Why I moved to NYC from Toronto: I wanted to be at the intersection of art and culture
- Garry Ho and his partner landed an 850-square-foot one bedroom for $4,500 in Battery Park City
- They were told the rent amount was only guaranteed for 48 hours and ‘fluctuated daily based on demand’
"Being right by the Hudson is windy and cold in the winter months, but the view makes up for that," Garry Ho said.
When Garry Ho’s partner landed a new job, the couple jumped at the chance to move to New York City. After a temporary stay in FiDi, they set their sights on Battery Park City, where they are thrilled with their building’s luxury amenities and water views. Here’s Garry’s story as told to Kelly Kreth.
I was born and raised in Toronto. That’s where I was most recently living with my partner of six years and Bailey, our Shih Tzu.
We rented a small, 500-square-foot, one-bedroom condo. It was small for two adults and a very playful dog, but we made it cozy. Our rent was $2,000 CAD (about $1,400). Fortunately, condo developments in Toronto have great amenities: We had laundry in the unit, a gym, pool, party room, co-working space, and terrace with a barbecue.
We lived in downtown Toronto, close to the subway, grocery stores, our respective offices, and the Gay Village where we could pop out for drinks and a night out and be walking distance from home.
[Editor's note: Brick Underground's series The Newcomers features first-person accounts about why a renter or buyer decided to take a chance on NYC.]
I’m employed as an account director at a PR agency and I’m also working on a project I’ve been scaling for the past couple years, Queer Art Hub, a searchable directory dedicated to LGBTQI+ artists and their art.
Why he left moved (part 1)
Last year I got the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream of living in The Big Apple. My partner got a promotion at work—he’s in talent acquisition and his company is headquartered in NYC. Luckily my employer let me transfer to the NYC office.
I knew this move would enrich my life both personally and professionally and I was excited to be at the intersection of art and culture, which will be helpful for my Queer Art Hub project.
We don’t own expensive furniture that was worth the cost of movers. We shipped about 10 boxes with our personal belongings and flew to NYC.
We were drawn to FiDi because my partner works at the World Trade Center. We found a short-term rental that was 900-square-feet, almost double what we were used to. The rent was $5,200, which was a bit over our initial budget, but the place was furnished, which was important.
I had never really explored FiDi before moving here but was pleasantly surprised by how much the neighborhood had to offer. Whole Foods was only a couple blocks away. We were close to Siena Pizza and George’s Diner. For a fancier drink I loved Zizi Wine Bar on John Street, while Yeh’s Bao had the yummiest Chinese takeout. I also loved popping over to the Seaport and Fulton Market.
Why he moved (part 2)
We left the FiDi rental early after a water main break flooded the building, forcing us to stay in a hotel for days. It was an easy decision after walking up 25 flights of stairs in the dark.
Over the next two weeks we looked at 15 apartments in FiDi, since we’ve gotten so used to the area. Our budget was $3,300 to $5,000. There were some hard nos but quite a few nice apartments, which made it a hard decision. There was one that had in-unit laundry and another that had a gorgeous, private outdoor terrace. Ultimately an apartment in Battery Park City stole our hearts.
Our apartment is 850 square feet with one bedroom, one bath and we pay $4,488. The rental process was super easy; everything was done online.
The one thing we didn’t expect was how quickly we needed to lock everything down: We were told the rent amount was only guaranteed for 48 hours, and fluctuated daily based on demand, which we’d never seen before. [Editor’s note: Same here. That is an aggressive move and not something we’ve encountered before. It sounds like a tactic designed to pressure you into signing a lease quickly.]
By this point we had acquired a few pieces of furniture so we hired Piece of Cake movers and they packed up everything and it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. We signed a 16-month lease, and we'll be here for a while.
How he likes their new place
The amenities at our new building reminds us of our condo back in Toronto. There is a gym, co-working space, terrace, and outdoor pool. We’re on the river, near Brookfield Place and it feels very homey.
Units with washer/dryers were significantly more expensive, so we’re saving money by using the building’s shared laundry room.
Overall, the building is clean, we have access to parks nearby, and we can even see the Statue of Liberty from our living room window. Our dog enjoys walking along the Hudson River and we’ve taken up running along the river.
The building isn’t very new but it is managed well. The elevators are slow and with so many residents in our complex, you have to wait awhile for them, but that seems like a classic NYC experience.
Being right by the Hudson is windy and cold in the winter months, but the view makes up for that.
What he thinks of the neighborhood
We are happy to have a nearby watering hole at Treadwell Park, which is very chill and is dog-friendly for our pup. For a fancier destination, there’s Mezze on the River. We also love biking up the Manhattan Greenway Trail to City Vineyard or up to Tribeca for cafes and restaurants.
It takes about 30 minutes via subway to Grand Central Station to get to my office on 42nd Street. Crossing the West Side Highway to get to the subway sometimes feels like a bit of a trek.
I am looking forward to doing more networking in Midtown near my office, participating in gay sports teams, and being in a book club, on top of all things NYC has to offer, like theaters, museums, bars and restaurants.
We can feel the change in our quality of life just by moving a few blocks from FiDi. It’s basically the same area and commute but we love being on the Hudson River now.
We plan on staying in the city for as long as it will have us. We’ve moved too many times in the last six years we’ve been together so it will be nice to nest for a while. Who knows, maybe we’ll be in Brooklyn in a few years.
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