Looking for an Apartment in Brooklyn Heights!

Looking for an apartment in Brooklyn Heights:

            It is Sunday afternoon. Jordan’s agent, Sam from Tennessee,  calls Jordan and tells her that there is a great sunny 2 bedroom she should see in Brooklyn Heights for $2900  a month that will go fast.

            We look at each other and nod, we need to go- besides, its Real Estate!  Every other store front in Cobble Hill is a Real Estate office.  It’s booming, having gone up 15% since last year.   The neighborhood has some very nice Brownstones, some carriage houses, tree lined streets and eclectic shops; it also has great public schools, saving the parents up to $30,000 a year in private school tuition.  The rents are very high.  The apartment we are going to see is in Brooklyn Heights, same brownstones though somewhat bigger and the streets have no litter.  Too perfect for Jordan: “I really don’t like Brooklyn Heights,  it reminds me of Pacific Heights.”  That’s a neighborhood where we had a four story house in the 80’s overlooking the city and bay.  I redid the whole house on a modest budget, it was $750,000 in 1982, and it turned out to be a very strange period of our life.  I never minded Pacific Heights, but Jordan’s feelings are different. 

            We take the babies down the two flights of stairs, and put them in the stroller. We start walking to Brooklyn Heights.  It’s about 9 blocks.  I am thinking of one of the apartments, condos we went to for a Christmas party.  We get to Montague and Henry St. and turn left.  This is a street with shops!  Already I don’t like it for a residential home.  We get to the building, near le Pain Quotien, there are three steps to get in the door and another three steps to get to the hallway.  Impossible!  Sam, who has been waiting, must help with the stroller.  Next the elevator is too small for the 2 seater baby stroller.  This is out!

            Jordan goes up the stairs and quickly comes down.  I knew it wouldn’t work, nothing felt right.

            Sam walks with us back to our street.  I ask about prices for buying.

            “Well, a two bedroom in Cobble Hill runs about 700 a square foot, a thousand square feet apartment is $700,000!"  

This isn’t anything fabulous, usually just a small two bedroom and living room.  It’s what might be a starter apartment anywhere else in the country.

            We get back to our street and immediately feel better.  In Jordan's apartment the stairs can be managed.  It’s got one large room, 42x 12, with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and a kitchen, bathroom, and small bedroom off of it.  "I get really depressed if my environment isn't good" Jordan says.  I agree, it brings up past moves, past traumas, past everything.  I want to get back to her place. My heart is pounding.

For weeks Jordan has been complaining about this apartment.  There are no closets, it is impossible for more than one person, there is no washer dryer, a third floor walkup is undoable.  But suddenly the big log with sun in a beautiful brownstone looks great!