Welcome back to my new feature, My First Apartment! In this piece, I interview New Yorkers on their experiences in their very first apartment here in NYC. They give the lowdown on the good and the bad plus some tips to help you along with your own home search.

Now let’s introduce our next interviewee…

Chandra Claypool
Paralegal
Check Out Her Instagram – Where the Reader Grows

In what neighborhood was your first apartment located? 

“East Williamsburg” is what they called it but really it was Bushwick.  From visiting New York before I moved, I really wanted to be in Astoria, but I was excited to be able to explore Brooklyn!

What size was it? (i.e. studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, etc) 

It was a 2 bedroom.  Small kitchen and “living room” but the rooms were huge.  I could fit my queen size bed, chest of drawers and even had a walk in closet!  This was primarily because it was a brand new building and we were paying for it, but for my first apartment, I was so excited!

What did you absolutely love and/or hate about your first apartment? 

I loved that it was brand new with great amenities.  We had washers and dryers in the basement, no doorman but video surveillance at the front door and everything was shiny and new.

What I hated was the exorbitant cost and that we technically did not have a super right away.  No heat for the first month of winter, which is NOT fun.  It was a constant battle to get anything done, even when we did end up with a super, [he] lived in Jersey and was virtually no help to us when we needed anything.  I also did not like that it was fairly remote – close on the L train, but these were long warehouse blocks.

What did you love about your first neighborhood? 

I loved exploring. It was a 20 minute walk to the heart of Williamsburg. As it was also my first year in New York, I was learning a lot [like] how many groceries I should buy on any trip, all the decadence of food options and the diversity of people.  It was pretty much exactly how I’d hope my first year would go.

Any words of wisdom to share with first timers looking in the city? 

Do the research for the neighborhood you’re living in.  Make sure it’s affordable for your budget and that you feel it’s a safe place for you.  But absolutely and wholeheartedly realize you will probably have to make compromises… and trust that they will be worth it!