Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
1) What do you get when you cross a bunch of irritating people and an ungentrified New York City neighborhood? A Neighborhood Trend Piece! Apparently not content with the "little known" pockets of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, The Times' trendiest new neighborhood is Mott Haven in the South Bronx. Citing a drastic drop in crime and recent revitalization efforts, the area is surely ripe for gentrifyin', which, we are told, residents "should embrace." But don't take the Gray Lady's word for it; frontierswoman/PR person Rachael Lyon recently moved to Mott Haven, and she just loves the place. "I said, never, ever, over my dead body, would I ever live in the Bronx; it just had such a stigma about it," she actually, truly says. "But everybody is so cool, and so laid back, and it has everything you want in a neighborhood." If you suddenly feel disoriented, it's just your eyeballs rolling out of your head. [Mott Haven, the Bronx, in Transition; photo via welcome2thebronx/Curbed Photo Pool]
2) Every "The Hunt" column begins with the Hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunter: a woman looking to rent
Price
Dream: $2,000/month
Reality: $2,250/month
Neighborhood
Dream: Upper East Side
Reality: Upper East Side
Amenities
Dream: Studio/1BR, pet-friendly
Reality: 1BR, pet-friendly, large kitchen
Summary
This week's Hunter is a young woman looking to rent on the Upper East Side, along with her adorable dog and cat (regrettably not pictured). Beyond a pet-friendly studio/one-bedroom, she was not picky, and set out with a budget of around $2,000/month. However, with limited options, she soon raised her budget to $2,300, eventually finding a railroad-style one-bedroom in Yorkville in the 80s, after passing over it at first. The rent was $2,250, plus a $4,000 broker's fee. She moved in last winter and is reportedly making some killer grilled cheeses. [The Hunt/A Good Kitchen on the Upper East Side]
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