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January 11, 2017
Finding A Home In NYC



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn





apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



Finding a place to truly call home in New York City is extremely tough, especially when you’re looking for something that you want to stay in for the long haul. Most apartments are tiny walk ups with limited amenities, no built in A/C or heat, and noisy as all get out. Some say it’s part of the sacrifice to live in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Until this year I would’ve thought that was just how it goes, but now I know it doesn’t have to be that way. As most of you guys know we just moved into a new apartment in August and absolutely love it. It’s perfect for us right now – we have plenty of space for the 2 of us, amenities like a gym, washer/dryer, friendly doormen, grills and best of all it’s within our budget.

But one day in the near future we’re going to need more space and eventually want to own something of our own. It’s a conversation we have every now and then, but the answer is still totally up in the air – where would we go? I used to think it was impossible to truly stay close to the city and have a lot more space and keep those kinds of amenities.

We had a chance to visit a new luxury building called 550 Vanderbilt designed by COOKFOX Architects right in the middle of 8 acres of outdoor space and a beautiful Thomas Balsley designed area called Pacific Park and realized that it’s not only possible, but there are so many more options than we ever realized in Brooklyn. The building has everything from studios up to 4 bedroom apartments and so much to offer for a family.


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


Exploring Brooklyn with the 550 Vanderbilt building behind us

It’s not only a stunning building, but truly a place that you could call home and raise a family. There’s a roof deck with a gorgeous view for dinner parties, a daycare center going in Pacific Park and tons of retail and restaurants a stone’s throw away.


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


When it comes to finding a true place to call home, I know that proximity to all of your needs is really important – especially after having it all at our fingertips for so many years. It can be tough to find everything you want and like right by your place. The beauty of the Pacific Park area is that you can truly have it all right down the street from the building. We wanted to explore the area and get a feel for what it had to offer, so we took our date night to Brooklyn to see where the night would take us!

DRINKS AT SODA BAR


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


On a date night we love to start with some cocktails either at the restaurant or a nearby bar. When we first met, MG was very happy to hear that I like whiskey. Blame it on my southern roots, but especially in the winter we love cozying up a local bar and having some old fashioned’s. Soda Bar might be one of our new favorite spots – we instantly loved it walking in. It has an old school feel (and an ancient cash register that I think is so cool), they played all the hits, and the bartender was super friendly. We are big on finding neighborhood bars to frequent and with it being just a few minutes down the street from the building that was a huge plus.

VANDERBILT AVENUE



brooklyn_vanderbilt_nightlife_1





brooklyn_vanderbilt_nightlife_2



Vanderbilt is such a cool street – if you haven’t been over to that area you really need to make a point to go when you can explore. There are tons of boutiques and artisanal shops to check out and tons of different restaurants for you to try. I could eat noodle soup 5 times a week if he would let me, and White Tiger is supposed to have great options and delicious bibimbap.

DINNER AT FAUN


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn




apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


We haven’t been venturing out for fancy dinners as often lately because we’ve been trying to learn how to cook, so when we do we love to try new spots. Faun’s menu was made for sharing and we enjoyed getting to try things together.

The food was exquisite. You know when you go to a restaurant and you try a dish that’s so good that you remember the bite even days later? That was us with the sardines. Unbelievable! The ambiance is perfect for a romantic night for two.

AMPLE HILLS ICE CREAM


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn



apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


Our first year dating MG used to get shakes all of the time at a spot in between our apartments in SoHo. We both have quite the sweet tooth and love a little ice cream indulgence after dinner, especially if it’s on the way home. Ample Hills is one of the best in the whole city and also perfect if you need to sneak out and grab the little ones a treat.


apartment hunting nyc, brooklyn residential buildings, 550 vanderbilt, pacific park brooklyn


The building and area were both eye opening for us as we continue to figure out what the future looks like and where we’ll call home. Thanks for coming along on our date night adventure!

Photos by Madi Atkins

A huge thanks to Pacific Park Brooklyn and 550 Vanderbilt for partnering with us for this post!

Christine! Discovering new neighborhood spots are so exciting and I love that you included MG in this post! This is one of my favorite posts about your personal life :) ps i hope that didn’t come off as too weird haha

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