings, original floors, etc.
PETS OK | Stockholm and Knickerbocker | street view
$1499 — 2br/2ba: Not a huge fan of the aesthetics in here — making railroads into “real” two-bedrooms is always a sloppy process — but it has retained some original moldings and such, and it also has two full bathrooms.
PETS OK | Stanhope and Knickerbocker | street view
$1800 — 3br: MASSIVE 1400sqft with a huge private back yard. Inside is okay, charmless, but at least it’s all likely in working condition.
CATS OK | Wilson and Bleecker | street view
Dishonorable mention: There is nothing worse than an agent trying to be chummy and genuine when it’s painfully obvious he’s not at all. “What I cannot understand is why would anyone willingly rent an apartment, pay rent for that apartment, and then pay for their own heat and hot water?” Well they don’t, so come off it. Heat and hot water are included in almost all apartments, so do not let an agent use that as a selling point. But whatever, the apt is okay and so is the price, just beware of snakes.
Stacy July 15th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
The first apartment has been rented. (By me!) Check out our craiglist ad for a roommate: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/roo/1270462942.html We are renting the smaller bedroom seen in the picture, which has the bathroom actually inside the room (for more privacy).
vertigo July 20th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
I actually think that, if it were possible (it’s not in most buildings because they are not metered separately), that we should all pay our own heat and hot water.
A lot of what happens now is that people see heat, water, and heated water as an unlimited commodity in NY. This leads people to use waste it, and the landlord just raises your rent to accomodate that waste (anyone around here pay a lot of rent?)
It’s an idea called the “tragedy of the commons.” If you don’t want that much heat, too bad, you’re getting it and you’re paying your share of it in the rent.
Case in point, at my old apartment and at a lot of my friends’ apartments in the Lower East Side, no one has control of their own heat, so they open their windows in the winter to cool down the excessive heat. This landlord is being wasteful by not insulating the pipes, and the tenants live in this weird temperature gradient where the side of the room close to the window is freezing, and the other is excessively hot.
Also, you are paying for the guy who leaves his water on while he brushes his teeth, the guy who takes hour long hot showers, etc.