From Kensington to Midwood: The noise was making me crazy so I gave up my rent-stabilized apartment

Even though he had a large, affordable rent-stabilized apartment, James wanted to move. He couldn’t stand the noise anymore at his Kensington apartment building and searched for a quieter, top-floor unit. He pays more in rent, but has peace now—and stellar amenities. Here’s his story as told to Kelly Kreth.

I was born in Suffern in Rockland County. I moved up to Monticello for middle and high school. I moved to New York City on September 10th, 2001—just a day before the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The timing was surreal. Early that morning, my phone started buzzing with concerned calls from friends checking if I was okay. I was staying in Sunset Park, so we headed up to the park to see the Manhattan skyline, which was shrouded in smoke. It's a bit of a blur, but I remember ashes falling like snowflakes. I had a job interview in Soho that morning—needless to say, it got canceled.

[Editor's Note: Brick Underground's series “Transitions” features first-person accounts of what it’s like to move from one New York City neighborhood to another. Have a story to share? Drop us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.]

The days that followed were intense and filled with a profound sense of shock, sadness, and solidarity. Despite the chaos, I managed to find an apartment and a job pretty quickly, which still amazes me to this day.

I had always wanted to live in NYC and I’m glad I did. I feel free to be myself here. 

NYC makes me feel free to live authentically as a queer person. Growing up in the mountains upstate, I always felt like I had to hide my identity. Even after moving to Rochester after high school, a small city with more diversity, I still faced a lot of homophobia. But in NYC, I found my people and felt safe being myself, surrounded by people with a vibrant mix of backgrounds. The city’s limitless opportunities made me feel like anything was possible. And honestly, I still feel that way now.

Most recently I was living with my 17-year-old Miniature Pinscher in a one-bedroom, rent-stabilized unit in Kensington.

The apartment was approximately 850 square feet and had six closets. The rooms were big and the place had windows on two sides. The building had an elevator, laundry, and a live-in super and porter. At $1,950 a month rent it was a steal! I also had garage parking for $400 a month.

I liked the proximity to Park Slope, the Prospect Expressway (because I drive), and Prospect Park—where I enjoyed meeting friends for walks or bike rides. I liked the apartment’s size, the sunlight, storage space, and community in the building.

I disliked the old, squeaky floors. I also disliked how you could hear noise from the units above and below, and how in the summer the houses behind the building would have really loud parties.

Honestly, I wasn’t super attached to the neighborhood and spent most of my free time in Park Slope and Downtown Brooklyn. At least I had my car and could get in and out of the neighborhood easily. 

I had appreciated that Kensington wasn’t a “scene.” I have lived in areas like Boerum Hill, which has become a little too congested for me. Kensington just kind of feels like Brooklyn folks going about their day and living their lives.

My commute to work in Park Slope where I am a real estate agent with Corcoran was just an eight minute drive.

Food shopping was pretty much Instacart, Wegmans and Costco. Occasionally I’d go to Whole Foods, or there is a great little market around the corner on Caton Avenue. Coffee shops in the neighborhood were cute too. There was a great plant shop at the end of my block where I would get my Christmas tree every year. Thai Farm Kitchen is really good.

Wanted: A top-floor apartment not far from Park Slope

Last December I decided I wanted to live somewhere quieter. I found someone to take over my lease really fast and landed my new place just as quickly.

I had been checking StreetEasy and other sites on and off for quite some time. When I made the decision to move, I got pretty focused and banged it out in about two weeks. I had a good sense of what I was looking for and saw five places, all top floor apartments within about 20-25 minutes of my office in Park Slope, before I landed on my current place in Midwood.

My new place costs $3,110 a month and I negotiated with the owner to pay the broker fee, give me two months free rent, secure a longer lease, and give me a reduction in monthly parking costs. I will also be doing rentals in the building, which will offset the cost of my higher rent.

How he likes his new place

I am now in a new construction, 75-unit rental building. It has a recreation room, gym, indoor and outdoor garage parking, roof deck, package room, and laundry room.

I took a top-floor corner unit with a balcony facing the back. The unit has all the bells and whistles, like central heat/AC, a dishwasher, stainless steel appliances, and an imported Italian marble bath with deep soaking tub and rain shower.

My street is busy, but the surrounding streets are calmer, with big houses and mansions. There are lots of different Kosher food options, as well as Caribbean and Italian restaurants. It feels like an area with a pretty strong sense of community.

I love how quiet my building is, and how much privacy I have on the top floor. I love the unobstructed sunlight I get, and how I can see all the way out to JFK. I love having a private outdoor space and being the first person to live in this unit. I just moved a week ago, so I’ve yet to really explore the neighborhood. I have explored the nearby Ditmas Park since I have friends there, and just sold a co-op there.

There’s not much I dislike so far. It would be nice if my unit had a little more storage, but I know new development apartments usually don’t have a ton of closets.

What he thinks of the nabe

I’ve found some great eateries in the area: Di Fara Pizza, Essen New York Deli, Bordeaux Steakhouse, Ayat, Mimi’s Hummus, and Sesame.

The Q train is five minutes away, but I still drive to work. I have added about 10-15 minutes to my commute to the office (22 minutes with no traffic, and about 30 with traffic), and I would be lying if I said I didn’t notice it. Working in real estate means I’m often going to other neighborhoods, but so far getting around hasn’t really felt too bad.

Overall, it was a great idea to head to Midwood. The noise in my last place was making me crazy and it wasn’t going to get better. My plan was to stay put in my last place until I was ready to buy, but as the expression goes, “we plan, God laughs.” I’ll stay here for at least two years and then re-evaluate if it is time to buy something.

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