Tags: brooklyn apartment, new york, personal

And…We’re Moving!

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)

Tags: brooklyn apartment, new york, personal

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Lillie Rowe

September 23, 2015 3:49am 3:49 am

I’m totally in love with Carroll Gardens! A friend of mine lives there and I often visit her for calm brunches in the weekends. My children love to go to Carroll Park, so we often visit the neighborhood. We moved to Queens a year ago and now we are planning to move to Carroll Gardens or Cobble Hill. Greets!

Linjen Pichardo Neogi

December 1, 2014 1:45pm 1:45 pm

Hi. I know a little late, but welcome to Brooklyn. I am out in Park Slope and also moved from the City once we started a family. I think that’s the story of many parents in BK. Come out to Park Slope, which I call “stroller city.” *wink – Lots to do with kids and many free activities.

Visit Mommypoppins.com – She’s my Goddess! Saves me especially now that Winter is coming and cabin fever kicks in. You will find wonderful things to do all over BK, and all kid-friendly. In case you had not heard of her.

There are plenty of sing-a-longs too! I can send you the info. And if you ever need a play date, let me know. My son is 11 months. :)

Best,
L.

roopa

November 11, 2014 2:19pm 2:19 pm

Welcome to the neighborhood! I’ve lived in Carroll Gardens for more than a decade and have watched it transform, sometimes in horror, sometimes with delight. We (meaning me, husband, and our 20-month-old son) would be happy to show you our favorite spots or meet for a playdate in Carroll Park (or some lesser-known parks in the area).

Unknown

September 1, 2014 12:44pm 12:44 pm

Court street pastry for ices in the dinner and the best cannoli in the world. Esposito’s for awesome sandwiches to eat at the park and the best ravioli. Ferdinando’s for old school Sicilian! Caputo’s the bakery for amazing bread and caputo’s the mozzarella shop for cheese and ricotta, italian groceries, and pasta!

tabitha jvonne (kerr) akins

August 16, 2014 5:05pm 5:05 pm

Hi! Looks like you have a million comments about spots already but just wanted to say welcome to the hood. :) My husband and I live in the CG, as we like to call it, and it’s my favorite place in BK. I work freelance as a stylist and part time blogger. Anywhoo if you get to read my comment I would love to grab coffee sometime when you guys get settled or show you around. My husband happens to be the head barista at a local cafe { I KNOW.. how Brooklyn of us.. don’t judge} ;} Happy packing!

M Orraca

July 21, 2014 10:45pm 10:45 pm

An amazing ice cream shop on Sackett street that just opened: Hay Rosie yum! http://hayrosie.com/

Amy Lynne

July 15, 2014 3:44pm 3:44 pm

Congrats Joanna! Y’all will love LOVE Brooklyn. It’s been a year and a half for me and I don’t miss Manhattan AT ALL. When I was deciding where in Brooklyn to move I hosted a bunch of guest bloggers to talk about their neighborhood. Here’s the post about Carroll Gardens!

http://oldsweetsong.com/2013/02/should-i-move-to-carroll-gardens/

xo
Amy

Elvi

July 11, 2014 5:22am 5:22 am

Caroll Gardens is amazing! You will absolutely love it there! We live next door in Park Slope, but walk to Carroll Gardens (and Brooklyn Bridge Park) all the time. The amount of kids and families are insane and so are the things to do with them in the area :) Congrats on the new place!

nishis

July 10, 2014 1:13pm 1:13 pm

I know this is a week late, but Welcome to Carroll Gardens! Like one of the other commenters, I moved here as a single gal and am now married with a dog and a 6 month old. The neighborhood has changed so much in the 4 years I’ve lived here.
Best advice is to get on Bococa Parents– it is the best and there are tons of great kid-friendly tips there (and on Park Slope Parents to a lesser extent).
Would be glad to be friends and maybe even you could host a meetup of your readers in the ‘hood since it sounds like there are many of us around.
Hope to see you around the ‘hood!

Eco Organizer

July 9, 2014 2:15pm 2:15 pm

Don’t forgot the Boerum Hill area, there are great shops there like Acorn Toy Shop, Layla, GRDN, Eva Gentry and the Primary Essentials!

Jordan

July 8, 2014 8:47pm 8:47 pm

You will love this neighb! i’ve lived here for 5 years and have not been able to leave CG for any reason, no matter how hard I tried! I basically call anything from the Brooklyn Bridge down to Red Hook “Carroll Gardens” because they all run into each other nicely and in a weekend you are bound to cross over into all the neighborhoods. Good luck with the move and if I see you guys around I’ll say hello! Welcome to the best neighborhood in this amazing city :)

Rhiannon

July 8, 2014 11:38am 11:38 am

Carroll Gardens is great! In addition to all the recs here for restaurants and stuff – DEFINITELY sign up for the BoCoCa Parents listserv (it’s a Yahoo group). It’s very active, and a great place to find out what’s going on, buy/sell baby gear, etc.
There are also at least 2 groups of June/July moms from last summer who are still actively getting together (often on Friday afternoons). Feel free to email if you’d like to join.

Masud Rana

July 7, 2014 11:05pm 11:05 pm

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Anna

July 7, 2014 2:40pm 2:40 pm

I’m a brand new reader to your site…just found it today as I googled “families living in Brooklyn” as my husband and I are thinking of moving with our 4 kids BACK to Brooklyn from Atlanta!:) We miss it! Anyways, Carrol Gardens is so beautiful…you’ll love it! We were in Park Slope and hope to move back to that area again!

Amanda

July 7, 2014 2:30pm 2:30 pm

Alma is an amazing little spot for great Mexican food in that area– it’s on Columbia St.!! Enjoy your new home :)

Parrish McWhorter

July 6, 2014 11:12pm 11:12 pm

Ahh! I just stayed a week in a Carroll Gardens apartment from airbnb. The neighborhood was incredibly charming and it kind of broke my heart to leave it. There were adorable families everywhere and everything felt safe. Also, there was a Momofuku Milk Bar right beside the Subway which called for many Blueberry and Cream cookie treats. You’ll love it! Congratulations and good luck!

Eva

July 5, 2014 4:58pm 4:58 pm

Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m in Cobble Hill, right next door, and it is a fabulous place to have a family. You have to go to the little water playground at the end of Atlantic. Just about everything is baby-friendly in the area. You’ll love it.

Dorothy Lin

July 5, 2014 3:55pm 3:55 pm

Congratulations on the move! Carroll Gardens is a lovely neighborhood.

GOODANDDELICIOUS

July 5, 2014 12:02pm 12:02 pm

Oh! And take your kids to Adam Yauch park… what a trip to see a public landmark being named after a Beasty Boy LOL

GOODANDDELICIOUS

July 5, 2014 12:02pm 12:02 pm

Oh! And take your kids to Adam Yauch park… what a trip to see a public landmark being named after a Beasty Boy LOL

GOODANDDELICIOUS

July 5, 2014 12:00pm 12:00 pm

You are going to love it! Target is near by as is Trader Joe’s. The PathMark at Atlantic Terminal isn’t the funnest place, but you can stock up on lots of things there. The buses run on time, you have access to the Ikea shuttle by Borough hall or even Park Slope, which is not too far of a walk AT ALL! You have DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park, not to mention Prospect Park and the Splash Pad. You are also VERY close to Manhattan, trust me, the Subway ride (albeit crowded at rush hour) is not long at all! Oh and you have Sahadi’s near by and Damascus Bakery where you can get fresh pitas and halloumi cheese for super cheap and just after Sahadi’s walking towards the Key Foods you’ll see a little Korean Vegetable/Fruit Market that is a steal!

katie lee

July 5, 2014 9:01am 9:01 am

Carroll Gardens is great for kids! (Arguably one of the best in Brooklyn, second only to ParkSlope) I have a 3 and a half year old son and he loves Carroll Park, Momofuku, Smith Canteen, one girl cookies, area kids, and stinky’s cheese. And there are some great stores like soula. And you’re not too far from IKEA, and Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Prospect Park. You’ll love it!

Nicole H.S. Kaufmann

July 4, 2014 8:53pm 8:53 pm

Yay! You’re moving to our neighborhood! You’ll love Smith Canteen and Carroll Park, Frankie’s and Prime Meats. The Aardvarks classes are great for the boys, and ditto to Farmacy. Lucali’s Pizza is the best of all boroughs. We live on Second Place and can’t wait to see you in the hood!

Amanda

July 4, 2014 7:09pm 7:09 pm

you’re going to love it! i live in williamsburg but i work almost every weekend at the green building. come down for some of our events, like the performances gowanus arts and production put on, etc. some really amazing people down there. my husband and i have promised that if we ever move from williamsburg we’ll move down that way. i second the person who recommended arecibo as the most reliable car service.

brooklynash

July 4, 2014 2:32pm 2:32 pm

i live there. and yes, let’s do be friends! hope to see you for early breakfasts and late dinners at prime meats!

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