March 13, 2025

136 W. 121 Street.  Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Compass

I associate spring with Central Park, so, inspired by the weather, I headed uptown this week, made my way around a few overpriced studios and one-bedrooms (though I would kill to live here in another life) in the Lenox Hill area, and then continued my trek up to Washington Heights and Harlem. Speaking of feeling inspired, I made a trip out to Brighton Beach this weekend for an accidentally Anora-themed night at the banya, then Tatiana’s for dinner and a show. It was gaudy and great and got me thinking about the real estate down there, so I scoped out some very Soviet-themed sales; you can find those at the bottom.

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$5,650, 1-bedroom: There’s a lot to say here about the design choices, but I’m gonna take the high road and just comment on the parquet floors (good) and the galley kitchen (nice)!

501 E. 87th Street.  Photo: Solow Realty

$3,600, studio: A lot of window for a tiny studio! I think I’ve been to a party in this building.

$4,800, studio: Heavenly. Elegant. Perfect. No notes.

$4,850, 2-bedroom: A sort of strange configuration they’ve got going here, what with the sunroom extension and sunken living room. The kitchen’s a bit sad but otherwise solid.

113 E. 62nd Street.  Photo: Brown Harris Stevens

$13,900, 3-bedroom: A four-floor mansion with some nicely preserved details and moldings. The place is in desperate need of a redesign (track lighting needs to go and those hideous, coronavirus-looking orb lamps, too) but otherwise good bones.

$4,650, 1-bedroom: Tiny and expensive, but maybe you’re desperate?

$3,200, 1-bedroom: It looks as if they set out to make some interesting architectural changes! The built-ins are great, for instance. But then things take a turn: Like, why did they build a wall with a tiny hexagonal slit, I wonder? Good for those who have/like elbow grease.

15 E. 76th Street.  Photo: Courtesy the owner

$11,900, 2-bedroom: Gorgeous and romantic. The cherry-mahogany stain in the kitchen is unfortunate, but as the listing says, “The stately living room is fit for a 19th-century colonel.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

$2,850, 1-bedroom: It’s cheap, and there’s a fire escape.

$2,945, 1-bedroom: Blinding natural light, cheap but acceptable parquet, and a fair price point for the location.

1662 1st Avenue.  Photo: Gilar Group LLC

$6,750, 4-bedroom: Mostly just charmed by the kitchen here. The rest of the apartment verges on rabbit warren.

$3,000, 2-bedroom: Very nice, very solid apartment in a prewar building. The gray linoleum in the kitchen is the only eyesore here.

$2,750, 2-bedroom: Spacious, lots of closet space, and good hardwoods. Kitchen and bathrooms ain’t great, but that’s the standard trade-off for this price point, I’d say.

$2,650, 1-bedroom: All the prewar goodies — arched passageways, cutie built-in shelves, subway tile in the bathroom. Plus it’s a (relative) steal.

66 Pinehurst Avenue.  Photo: J & M Realty Services Corp

$2,700, 1-bedroom: More bad orb lighting fixtures, more good moldings and parquet. Half a block from the (Hudson) River.

$4,450, 2-bedroom: I have long been obsessed with this Gothic seminary, and units rarely become available. The floor plan is one of the weirder I’ve ever seen, but maybe you’ve always been curious about what living inside a triangle is like?

$3,200, 2-bedroom: Nice living room, teensy tiny kitchen and some ceiling fans that I hope are seeing their last days.