Living in Park Slope -The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

June 2, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Hello again, ya’ll. It’s been a bit of a stretch and in that time, I’ve gotten to know my hood a bit more. And, amazingly, reading about it (and its borough) everywhere from the NYtimes to Nymag…to hearing a soundbite from Sex and the City. Carrie remarks to Miranda that “Brooklyn is the new Manhattan.”…

Location, Location, Location! Checking out the Neighborhoods

March 15, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Even thought it’s been two weeks, I feel like I’ve been searching for an apartment since foreeever. I’ve also been known to enjoy the hyperbole. To be honest, I haven’t made that much progress since we last spoke. Er. I wrote. Well, unless you could file ‘knowledge’ or ‘experience’ way under some useful category. For…

The Commuting Game . . .surprisingly less fun than Parcheesi

March 4, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Hey Blog readers, this girl is tired. Oh my goodness. I’m only at day 2 of the NEW job and already I’m exhausted. Why, you ask? Because trying to figure out my commute is stress in a basket. Which leads me to today’s topic: Getting to work on time VS not looking like a sweaty…

Kelly M’s guide to affordable Brooklyn neighborhoods

January 2, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

There are a lot of reasons to take a look at Brooklyn if you’re moving to New York on your own. The commute can be easy if you work downtown, the nightlife is so good you’ll go whole weekends without seeing the city, and Brooklyn has enough character to fit into three normal-sized U.S. cities,…

Ten essential places to find in your new hometown

October 25, 2007 | By Shelby AuthorMy First Apartment

This would make a fun Sunday project – a sort of recent-transplant treasure hunt. If, like me, your new hometown is teeny-tiny, you may have to venture outside the town limits to find some or even all of these places. Bring a friend, if you’ve have one, and make a day of it. 1. Greasy…

Apartment’s First Anniversary!

August 24, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

To be honest, it feels like yesterday that two strangers (soon to be roommates) and I signed a yearlong lease to an Apartment in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. The three of us had met on craigslist and with crossed fingers and toes, decided to make that leap from not knowing the other’s favorite color to knowing…

Time Flies

August 23, 2007 | By Kelly AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s almost been a year since I made my move to the Big Apple (well, across the river from the Big Apple, anyway), and I’ve been having a blast. The Jersey City apartment is still wonderful. I thought it was going to be really inconvenient living in New Jersey, but I’m actually closer to a…

We’re Going on Hiatus

June 29, 2007 | By Theresa AuthorMy First Apartment

The Philadelphia search has been such a rough one. I was being picky about the areas I wanted to go, but I know my comfort and safety in an area is definitely a high priority, aside from amenities like a washer and dryer. My friend Terry who suggested us rooming together in Philly suggested maybe…

When a murder happens on your block, security becomes VERY important

April 11, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Last week on my block, the city-dweller’s worst fear materialized; a woman was murdered, in what initially looked like a break-in. I came home from work to find a police car barricading the street and yellow tape slicing across the apartment in question and its surrounding lawn. It was a scene I’d only before seen…

New York City – City Guide

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

The Big Apple is made up of five boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Each has its own special character, neighborhoods, and dialect (some would say).