Lucy Cohen Blatter

A budget of around $4,200 a month means that if you're looking in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, you can choose from one-, two-,  three- or even five-bedroom apartments. Your money will generally go farther in the Bronx and Staten Island, though we couldn't find anything currently on the market in those boroughs for around that amount. (You'll either be able to save quite a bit, or have to bump up your budget to at least $4,500, according to the listings posted on StreetEasy.) So, this week it's all about those three boroughs.

Reading real estate headlines (and market reports) could leave you with the impression that New York City is a land of sky-high glass towers with rents that no one but millionaires can afford. But then you come across a place like this $1,900 two-bedroom, one-bath in a two-family house in Rego Park, Queens, and remember that the city is filled with quirky and affordable apartments.

If you're trapped at home with your kids today, you're going to need a long list of (apartment-friendly) activities to keep the whole family from going nuts. Parenting blog Cool Mom Picks unearthed a bunch of helpful suggestions (see part one and two) and, though the post is from last winter, it's an oldie but a goodie, especially today.