If you’ve ever tried to move in New York City, you know it’s not just apartment hunting—it’s a full-blown emotional rollercoaster. Welcome back to our journey of looking for a new place to live in the city that never sleeps. This is Episode 2 of my NYC apartment hunting series, and if you’re new here—hi! I’m Flor, a content creator living in New York with my husband, our one-year-old daughter Julia, and our French Bulldog Oreo. I love sharing bits of our everyday life in the city, and right now, that means documenting our search for a new home.
If you haven’t watched Episode 1 yet, I highly recommend starting there first—it’ll give you all the backstory, plus a glimpse into the first batch of apartments we saw in South Harlem and Brooklyn. You can watch that one here, or check it out after this post.
Now, let’s get into Episode 2. In this one, we focus entirely on Long Island City, the Queens neighborhood we currently live in and love for its proximity to Midtown, great subway access, and family-friendly vibe. And yes, we looked at a lot of places!
Before We Start: Here’s What We’re Looking For
Just to recap, these are our non-negotiables and nice-to-haves in our new apartment:
✅ 2-bedroom (minimum), ideally 3-bedroom
✅ Washer and dryer in-unit
✅ Dishwasher
✅ Tons of natural light
✅ Pet-friendly (Oreo is non-negotiable 🐾)
✅ Ideally 1,000+ sq ft
✅ Doorman and/or elevator (nice to have, not a dealbreaker)
✅ Budget: $5,000–$6,000/month
We’re open to staying in LIC (Long Island City) or moving to another neighborhood, but we’d love to stay close enough for Julia to keep going to her current daycare.
🎥 Watch Episode 2 of Our Apartment Hunting Series
Here’s the full video where I walk you through each apartment we saw in Long Island City—come along for the tour and my honest thoughts on all of them:
Apartment 5: Two-Bedroom, Two-Bath with Skyline Views 🏢
This apartment was in a brand new high-rise building and had all the bells and whistles: concierge, amenities, and beautiful finishes. The views? Chef’s kiss. The closets? Endless. It had tons of natural light (big win), especially in the kitchen, and the overall vibe felt luxe and modern.
But—and there’s always a but—the layout didn’t really work for our lifestyle. The primary bedroom felt too small for our king-size bed, and the living/dining area wouldn’t comfortably fit my desk, which is essential since I work from home. Also, it faced northwest, so I had some doubts about the light throughout the day.
Still, it set the bar pretty high in terms of aesthetic and vibe.
Apartment 6: The Three-Bedroom Dream (That Blew Our Budget) 💸
Okay… this place was gorgeous. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, stunning views, a huge walk-in closet, and even a playroom in the building—which is something I hadn’t paid attention to before becoming a mom, but now it’s such a plus.
Also: a balcony. I mean, I could already picture summer dinners outside and Oreo sunbathing out there. But the railings made me a bit nervous with Julia.
Unfortunately, this one was way over our budget. And on top of that, the layout just didn’t work for us—the brightest room (with the en-suite bathroom) would have been our bedroom, when we actually need the brightest room to be our office for filming/editing. So as much as it tugged at my heart, our brains had to say no.
Apartment 7: Great Layout, Not-So-Great Light 😕
This was another two-bed, two-bath that looked great on paper: spacious living area, walk-in closet, balcony (!!), and a nice kitchen open to the main space. But it was north-facing and just didn’t feel as bright as I’d like.
And even though I loved the idea of having a balcony again (we haven’t had one since living in Germany), I wasn’t sure it was worth compromising on the natural light we really need—especially for my job and our overall mood at home.
What This Episode Taught Me
Apartment hunting in NYC is a weird mix of hope, compromise, sticker shock, and tiny bursts of excitement when something almost checks every box. There’s always that tension between your dream list and what’s actually available within budget (or let’s be real, slightly above budget).
What we realized is that we’re probably going to have to prioritize light and layout over square footage or amenities. It’s not just about “can we live here?”—it’s about “can we live well here?”
We’re still not sure which one—if any—of these will be the one, but I’m glad we saw them all. Every tour helped us clarify what matters most for our family right now.
What’s Next?
In the next episode, I’ll be sharing even more apartments (yes, the search continues 😅), including one that surprised us in the best way. Make sure to subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already so you don’t miss it!
Also: if you’re currently apartment hunting, or just dreaming of your future NYC move—I’d love to hear from you in the comments or on Instagram. What’s on your list of non-negotiables? And how do you balance dreams vs. reality when it comes to housing?
Thanks for following along—and for being part of this little community that makes New York feel like home. 💛
Until next time,
Flor.
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