Last fall, we moved from the West Village to an apartment farther downtown in Battery Park City. We planned to stay for a year or two until we could find a place in Brooklyn, but then…

It’s starting to feel like we’re living alone in a huge building—Alex jokes that it’s like The Shining. (Especially when Toby rides his scooter up and down the empty hallways. Spooky.)

So! We knew we had to move asap, but where? California? Brooklyn? A small town? The Brooklyn real-estate market is nuts, and buying a place was proving impossible, so we didn’t really know what to do next.

But last week, we were thrilled to find a lovely rental apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn! Our new place is a sweet walk-up with a little balcony. The neighborhood is known for leafy streets and old brownstones, and we’re excited about moving there. We LOVED the community feel of the West Village, so we’re hoping we can establish that in Brooklyn.

Crazy side note: Alex actually hasn’t seen the apartment. I went to the showing by myself, and apartments rent so quickly in New York that we had to make an immediate decision. So I took some snapshots with my phone and described all the details…and we ended up applying and getting it. I hope he likes it!

Anyway, thanks so much for reading. Do you guys know Carroll Gardens (or the surrounding neighborhoods) at all? I would SO appreciate any recommendations of things to do with kids, good restaurants, etc.! We’re looking forward to exploring. And if you live there….want to be friends? ;)

P.S. The Cup of Jo Guide to NYC.

(Top photo by Julia Robbs for this post)