I Heart Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (Or: Josh H. Pulls a Miranda)

Next Sunday I'll be all moved into my new apartment.

(So much for homelessness, I guess.)

But, the surprise?

It's in Brooklyn. And I couldn't be happier about it.

I always thought I was one of the "Oh, I could never leave Manhattan!" guys, but when I took a trip out to Brooklyn's Cobble Hill neighborhood to see the place, I fell instantly in love with the area and the apartment itself.

A quiet residential street in Cobble Hill, taken on my KRZR.

What's so special, you ask? Well, kind of everything.

The minute I stepped out of the subway I stepped into a world of tidy, intimate streets, bustling with twenty- and thirty-somethings, young families, and all manner of creative-looking folk. Everywhere I turned there was an organic grocer, an independent coffee shop, boutique restaurants I'd read about, and -- oh yes -- the promise of a real Target not far away. And, more intangibly, there's just a different feeling about the neighborhood: something more restful, slightly more optimistic, and easier-going than the world of Manhattan.

And then, the shock of the apartment: The place is basically split into two wings; one wing for me, one for my roommate. My wing offers a large room -- about 12 feet by 24 feet -- with the bonus of a bedroom (with a door) that's about 9 by 10. The price? Less than $1,000 a month, generously below the market value. I didn't expect to be able to afford that kind of square footage in New York until my early 30s. (In Hell's Kitchen, for example, I would have gotten a 10 by 12 bedroom for the same price, and it certainly wouldn't have gotten me three large windows with a view to boot.)

Am I going to miss Hell's Kitchen? Of course. The proximity to Josh K. and Dylan and my favorite brunch and dinner haunts is unparalleled. That's not to say I won't be back; I'll be back plenty.

But when it's time to go home at the end of the day, now I'll have a nice big apartment waiting for me in one of the cutest neighborhoods I've ever seen in New York. The elderly landlords prefer to rent only to friends of the renters who are leaving, and thus they keep the rent low to attract and keep quality renters. That price, that neighborhood, that square footage -- it's the kind of deal a boy couldn't refuse.

And, just like that, I have a new apartment.

Super Brooklyn Saturday

Later, after seeing my new apartment, I went to an Obama fundraiser held in the gorgeous, gigantic Park Slope brownstone of one of the senior editors from the magazine where I work. I was intrigued by the event and the passion of those attending (including indie movie star Hope Davis -- love her), but I have to stay I'm still 70% Clinton, 30% Obama. I was 100% Clinton before Bill and Hillary pulled a few ugly, unnecessary moves in South Carolina, but the core of my love is still there, even though things aren't looking entirely rosy for Hill these days from the perspective of the electoral count.

Much later, after dinner on Bedford Street with Dylan and the Manchattan boys, we hit up the (newish) Williamsburg gay club, Sugarland. The only problem? We showed up at 11:15, apparently the equivalent of showing up at the hottest new restaurant in town at 4:45 p.m. and hoping to get the full experience. Coat check wasn't even open. But by 12:30 the place was full, and by one it was packed. The atmosphere was low key, the drinks were reasonable (and good), and the music kept us on the dance floor for most of the night. Finally, after three o'clock, we tripped out onto the street and back to the L train. I'm glad I went, but I still have to say that Metropolitan is still my favorite gay bar in all of New York.

On The iPod

Not long ago we proclaimed our love for British singer Adele. This week we were delighted to see Adele's song "Hometown Glory" available free on iTunes (but only until Tuesday, so get your hands on it ASAP). We were happy to see that another of her songs "Best for Last," which we hadn't heard, was also available for sale. We're waiting with breath that's baited for Adele's full debut album to drop later this year.

Further Reading

"The Upside of the Downside" | New York magazine | The economic boom in the United States and in New York City is coming to a close, but perhaps--dare they say it?--there's an upside. Also, an examination of wealth and possession mind games NYC sometimes plays on its denizens.

"The Tragedy of Britney Spears" | Rolling Stone | Vanessa Grigoriadis's in-depth, comprehensive, no-holds-barred look at Britney Spears -- from toddler to mentally ill pop tart -- minces no words.

Comments

[scholiast]

congratulations on the new place!

[Ruben]

Congrats on the new place!! Sounds adorable.

I moved to Dubai, UAE on a long term engagement last month and I am CRAVING a gay bar. You know they're pretty much illegal here. If caught, you can get arrested and deported. So, I've kept my happy butt on the 'straight & narrow'. Suppose I could use a break from boys for about a year.

Haven't been able to catch up with you guys until now - and it was good to read your posts since Jan. SO...

Happy Anniversary! I can't believe I've been reading you guys for over two years. Amazing and truly a testament to your talent to keep your posts fresh, interesting and funny.

Happy Belated Birthday Josh H. May you have many many more.

Ta!

[mkf]

two points:

(1) if among the "ugly, unnecessary things" you're thinking the clintons pulled against obama in south carolina you're including bill's comparison of barack's win there to jesse jackson's in a previous race, you should know that his comments were made not on their own as is widely believed, but in response to a reporter's specific question referencing jackson's previous win--and, of course, in subsequent "reporting" of the story, said reporter's question was strategically edited out in order to leave the impression that bill came up with that shit on his own as a way to discount obama's win in the most crass, play-the-race-card way possible (and please understand: i bring up this point not because i'm a fan of the clinton machine--far from it, actually--but rather because of my generalized distaste for dishonest spin).

(2) on a totally unrelated note: having found a decent, affordable neighborhood, how many minutes are you away from manhattan? potentially-aspiring new yorkers wanna know.

[Mark]

Hi there,

I was a bit disappointed with Adele's album, but we are loving this lady at the moment:
http://www.myspace.com/duffymyspace
She's being touted as a replacement for Amy Winehouse. I love her voice!

[Matt]

Hometown Glory is sooo good. I have been listening to it over and over for days. Great recommendation.

[Tony]

Cobble Hill?! How did you find that apartment? I'm looking to move to NY from DC and that's the neighborhood I would give a minor organ to be in.

[chrisnyc]

so sad to lose an HKer...i had fleeting dreams of befriending you guys randomly one day...we need normal gay friends and you guys seem like them.

Anyways, hope you enjoy as it sounds amazing.

[Cooper]

Congrats on the new apartment, and welcome to the neighborhood! :)

[Seth]

I loved living in Cobble Hill when I was in grad school in the early '90s. Henry Street was a joy to come home to after a hard day in the city.

[charlie]

OMG - you should go to socialcrisis.net ... its like the gay brooklyn blog and they did a write up on your blog

!