Chelsea One Bedroom

How great would it be to live just blocks from work?

This Chelsea one bedroom, priced well for a hot neighborhood, fulfills this Manhattanite's dream--walking to work in five minutes. At $685,000 and 725 square feet, it costs $945 per square foot in a neighborhood where $1,000 per sq ft is the bottom of the market.

Layout

A few oddities about the floor plan may explain the price. I am not a fan of apartment foyers--usually wasted space. You're lucky to be able to stick a bookcase against a wall, unless your bookcase is as narrow as the one in the photo. The foyer is pretty, but also pretty useless with a doorway on two of the walls and a door opening into the other two.

Can you really put a table in the "dining room"? Maybe if you stick it in the center and manuever around it every time you walk from one room to another.

The kitchen is only 4 foot, 6 inches deep. How deep is a refrigerator? At least two and a half, three feet, right? So you have eighteen inches of space between the appliances and the wall? With no photos of the dining room or kitchen, I am suspicious.

Bedroom and bathroom are a decent size and there seem to be enough closets for the average couple (but probably not for us). The apartment has a lot of character with archways and wrought iron railings, but does that compensate for the layout flaws?

Amenities

The building scores well on amenities.

You don't really need a doorman if you have a super who takes packages. Private storage is an amenity that doesn't occur to me to look for, it's so rare. Extra points for that.

I like a low floor (4th) and windows in both bath and kitchen score points. A roof deck and good light help as well. The description in the listing copy says "no view", so I suspect it's pretty hideous. I've had great views in New York, but I'd give it up in an instant for the right space.

Location

The location of this apartment is unbeatable. I'll give up my monthly Metro Card and I won't even need comfortable shoes. Chelsea rocks.

Price

Price ($685,000) is good for the square footage and location, but still out of my reach, so it can't rank more than three moons. $811 monthly maintenance is low for the area, but it should be low without a real doorman.

Open House Tuesday night, anyone?