NYC. The city that never sleeps, where dreams are made and anything can happen in a New York minute. People trek from all over the world to visit this city, and a lucky few million call it home. But, what is it like moving to a busy metropolitan in the midst of a global pandemic? How do you even stay social distanced in a city famed for its crowds and busy nightlife?

NYC has always been a favorite destination for me. Some of my favorite people live here and the very real personalities of the city have never failed to excite, entertain and fulfill me. From the hipster streets of Brooklyn, to the bustling mid-town of Manhattan, each burough, and within each burough-the neighborhoods that make them, all have distinct and diverse rhythms and feels all their own.

When moving to NYC, the first consideration is the same for all Real Estate moves – location location location. With remote working being my current normal, it opened the whole city to consideration. Parts of the city were immediately struck off… too far from my current friends, not enough access to transportation or parks, or so far that when I do go back to working in person-the commute would be a killer. I centered my search on the Village, stretching from the West Village to the East River. It’s an area of history and progress, gorgeous architecture, and almost most importantly during these lonely quarantine days-easy access to my “safe pod” my best friend and her family who are also socially distanced and careful. 

In the end, I chose the East Village, more specifically, Alphabet City. It’s a neighborhood filled with an incredible mix of artists, local shops and restaurants, great parks (Hello, Tompkins)  and access to the East River Park (soon to be RIP). My street is bustling with school children and locals, doubtful many tourists would ever make their way to this little corner of the city.  It’s within a short walk to amazing restaurants, any local shop you could hope to find, and great access to transportation, No-Ho/So-Ho, Little Italy and Greenwich Village. With slightly longer, but gorgeous, walks I can be in trendy Williamsburg, Mid-Town and Tribeca. 

The second, maybe it should be tied for first, consideration is budget. It’s a common trope that you can only get a one room, no windowed, fifth floor walk up for anything approaching reasonable prices in Manhattan. With Covid the rents in NYC dropped significantly in Manhattan, though not as much in the other buroughs. So many people moved during the height of the pandemic that inventory for empty apartments was at an all time high, causing rents to drop dramatically. 

Many landlords also offered additional concessions like a months free rent or extra amenities like paying for a laundry service to pick up, wash and fold, and return your laundry. I was only able to rent the apartment I finally found due to these rent drops, I lucked out and got it for almost half of what it rented for 3 years ago. With the vaccination schedule moving along, and people missing the city, that seems to be ending.

I started my search the way we all do nowadays, online. There’s not a central MLS for NYC, so I used various apps (such as Street Easy, and Naked Apartments) and groups (such as The Listings Project). They allowed me to search my very specific requirements (allow pets, multiple bedrooms-not a given in NYC, and no 5th floor walk-ups). Most apartment listings have virtual tours uploaded now, something I hope continues post pandemic. This nifty add on allowed me to shuffle my priorities for viewing and narrowed the list down to about 20.

From there I was lucky enough to have a local to look for me (ever grateful for amazing friends!). They worked with me on my online list, giving me feedback on streets and amenities. Then they went to see my final list in person.  I think they knocked out 12 apartments in one day when “we” found my final choice. Some apartments were easy to knock off (like the one whose only bathroom sink emptied into the toilet), and in the end-my perfect apartment was an easy choice. It’s a beautiful building with great light, high ceilings, a rooftop and an unimaginable three bedrooms and two bathrooms (just don’t ask me how big my kitchen is, it practically doesn’t exist).

With the high apartment inventory, you might think the pressure would be off on moving quickly on an apartment. That was the case for a brief time at the beginning of the pandemic. If anything, where things are now, the lower rents have generated an absolute frenzy on desirable, affordable housing. If you find a place and have done your research beforehand to know exactly what you want, you have to be prepared to move fast. There can be multiple competing applications and frequently a great apartment may be rented prior to even going to market

I’ve only been here a few months, new enough that I still measure walks in miles rather than blocks. I haven’t quite got used to the idea of dropping your laundry off to be done, and get giddy when I can order any food imaginable in the middle of the night. Rental hunting during a pandemic may have been a challenge, but I can promise it is worth every masked exploration and every single virtual tour. Welcome to renting NYC!!!