Finding an Apartment in NYC

Yeah, yeah, moving sucks. It’s not exactly news. If you want to experience another level of complicated, come to New York. After making the move to this, the most wonderfully frenetic city on earth, you’ll have a new appreciation of what a chore moving can be.

Step one: find a pad.

Locating a suitable apartment is not always so easy. The standard way to find an apartment has become Craigslist’s apartments section.

But you have to be careful. There are lots of scams and misrepresentations out there, so being an informed consumer is important. Check out listings for similar places in the same neighborhood, and get a feel for the price range. If you see a listing that’s significantly cheaper than the rest, it’s likely to be a scam.

Of course, this requires getting familiar with New York City’s rather varied neighborhoods. This is actually a lot of fun, though it takes some time. Check out the Department of City Planning’s site for good maps showing the different neighborhoods.

This Finding Dulcinea guide is also a useful resource, and should be referred to often.

Pinisi Cafe

Okay, these guys deserve another blog entry for their other location. Pinisi Cafe (18 1st Ave East Village) is a bright, comfortable space with wifi and good large coffees for $1.75. This is an excellent continuation of the living room theme started in the post below. I might even like this place better because the people who run Pinisi are so welcoming.

The B Cup

The B Cup (212 Avenue B East Village) is the perfect place to sip coffee and get some work done on the laptop. Featuring comfortable furniture, fast wireless, lots of windows looking out on Avenue B and 13th Street, this is the living room you don't have if you live in the neighborhood.

Against the Grain

If they had wifi, I might never leave this place. Against the Grain (620 East 6th Street East Village) is a real beer lover's kind of bar. It's small, straightforward, with handsome dark wood, a window overlooking some classic alphabet City graffiti, and an extensive beer list. And the bartenders care about beer. Yeah. That'll do it.

Duke's

This is my new favorite scuzzy bar. Duke's On C (129 Avenue C East Village) is a Loisada treasure. $3 good beers for happy hour and fast wifi. Yeah, that about does it for me. On top of that, though, this place encourages a really friendly casual atmosphere.

Kebab Cafe

Steinway Street in Astoria is one of the best places in the city for food, especially Middle Eastern food. One of the major culinary anchors of the community is Kebab Cafe (2512 Steinway Street Astoria). Kebab Cafe is an adorable little northern Egyptian restaurant. Propriety Ali is famous for serving up unusual meat dishes in this cozy little space. Without taking anything away from the meats, I am personally a fan of his vegetarian appetizer platter- which is gorgeous and offers an excellent value for the money.

Burp Castle

Burp Castle (41 East 7th Street East Village) is a deservedly famous destination for beer drinkers. This place has an extensive rotating tap list, and bartenders that are genuinely interested in the finest beverage ever invented. The paintings on the walls, apparently by a now forgotten artist, are reminiscent of Bruegels, and inspire a thirst for Belgian wheats.

Pinisi Bakery

Pinisi Bakery (128 East 4th Street East Village) is downright adorable. They serve good coffee and outstanding homemade baked good. The other day I discovered that they have bhut jolokia cupcakes! I'm not so huge on desserts, but if ever there were a way to get me to buy a cupcake!

New Saigon

I really enjoy New Saigon (59 First Avenue East Village). Okay. This place is definitely for take out, owing to the fact that it is a downright homely hole in the wall. But take a few bites of this surprisingly fresh, gingery Vietnamese influenced Chinese cooking, and you'll be hooked. The people who run this place care about quality, and it sure comes through in the food. Also, at around $5 a portion, this place offers an excellent value for the neighborhood.

Habib's Place

Yeah, Habib should wear a crown, he's the falafel king of the East Village. Habib's Place (89 Avenue A East Village) is worth checking out. Conveniently located next to the world music destination Drom, serves some of the best Middle Eastern food downtown. Habib's trick is to make fresh falafels for each customer, and the results are simply delicious. For under $5 you can get a falafel and hummus sandwich with the works, a good value indeed.

Abraco

Okay. Trying to pick the best espresso in New York City is probably an impossible task. One place that is clearly a strong contender is Abraco (86 E 7th Street, East Village). This is not a coffee house, as in sit around all day playing on the laptop and sipping. This is an espresso bar, a tiny hole in the wall serving some of the strongest and tastiest espresso I've ever had.