Lucy Cohen Blatter

We've now reached the muggy, lazy point in the summer where desire to hang out/live by the beach has probably hit its peak. Why not spend your Hamptons-less weekends checking out homes that would have you living within walking distance of the shore? We suggest you bring along your bathing suit in case you have the urge to stay.

This $3,000/month Carroll Gardens walk-up, at 32 Garnet Street, was obviously renovated recently -- the kitchen has stainless appliances (including a dishwasher) and there's marble in the bathroom. The apartment's also got exposed brick and French doors. But to call it a true two-bedroom is a stretch, considering it appears as though those aforementioned French doors are separating a window-less living room/kitchen area from the "bedroom."

Getting around this city isn't always easy (especially when you're attempting to hop from one borough to another).

Even as far as Small Wonders go, this $285,000 Harlem studio co-op -- at 48 West 138th Street -- is on the smaller side, at just over 300 square feet. But it's also recently renovated, and in a neighborhood that's seeing new restaurants and shops open up all the time.

Now you can officially feel better (and somewhat smug) about your decision to stay on the East Coast while your friends moved out West. San Francisco's median home price tops Manhattan's by $230,000, Curbed San Francisco reports.

We've covered communal housing quite a bit here on Brick, from some of  the cool perks of this new trend to the affordability issues it raises. That's why we were particularly interested in a post on My First Apartment offering tips on how to actually live, and thrive, in one of these set-ups.