The view is what most people picture when they think of a Williamsburg waterfront condo, with the East River in front and the Manhattan skyline across it. In a typical building, apartments facing the river are priced above those facing inland, so it pays to understand what a view is like to live with before you pay for one. Orientation, floor height, glare, heat, and privacy all change the experience, and none of them show up in a listing photo taken at golden hour.
Which way the windows face
Along the Williamsburg waterfront the river runs roughly north to south, so river-facing apartments look west. Directly across are the East Village and the Lower East Side, Midtown's towers rise to the northwest, Lower Manhattan sits to the southwest, and the Williamsburg Bridge crosses the river to the south. A west view gets the afternoon and evening sun and the sunsets that come with it. In summer the sun sets toward the northwest, behind Midtown, and in winter it sets farther south, toward Lower Manhattan.
The other exposures have their own character. North light is even and cool through the day, which suits a study or a bedroom. South-facing rooms get sun most of the day and the most winter warmth. East-facing apartments look inland over Williamsburg's low rooftops and get the morning sun, often at a lower price than the river side. Corner units combine two exposures, which can mean a river view with steadier light from the second side.
Heat and glare
West-facing glass takes in a lot of heat on summer afternoons, around the time many people come home. The river adds glare, since sunlight reflects off the water and into the room at a low angle in the late afternoon. Solar shades that cut glare while keeping the view are close to essential on this exposure, and it's worth asking how well the apartment's cooling keeps up in July. The guide to interiors and finishes covers window treatments and heating and cooling systems.
In winter the same glass works in your favor during the day and against you at night. Feel the frames on a cold day for drafts, and check whether condensation forms at the base of the windows.
How high to live
Higher floors clear the neighboring buildings, see more sky, and frame more of the skyline, and they're usually priced accordingly. Lower floors put you closer to the trees, the esplanade, and the life of the street, and in a building set back behind a park they can still have a clear look across the water. Very high floors have their own trade-offs. Wind is stronger at height and over open water, so you may hear it in storms, terraces are usable on fewer days, and elevator rides are longer.
Will the view last
A view straight across the river is about as secure as views get in New York City, because no one is going to build on the river itself. A view across a lot, a low building, or a parking area is less certain, since those sites can be redeveloped. Look at what sits between the apartment and the water, and ask your attorney or broker whether anything is planned for those sites. The city's zoning map, ZoLa, shows how nearby lots are zoned, which gives a rough sense of what could be built on them.
Side views deserve the same scrutiny. On a waterfront lined with towers, the building next door often fills part of the view, and the apartment straight across from yours may be closer than you'd guess from inside.
Privacy behind glass
Glass works in both directions. During the day the reflection on the outside of the glass hides most of what's inside, but after dark a lit apartment is on display to the building across the way and, on lower floors, to people on the esplanade. Most owners use sheer shades in the evening and blackout shades in bedrooms, and some place bedrooms on the inland side of a corner unit for that reason. The skyline itself stays lit all night, which is part of the appeal and another reason bedrooms need good shades.
Before you buy, stand at the window at night if you can and look across at the neighboring towers. Seeing how much of their apartments you can see is the quickest way to judge how much of yours they'll see.
Judging a view before you pay for it
See the apartment at the time of day you'd spend most time in it, and if you can, in a different season from the listing photos. Sit down as well as standing at the window, since a view that fills the glass when you're standing may disappear behind a railing or a neighboring roof from the sofa. Think about which rooms you'd use for the view. A river-facing living room matters to most people, while a river-facing bedroom mostly matters at dawn and dusk.
The guide to touring a high-rise condo lists the other things to check during the same visit, and the North Williamsburg lifestyle and culture guide covers the neighborhood at street level, below the view.