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I’d been living with a roommate in a railroad apartment deep in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I liked the neighborhood, but the crowded 45-minute long commute to Midtown was killing me. 

Also, I had to walk through a public hallway (as in, outside of my actual apartment)  to get to the kitchen and bathroom. I considered it the lesser of two evils – the alternative would have been to walk through my roommate’s room – but I didn’t want to keep streaking through the building in a towel either.

A friend had a room in her true two-bedroom apartment in Hudson Heights for $750 a month, the same amount I was paying in Brooklyn.

I moved in at the beginning of October, and have found that in some ways, the two neighborhoods are very similar.

They are both sort of tucked away, have cool views of Manhattan, and a European influence. Greenpoint has the small town charm and the best doughnuts in the world, while Hudson Heights has the benefit of Fort Tryon Park and a fast commute.  It's 20 minutes on the A-train from 181^st and Broadway to Midtown. From Greenpoint, it is at least a 10-minute walk and two or three transfers. 

Food and commerce-wise, Greenpoint has a Polish influence, whereas in Hudson Heights, there are more Russian shops. There are an assortment of restaurants, but certainly not the variety of downtown Manhattan.

My local grocery store in Brooklyn closed at 8:30pm--seriously--so I’m relieved that things stay open a bit later than that. On the other hand, Greenpoint and nearby Williamsburg have more nightlife than my new neighborhood. I haven’t been out much around here, and usually travel downtown to meet friends. The trip home isn’t as long as the trip back to Brooklyn, and not as likely to get interrupted on weekends by MTA construction.

The one thing I really miss about my old neighborhood is doughnuts from Peter Pan Bakery. Sure, there are doughnuts in Manhattan, but I think that the marble crullers from Peter Pan may be worth the hour-long trek to get there. 

Transitions highlights New Yorkers’ first impressions as they transition from one neighborhood to another.  Want to tell us your transition story? Drop us an email.

Related:

Transitions: East Village to Midtown West

Then & Now: My East Village apartment still fits, but the neighborhood doesn't

The 7 worst places to live in a building

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