New York Habitat Blog

The jig is up. The secret is out. People are flocking to Brooklyn in droves.

The reasonable prices, proximity to the city, and the quiet of living outside Manhattan have motivated buyers and renters alike to cross the bridge. Our article, New York Habitat offers rentals in Brooklyn Housing Boom, comments on the borough’s rise to fame. Within Brooklyn, New York Habitat has put the spotlight on a one-bedroom brownstone apartment (NY-11601) in the thriving neighborhood of Boerum Hill.
 
Furnished, One-Bedroom Apartment in Brooklyn:

“It was just perfect!”

In his review, Armand of the Netherlands raves about this “very nice apartment” and the services of New York Habitat. This one-bedroom accomodation is situated on the garden level of a brownstone. Primely located on tree-lined Wycoff Street, the apartment is merely two blocks in one direction from trendy Smith Street and, in the other direction, four blocks from the bustling Atlantic Avenue.

The 700 square foot apartment features decorative fireplaces and windows that look out onto a charming garden. The garden is maintained by the owners who reside in the floors above the rental and who have also proven to be incredibly helpful to the occupants.

Donna comments that the apartment “had everything we required for our stay and the hosts even supplied a high chair and some toys for our child.” Several families have rented this apartment, all of whom have appreciated the comfort of the apartment and of the “great family neighborhood.”

The brownstone is conveniently located near the F and G trains, which run along Smith Street. The F train is only three short stops away from Manhattan. A little further away are the B, M, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains at Atlantic Avenue, which also carry you into Manhattan.
 
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn:

Stretching from about Third Avenue to Court Street and from Schermerhorn Street to Douglass Street, Boerum Hill has overcome a see-saw of a history. By the 1960s, the neighborhood had drastically declined. It lost its name of Boerum Hill and was lumped together with several other neighborhoods to form the area called Gowanus or South Brooklyn.

Beginning in the 70s, a group of preservationists made it their mission to restore the area to its former glory. They began to inhabit and revitalize the 19th century brownstones that dominate the area. As the fruits of their labor began to flourish, new business arrived in the area, as well as interested renters and buyers. The neighborhood, then, reclaimed its previous name, Boerum Hill.

Today, Boerum Hill has become a showroom of renovated brownstones, new and trendy restaurants, a happening bar scene, and charming cafes. Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue have become hot spots for Brooklyn’s happy hour and the weekend night scene.

New York Magazine, in fact, named Smith Street “the most innovative, exciting restaurant row” in the city. Not only has Boerum Hill become a fun destination for Brooklynites, but tourists and even inhabitants of Manhattan are beginning to flock there.

What makes this Brooklyn brownstone a Hidden Gem?

New York Habitat currently has many apartments being offered in Brooklyn. This one-bedroom apartment stands out among the rest because of its charming location, the soothing garden view, and the accommodating nature of the owners. All in all, this apartment has proven to be a Hidden Gem.

Do you know of any happening bars or great restaurants in the Boerum Hill area? Leave a comment below.

Are you looking to rent a furnished accommodation in New York, Paris or London? Are you environmentally conscious? Well if you said yes to both of these questions, New York Habitat can offer some tips to make your apartment rental more environmentally friendly.

What to look for when booking an apartment:

• Double-paned windows. Many of our apartments are equipped with double-paned windows, which are more efficient at keeping out the cold in the winter and heat in the summer.
• Individually controlled heat and air conditioning systems. Apartments with this type of setup allow you to control the amount of energy you use rather then continuously pumping out hot or cold air.
• Proximity to the subway. When visiting major cities, renting a car is not necessary. New York, London and Paris have three of the most extensive subway systems in the world, making it relatively easy to visit any part of the city by train. Furthermore, extensive intercity and commuter rail systems make it possible to travel as far as 100 miles from the city center in as little as one hour.
• Rooftop gardens. One of the new trends in environmentally friendly apartment design is buildings with rooftop gardens. This concept has been proven to keep a building cooler by deflecting the heat from the sun.

Tips for when you get to the apartment:

• Remember to turn off lights before you leave the apartment. Unlike hotels, there are no maids who come into our apartments during the day, so you need to be responsible for lights, air conditioning and electronics.
  When leaving the apartment for the day, set the air conditioning to a warmer setting or turn it off all together. Turn off the lights in the apartment and don’t forget to shut off the TV before leaving for the day. The electrical savings might be small on a day-to-day basis, but every bit counts and the owner of the apartment will be thankful that you were respectful in your usage and welcome you back to the apartment in the future.
• Make sure the water is fully shut off. Many city faucets are older and require an extra twist to get them to stop dripping. Even those few little drops can add up to a large amount of wasted water.

Some apartments that include these features are:

NY-11732 A Midtown West Studio with double glazed windows, an efficient in unit washer and small energy efficient fridge

NY-11610 A studio in Battery Park with a rooftop garden double pained windows and individually controlled heat and air conditioning.

Taking these simple steps to go green while staying in a furnished accommodation will help to keep prices from rising rapidly, make you a favorite client of the apartment’s owner and give you the personal feeling that you have made an effort to conserve during your apartment rental.

Look for other green tips in the future as more apartment buildings and houses in New York, London, Paris and The South of France are designed with environmentally conscious features.

Photograph provided by francois-roux-photography.com

In 2001, New York Habitat made the decision to utilize the resources necessary to operate a multi-city apartment rental service to assist a greater cause. New York Habitat & Cancer Research: Philanthropy meets Biology! discusses those efforts to aid in a project geared towards cancer research. 

The project, which involved the combined work of Oxford University, The National Foundation for Cancer Research, and United Devices, aimed to make advancements in the discovery of a cancer pharmaceutical through the use of grid computing.

While several supercomputers could have completed the preliminary research necessary to begin laboratory work on a cancer pharmaceutical, the task would have literally taken a lifetime. However, with the combined energy of millions of individual computers all over the world, the project can be completed in years.

As of April 27, 2007, the research finally came to a close. Grid computing, or distributing computing as it is also called, helped to narrow down the number of molecules that will elicit the desired drug-like reaction once united with a given number of researched proteins.

At the time of the program’s conclusion, over 3 million computers were being utilized all over the world, all of which combined to contribute 210 years of computer time daily. Out of this abundant amount of computer resources, New York Habitat is ranked 180th of overall contributed processor-time. Through the course of the project, we were able to provide 78 years of valuable research!

“We are very proud of our contribution to this project,” said Francois Roux, vice president of New York Habitat. “To be able to use our technology to help with cancer research was gratifying for us as a company and for me personally. I am really looking forward to a new project.”

Now that the project has reached its conclusion, New York Habitat is looking for another worthwhile endeavor in which to participate. We strongly encourage you to send information concerning any organizations, projects, and groups that wish to aid humanity for the better.

If you’re looking to escape the hectic cities of the world, consider renting this furnished villa in Aix-en-Provence.

We have selected this four-bedroom villa (PR-386) in the South of France from our many accommodations for several reasons: positive feedback from previous clients, the large garden and family-sized quarters, and the proximity to the region’s and city’s transportation network.

This Aix-en-Provence Villa:

Many of our offerings in Southern France are well suited to families looking to spend time in a quieter location, but this apartment offers extra amenities including a first floor master suit, single-sized beds in some of the upstairs bedrooms, and two large bathrooms.

Furthermore, this apartment, set in a residential neighborhood, offers spectacular gardens that include a vegetable bed, various plants and a patio with a large dining table and BBQ grill.

Feedback about this villa:

The villa created an “enchanted stay.”
and
“The owners were charming and helpful.”

Location of this villa in Provence:

This villa is located two miles from the center of Aix-en-Provence and 15 miles from Marseilles. Transportation in the area is convenient with the main TGV line running from Paris to Aix-en-Provence in under three hours and car rentals are available directly at the train station.

Furthermore, direct flights from the U.S. are available to Nice Cote d’Azur Airport and connecting flights from international destinations are available to the airport in Marseilles.

For more on Provence and the South of France read:

• Grape harvest in Provence - France
• Cypress trees welcome you to Provence
• A Writer’s Retreat in the South of France
• An American in the Southeast of France

With positive reviews, a central location and a well laid out villa and garden, this offering is perfect to consider for a group looking to explore Provence and the South of France.

Once again we have had a good response to the Guess the Price contest and this week we are proud to declare Johnny the winner. The correct price of this luxury Harlem townhouse accommodation is $12,500 per month. Johnny receives 10% off the fees for a vacation rental of 30 days or less.

This four-bedroom townhouse in Harlem is now online with a full description and pictures of the entire apartment. Here are more details:

The townhouse:

This is one of those unique properties in New York where you don’t have to share the building with anyone else. The townhouse consists of four complete floors of living space which have been restored to their 19th century look and feel with added modern conveniences.

Traveling through the rooms you can see the restored wood trim, fireplaces and original door. Using the bathrooms and kitchen reminds you that none of the modern conveniences have been forgotten with the renovations.

Finally, the back of the apartment features a deck with a large dining table, a shade tree and a BBQ grill.

This Harlem neighborhood and transportation:

Many love this part of Harlem because of the way that the buildings have been saved and restored, giving the streets a real community feeling. This block is located in the West 120s, making in a short walk to Columbia University, City College, Morningside Park, Central Park and the 125th Street shopping corridor. The subway access at 125th Street makes trips to Midtown a snap with one-stop service on the A,D trains to 59th Street Columbus Circle.

For more neighborhood features and attractions take a look at: Guess the Price results: Harlem 5 bedroom apartment

Continue checking back for more Guess the Price contests about our accommodations in Paris, London, New York and the South of France.

To see the original clues: Guess the Price: Harlem Townhouse Accommodation

Again, congratulations to Johnny, the winner of this installment of our Guess the Price contest.

Looking for a unique offering in a sea of studios and one-bedroom apartments? Consider this four-bedroom townhouse located on a tree-lined block of restored brownstones in west Harlem. For the third installment of our Guess the Price feature, we take a deeper look at a newly listed accommodation that has been meticulously restored to include its former 19th century charm.

We ask anyone who is interested to guess the price in the comments section of this blog entry. The person who guesses the correct price will be offered 10% off the agency fee of a Vacation Rental (30 day or less rental).

This Harlem Townhouse:

This apartment is four full floors and includes a large back deck and original and restored details. The lower floor of the building has a modern eat-in kitchen and a large dining room. The second floor has a living room with piano as well as an office. The third floor has the master bedroom as well as a library study and the master bathroom. The top floor has two more bedrooms and another bathroom.

Overall the apartment is 3,600 square feet of livable space. There are two washer and dryers, plasma TVs in several rooms and working fireplaces. This is perfect for a family looking for a high-end place with more privacy than a traditional Manhattan option would offer.

Our inventory contains many apartments but few offer the exact features of this accommodation. Here are a few which give a representation of high-end, multi-bedroom apartments in Manhattan:

• A Three-Bedroom Rental on Central Park South (NY-3371) for $8,000 per month
• A Three-Bedroom Rental in the East Village (NY-5256) for $6,000 per month
• A Two-Bedroom Rental in Midtown West (NY-12098) for $8,000 per month

You can use these sample apartments plus your own appraisal skills to help guess the price of this townhouse.

For more info on the neighborhood, check out the following blog entries:

• Harlem Bed and Breakfasts
• New York In Song - “Uptown – The New Harlem”
• Harlem apartment rentals near the Renaissance Theater

Don’t take too long to think about the price, as you only have 24 hours to post your guess. Tomorrow at about 5 p.m. we will post the result to this contest and reward a 10% discount off a vacation rental to the person who makes the guess closest to the price.

This week’s answer is a monthly price. Continue to check back for more Guess the Price contests in the future to help hone your Price Guessing skills.

Rules:
10% discount on agency fees is only good for vacation rentals (30 days or less rental)
Only one guess per e-mail address
Discount is good for 30 days after you are notified that you are the winner
The winner must provide a valid e-mail address
In the event of a tie, the first person to guess the price closest to the correct price will be declared the winner.

—————————————————————-

This contest is now closed.

You can view the result and the winner here: Guess the Price Results: Harlem Townhouse Accommodation
To see the apartment visit the four-bedroom townhouse in Harlem

Culture. Beauty. History. Nightlife. The Montmartre district possesses all of the qualities that have so easily become associated with the city of Paris.

Yet, while Paris continues to develop as one of the world’s leaders, Montmartre remains, as many have called it, “the last village in the big city of Paris.”

New York Habitat has made it easy and affordable to plan a romantic Paris getaway. Gain inspiration from this Studio Apartment in Montmartre - Sacre Cœur (PA-3302).

Studio with Spacious Terrace in Montmartre:

This smartly decorated studio apartment features a terrace secluded from the eyes of neighbors and with a great view of the area. The apartment is located on the sixth floor and is accessible via elevator.

The studio itself is 535 square feet and an optimal location for a sweet, romantic getaway. The living/dining room leads to two French doors that open to a spacious terrace. The terrace boasts a BBQ, a dining table with chairs, and a heated Jacuzzi. Imagine yourself and a friend enjoying a glass of wine (or two) in the Jacuzzi as the two of you gaze across at the picturesque view of the Sacré-Cœur.

The building has private parking, if you decide to rent a car. However, there is also the Pigalle metro station (lines 2 and 12) for convenient travel into Paris.
 
Montmartre:

In the north of Paris within the 18th Arrondissement stands a hill overlooking what some call the last remaining village of the city. Montmartre translates to “mountain of the martyr” and received this name after the death of Saint Denis, patron saint of France, atop the hill in 250 AD.

Standing on that site today is the Sacré-Cœur, a Catholic basilica most well known for its white dome that overlooks the city. There is also the Saint Pierre de Montmartre, an older church on the same hill and is allegedly the birthplace of the Jesuit order of priests.

Montmartre has developed, over the ages, to become a popular drinking location. This may, in part, be due to the local nuns who were producers of wine. In fact, the only remaining vineyard in all of Paris stands in Montmartre. Every year, a famous festival to honor this vineyard and the grape harvest is held in October, all profits of which go to local charities.

Montmartre is also famous for its cabarets. The Moulin Rouge and the Le Chat Noir have featured many up and coming artists, singers, and performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Moulin Rouge still remains a popular attraction for travelers looking to be part of a culturally important piece of Paris.

Over time, Montmartre has increasingly become more cosmopolitan and in more demand by local inhabitants. Today, the region is split between the bustling metropolitan of new and the more artsy, bohemian lifestyle of old. Paris in Song - “Paris – Picture Perfect” discusses Parisian culture, in addition to attractions of interest within the city.

What makes this studio apartment a Hidden Gem?

New York Habitat has spotlighted this studio apartment (PA-3302) due to a mesmerizing terrace view of an artistic and romantic city. This standout feature makes the apartment uniquely appealing and more