The Lower East Side at night.    (Photo: Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao)

3. Sunnyside
Greenpoint Ave. and First Calvary Cemetery to Northern Blvd. (along the census tract), 44th St. and Locust to Van Dam St.

Sunnyside is a hidden gem if there ever was one—though its communities of Armenians, Romanians, Indians, Bangladeshis, Chinese, Koreans, Colombians, and Ecuadorans have known about its attributes for years. It’s flat-out cheap (and not just by New York standards): A typical two-bedroom costs $1,300 a month. And that’s in a safe, quiet neighborhood with better-than-average schools that’s just sixteen minutes to Times Square on the 7 train. Although it’s a bit lacking in restaurants and nightlife, it’s a quick livery ride to both Greenpoint and Astoria.

4. Cobble Hill & Boerum Hill
Union St. to Wyckoff St/Warren St., Fourth Ave. to the harbor

Squeezed between the similarly charming (and high-ranking) neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill offers the best of both of those worlds. It’s one stop closer to Manhattan on the F train than the former, and $200 to $300 cheaper per month than the latter. Smith and Court Streets are among the most interesting and diverse retail corridors in the city, and the housing stock is superb, with beautiful and well-maintained nineteenth-century homes and plenty of modern amenities.