Welcome back to my 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…

Elizabeth Walker
Attorney

In what neighborhood was your first apartment located? 

 My first apartment was in Battery Park City. I found it on Craigslist after searching unsuccessfully for about 4 months. I was so excited not to have to commute 1h and 40 minutes one way to get to work! I was also so happy to be living in New York City.

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

 The apartment was a two bedroom that had been converted into a three bedroom by putting up a temporary wall inside of the living room—my room was that third bedroom. I shared the apartment with three roommates: two of them were a couple and shared one room, and then the second girl and I each had our own room.

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

I loved the convenience (it was near almost all of the subways) and the fact that it was close to a lot of parks. It was also very spacious with large windows, lots of light and high ceilings.  On the downside, one day a pipe burst in a neighboring apartment, and our apartment was completely flooded in about 6 inches of water and was uninhabitable for a few days [YIKES!]. Also, there were not a lot of nearby grocery stores in that area at the time, so any trip to the grocery store, always involved some type of transportation.

 What did you love about your first neighborhood? 

 Battery Park City is like its own little oasis—there are trees and lots of open space and of course, there is the Hudson River, with its views of Jersey City and the Colgate Clock. I loved walking along the Battery Park Esplanade and Rockefeller Park, especially right before sunset. It felt very removed from the rest of New York City and was a welcome change from my work environment (which was also in Manhattan). There’s also something to be said about being right near the bottom of Manhattan, and being able to walk to the Battery and look out towards New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and remember its significance and how this was the point of entry for so many people so long ago, and how interconnected New York is with the rest of the world.

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

If you are not in a time crunch, be patient. Decide ahead of time on your priorities and deal breakers, because that will make your searching much more efficient. Have some flexibility. Finally, make sure you choose a place that you feel safe in.