From Fort Greene to Midtown West: After raising a child in a fifth-floor walkup, we were ready for a more upscale lifestyle
- They moved from a four-bedroom duplex for $6,900 to a large one bedroom for $10,000 a month
"Neither of us would have thought of living in Midtown West, but we are loving it...We even left our apartment just 20 minutes before a Broadway show by foot and made it on time," Robin said.
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After Robin and Gary’s daughter graduated high school in Brooklyn, the couple realized they were no longer tethered to Brooklyn—or their fifth-floor walkup or their long commutes. So they set their sights on Manhattan and landed in a high-end new development that feels like a hotel. Here’s Robin’s story as told to Kelly Kreth.
I grew up in Great Neck and lived there through 10th grade and then moved to the Upper East Side and finished high school in the city. My husband, Gary, grew up in Southampton, New York.
As a family, we lived in Chappaqua, but after homeschooling our younger daughter for a few years, we enrolled her at Agile Learning Center, a progressive school for self-directed learners, in East Harlem. The daily commute from Westchester was hard, so we rented a small apartment in the neighborhood. When we decided we wanted to live in the city full time, we sold our house in Chappaqua and moved to the Financial District. When the school closed for the pandemic, my daughter decided she wanted to go to a more traditional school. She switched to Brooklyn Friends and we eventually moved to the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn to make the commute easier for her.
There we had a four-bedroom, three-bath duplex with a terrace in Brooklyn for $6,900 a month. The unit was the top two floors of a walk up and the building had zero amenities.
But the apartment was spacious and a great set up with a bedroom for my husband and I on one floor and one for our high school kid on the other. Having a patio was nice, but the apartment had challenges such as leaks and older appliances. Walking up five flights of stairs is good exercise but not always fun. There were no nearby transit options and Gary had a long, and sometimes quite long, commute. Plus, there were no parking garages in the area, so finding street parking was often time consuming and frustrating.
[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.]
We loved the eateries around there: Joe & Sal’s Pizza on Myrtle was my favorite for pizza—we never got sick of it!.
Some other places we liked: Karasu, a Japanese speakeasy behind Walter’s Restaurant on DeKalb; Lula Mae on Myrtle; and Glin Thai—sometimes I’d do take out from there three or four times a week.
Living close to Fort Greene Park and the farmers and artisan market on Saturday were fabulous—and it led us to open a pickle stand, Glick’s Pickles, featuring pickles brined with a family recipe.
In addition to running Glick’s Pickles, we also have three housecleaning companies: two are Maid Brigade franchises serving the suburbs north of the city and the third is ChirpChirp Housecleaning, which focuses on health and wellness. We have another business that provides training to ensure professional housecleaners deliver the highest quality services and have pride and dignity in their work.
Most mornings it took about 50 minutes to get to our various jobs, but coming back it ranged from one to three hours.
Why they moved
In June our daughter graduated high school and my mother was in assisted living in Midtown. Moving closer to Midtown was alluring because it would also improve Gary’s commute to White Plains.
We used Gary Kasparov, an agent at Douglas Elliman, to help find a place.
We originally planned to move to the Financial District and wanted a one or two bedroom rental at One Wall Street. We started looking early and saw a couple of units in that building but the timing wasn’t right. We didn’t want to move until May or June and by that time, there was nothing on the market. When we searched Midtown, the apartment we eventually rented was the only one available.
The application process was quite time-consuming and a bit stressful. We had to be approved by the co-op board, which was new to us. Thankfully, everything worked out, but there was a lot of paperwork involved. One of the major stressors was a delay in the board's decision, which coincided with the end of our current lease. If we had been turned down, it would have been a problem for us.
What they love about their new place
Our new place is very different from our walk-up on Myrtle Avenue. We're now in a luxury building with a doormen, concierge, and high-speed elevators. The amenities are incredible: a wellness center with a gym, sauna, steam room, pool, hot tub, and cold plunge, as well as a lounge with a screening room and wine tasting room. The rent for our apartment is $10,000 a month.
We’re in a one bedroom but it has 1,500 square feet so it’s roomy and the finishes and appliances are top of the line. We have a brand-new washer and dryer!
Everyone here is so nice and helpful. I have pinch myself to believe we're really here. It almost feels like we are on vacation. We are trying not to let that feeling get old.
Why they love their new neighborhood
Midtown West is lively thanks to the tourists, theaters, (window) shopping, MoMA, Rockefeller Center, and music from the pedicabs—there’s a lot going on.
Neither of us would have thought of living in Midtown West, but we are loving it. There's so much activity right outside our front door and we're only a few blocks from Central Park. The neighborhood is accessible to almost every subway line, making it easy to get anywhere in the city. We even left our apartment just 20 minutes before a Broadway show by foot and made it on time.
There are countless nice restaurants to enjoy, and we have found quiet side streets perfect for avoiding the hustle and bustle. Plus, it's convenient for visiting my mother. Despite so much energy outside, when we walk into our building it is very tranquil.
Before we moved in, we met with the agent to take measurements. It was a very hot day, and the doorman kindly invited us to wait inside. Gary agreed, but I chose to stay outside. Gary snapped a photo with his phone, and the doorman, who was outside with me, quickly opened the door and firmly informed him that no photos were allowed. He then tapped his earpiece implying that he had been alerted by someone monitoring inside. It felt like we were dealing with the secret service.
We have a restaurant downstairs, 53, that is amazing. I just learned they offer cooking and cocktail making classes and we are going to sign up for one in August. I used to work on 57th Street and Seventh Avenue after I graduated college and would go to the Soup Kitchen (this was before the Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode) and I was surprised and pleased that it’s still there, and that the soup is still great.
We went for a drink at the bar at the Baccarat Hotel and it was dreamy.
Other places we love:
Kin Ramen on West 56 Street is fun and delicious
La Bonne Soupe for fondue and croque madame
Michael’s Restaurant—we’re wowed by the great food and friendly service
Indian Accent has been a favorite since we were in East Harlem and it’s fun to have it so close by
Just Salad is super convenient
Naya for falafel
Simo pizza
Our daughter loves MakiMaki Sushi
Transportation is very convenient. Gary enters Grand Central Station from 48th Street and Madison for his reverse commute via Metro-North, an easy 41-minute train ride. The icing on the cake is how easy it is to visit my mother.
Friends and family love it—they note it is very different from our Brooklyn place. We hope to stay a long time.
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