Open House: Sunnyside Thanks NY Mag
Fall in love, start a family, buy a two-bedroom apartment in Sunnyside, Queens—not necessarily in that order.
“We’re getting married this year!” said Claudia Salazer, when asked why she was looking at a two-bedroom condo at an open house Sunday at 41-21 42nd Street.
Ms. Salazer, with a grin nearly as big as the 1,200-square-foot apartment, was born and raised in Sunnyside. Her fiancé is from Brooklyn. They were star-crossed lovers for the subway age.
“We’re tired of renting,” said Ms. Salazer, who whispered her age—let’s just say late thirties—with a coy glance toward her fiancé. They wanted to buy, “now that my personal family is growing,” she said, gesturing toward a toddler-aged son. But whose borough?
Ms. Salazer said she loves Sunnyside because, “it reminds me of New York.” Some would argue it is New York, but Ms. Salazer said it’s even better than the city proper. “You can find everything here.” And you can even afford to pay for it. Many of her childhood friends who moved away have come back since the recession.
The couple finally settled on Sunnyside because it’s cleaner and more family-oriented than Brooklyn. Plus, her fiancé said, smiling toward his companion, “That’s where my heart is.”
For some, Sunnyside has a heartwarming tale. For others, it’s about “flat-out cheap” apartments—so says a recent New York Magazine survey, which ranked Sunnyside as New York’s third best neighborhood to live.
At 41-21 42nd Street, broker Cristina Torres was enjoying a post-Great Recession miracle. “Usually, open houses are when I sit and read the newspaper,” she said. Instead, this Sunday over 20 groups came by to see the pre-war condo with a $498,000 price tag.
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