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Four Kids, Two Dads and a One-Bedroom Apartment in Manhattan (NYT)
| zarathustra | 03/19/26 |
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Date: March 19th, 2026 1:30 PM Author: zarathustra two dads blow their savings on the shittiest one bedroom apartment for sale in manhattan south of harlem
The Hunt Four Kids, Two Dads and a One-Bedroom Apartment in Manhattan By Joyce CohenMarch 19, 2026 Looking for an easier commute and a stronger connection to the city, a Connecticut family searched for a pied-à-terre on the West Side for less than $600,000.
Karl Minges and Michael Urban met in Manhattan in 2009, when Dr. Minges was a graduate student at Columbia University, and eventually settled in South Central Connecticut, where both had grown up. In the years after their 2014 wedding, the couple adopted four children, now ages 3 to 10. Their house in Cheshire, Conn., with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, provided plenty of space and an easy walk to school with the kids. Both worked in West Haven, about 30 minutes south.
Two years ago, Dr. Urban, 47, landed a job as an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Columbia’s medical school campus in Washington Heights. The commute was grueling: He usually took the Metro-North train from New Haven, schlepping a backpack stuffed with clothes, computers, snacks and assorted supplies. During the week, he often stayed overnight at a hotel. The drive to work for Dr. Minges, 41, who is now dean of the College of Health Professions at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., was 45 minutes — long but doable.
“If we had a crystal ball, we would have lived someplace closer to the city,” Dr. Minges said. “But we love the town we’re in, and the kids are having fun in the schools.” They also have plenty of grandparent support nearby. To split the difference, the couple decided last year to buy a small place in Manhattan as a pied-à-terre. Dr. Urban could spend nights there when necessary, and they could take the kids for city adventures on weekends and holidays. “I had the ‘aha’ moment once when I tried to pick up Mike’s backpack,” Dr. Minges said. “I thought: You are going to throw out your back.” Actually, it was a shoulder that hurt, Dr. Urban said, from “having to carry two or three days’ worth of life around.” His Columbia colleagues encouraged him to rent rather than buy, reminding him that renters don’t need to worry about fixing what breaks. “But with houses, I’m used to something always coming up,” he said. “I do a lot of handy stuff, like house repairs.” For up to about $600,000, they sought a no-frills one-bedroom somewhere on the West Side, a straight subway shot to Columbia’s medical campus. Dr. Minges preferred a street-facing unit on a first or second floor. Too many stairs would be tough on the kids — and on them, over time, if they kept the place long term. Through Columbia’s work/life office, the two were connected with Kelly Cole of the Cole Team at Compass. “They were OK with a small place but wanted to accommodate the kids, too, and that was a difficult needle to thread,” Ms. Cole said.
Among their options: No. 1 Lincoln Square With Loft Graham Dickie for The New York Times This railroad-style one-bedroom was on a raised first floor in a 20-unit co-op building with laundry in the basement. It had 12-foot ceilings, exposed white brick, an updated open kitchen with a half-refrigerator, a fireplace, and built-in shelves. The bedroom had a lofted sleeping area plus a wall of closets. The tiny but renovated bathroom had a shower stall but no tub. The price was $499,000, with monthly maintenance (which included gas but not electricity) in the low $1,400s. Brown Harris Stevens No. 2 Upper West Side With Garden Graham Dickie for The New York Times This rectangular one-bedroom in a 21-unit elevator co-op building from 1945 was on the garden level in the back, with a spacious private patio that was “heated for year-round enjoyment,” per the listing. The bathroom was tiny but nicely renovated, the separate kitchen was drab but functional, and the two closets were big. The building’s laundry room was on the same floor. The price was $549,000, with maintenance in the high $1,300s. Compass No. 3 Hell’s Kitchen Alcove Studio Graham Dickie for The New York Times This ground-floor alcove studio in a 1947 condo building had “the feel of a true one-bedroom,” the listing said. It had a foyer, a dining area, a large kitchen, archways, an outdated bathroom, and a sleeping area behind a windowed partition wall. The 65-unit elevator building from 1947 had a part-time doorman plus a laundry room. The listing price was $525,000, with monthly charges in the low $1,200s, plus an assessment of $170 for the next two years or so. Corcoran
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