Matthew Conley and Paul Passavant wanted to leave the Bushwick party scene and live in a more serene place. They landed in Inwood, where they like to explore the historic locations and parks of the area. Matthew shares their story as told to Kelly Kreth.
I come from Topeka, Kansas and my husband Paul Passavant is from Miami. I moved to NYC in 2007 and Paul moved here in 2010. I moved for an internship and Paul moved to NYC for work. We met in 2018 and married in 2018 in Kansas City. Most recently we lived in Bushwick with our dog, Sting Rae.
We rented an apartment with two bedrooms with one and a half baths. It was a new building and our rent was $ 3,800. It had long ceilings, great neighbors, a private bar and finished roof deck, making it a great place for us at the time.
We liked it that it was brand new when we moved. It was in a dead end, so it was relatively quiet. It was also near many of our friends.
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But we didn’t like the increasing level of parties in the area because it became more popular with a younger audience.
Initially we felt attracted to Bushwick because it was young, diverse and full of creatives. I am self -employed in sustainability advice for large -scale business events and Paul works in clothing production for one of the largest companies in Korea.
I work from home and Paul commands to Times Square, which can last 40 to 45 minutes. Some striking places in the Nabe were Sushi & Noodle, Amitofo for vegan dishes, and Mr. Kiwi.
Wanted: a two bedrooms because ‘we are big boys’
We decided to move at the beginning of July because we had the feeling that we had outgrown Bushwick and needed a quieter neighborhood with more nature.
We used Streeteasy in the beginning where we found our broker, Sabrina Seidner at Corcoran. We told her that we needed a rent with two bedrooms-we are big boys and need space for our puppy. Our maximum budget was $ 4,200 and we would rather be close to a park for our dog.
We saw about 20 places before we make trust fall into our new apartment. It was worth the wait.
What they think of their new place
Our rent is in a co-op building, so we had to be approved by the board. This was a scoop for us and we didn’t know how long the process lasted, but again, it was worth it in the end.
The cooperative of 41 units was built in 1918 and our new place is a convertible three bedrooms in a sunny southwestern corner unit only two flights up. It has pre -war charm and great energy thanks to nine foot ceilings, a beautifully renovated kitchen and lots of cupboard space. We also love our formal dining room. Our new rent is $ 4,000.
Although we left windows a private outdoor space and floor-to-ceiling, we have won so much more.
Impressions of their new neighborhood
Our building is located on a trees lined with trees in the heart of Inwood near shops, restaurants and transport. We are vegan and we like it Serrano Salsa For their vegan burritos and visit the Buurtboerenmarkt every week.
We especially love our new proximity Innwood Park; We recently saw a wild beaver during a walk and we were surprised that we were still in Manhattan.
Food and laundry are much more convenient here. We have a coveted and rare in a pre-war unit-in a unit of washing machine/dryer. I don’t like to dress up to do a load of laundry. What a great advantage! According to the A and 1 metro lines and Paul we were 20 minutes of his daily living work traffic.
Our friends love the space and historic areas in the neighborhood. It is a total upgrade! We first met a few puppy friends and then their people.
It was 1,000 percent a great idea to move here and we are planning to stay and explore for a long time.
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