Kelly Kreth

A New Yorker named Lauren, who is in media relations, decided to take a leap and move from a roommate share in Harlem to an apartment with her boyfriend in Astoria. Now, not only is she saving money each month, but she is indulging her adventurous tastes in cuisine, thanks to her new neighborhood’s diverse food scene. Here’s her take on how the neighborhoods compare.

Two weeks before NYC was shut down, communications and PR pro Deniz Sonmez-Alpan ditched her one bedroom on the fifth floor of a walkup building on the Upper West Side in the hopes of lowering her monthly expenses, shortening her commute, and gaining more space. She found all of that and more on the Upper East Side, but sadly for her, the “more” includes even more stairs. Here’s how she compares the two neighborhoods.

Yorkville—especially by the spacious park—tends to be fairly quiet and empty even at the height of summer. But as the protests started this summer, the crowds came, most from outside the Upper East Side, congregating on my block outside the mayor’s home.

Just as the pandemic hit NYC, Tori Mattei, a publicist who lived in the East Village with a roommate, got a new, higher-paying job. She decided it was time to upgrade to a place of her own. She finds the move from the East Village, with its college town-like feel, to the more sophisticated vibe of Gramercy Park, is worth the extra rent. Here’s her comparison of the two neighborhoods.

People in the area found out about the store via word of mouth. While there were no set hours, it seemed to be open for about four to six hours daily. There was no password or anything special. It was right out in the open, which I guess ultimately lead to their downfall

In 1971, Ben and Betsy, a pair of artists, decided to splurge on a rent-stabilized penthouse on the Upper West Side. The rent was a stretch for them at $325 a month—which seems astonishing now, but even more surprising is what they pay today, 49 years later.