From Bushwick to Inwood: We were over the neighborhood party scene and wanted to be close to nature

Matthew Conley and Paul Passavant wanted to get away from the Bushwick party scene and live in a more serene place. They landed in Inwood, where they enjoy exploring the area’s historic sites and parks. Matthew shares their story as told to Kelly Kreth.

I am 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 Kansas City in 2018.  Most recently we were living in Bushwick with our dog, Sting Rae.

We rented a two-bedroom apartment with one-and-a-half baths. It was a new build and our rent was $3,800. It had tall ceilings, awesome neighbors, a private balcony, and finished roof deck, making it a great spot for us at the time.

We liked that it was brand new when we moved in. It was on a dead-end street, so it was relatively quiet. It was also near a lot of our friends.

[Editor’s note: “Transitions” features first-person accounts of what it’s like to move from one NYC neighborhood to another. Have a story to share? Drop us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.]

But we disliked the increasing level of partying in the neighborhood as it became more popular with a younger crowd.

Initially, we were attracted to Bushwick because it was young, diverse, and full of creatives. I am self-employed in sustainability consultancy for large-scale corporate events and Paul works in garment manufacturing for one of Korea’s largest companies.

I work from home and Paul commutes to Times Square, which can take 40 to 45 minutes. Some stand-out places in the nabe were Sushi & Noodle, Amituofo for vegan cuisine, and Mr. Kiwi.

Wanted: A two bedroom because ‘we are big guys’

We decided to move at the beginning of July because we felt we had outgrown Bushwick and needed a quieter neighborhood with more nature.

We used StreetEasy at first where we found our broker, Sabrina Seidner at Corcoran. We told her we needed a two-bedroom rental—we are big guys and need space for our pup. Our maximum budget was $4,200 and we preferred to be close to a park for our dog.  

We saw about 20 spots before doing a trust fall into our new apartment. It was very much worth the wait.

What they think of their new place

Our rental is in a co-op building, so we had to be approved by the board. This was a first for us and we didn’t realize how long the process took, but again, it was worth it in the end.

The 41-unit co-op was built in 1918 and our new place is a convertible three bedroom in a sunny southwest corner unit just two flights up. It has prewar charm and great energy thanks to nine-foot ceilings, a beautifully renovated kitchen and loads of closet space. We also love our formal dining room. Our new rent is $4,000.

Even though we left behind a private outdoor space and floor-to-ceiling windows, we gained so much more.

Impressions of their new neighborhood

Our building is on a tree-lined block in the heart of Inwood near stores, restaurants and transportation. We’re vegan and we like Serrano Salsa for their vegan burritos and visit the neighborhood farmers market on a weekly basis.

We especially love our new proximity to Inwood Park; we saw a wild beaver on a walk recently and we were amazed that we were still in Manhattan.

Food and laundry are much more convenient here. We have a coveted—and rare in a prewar unit—in-unit washer/dryer. I love not having to get dressed to go out to do a load of laundry. What a great perk! We are by the A and 1 subway lines and Paul knocked 20 minutes off his daily commute.

Our friends love the space and historic areas in the neighborhood. It’s a total upgrade! We met a few pup friends first and then their humans.

It was 1,000 percent a great idea to move here and we plan on staying and exploring for a long time to come.