Trying to find affordable housing in NYC

[SteveinMN]

I was pointed today toward a blog called THE WORST ROOM (http://theworstroom.tumblr.com/). The blogger is looking for inexpensive housing in the City. He's finding it -- though some of what he finds would try the biggest minimalists among us... Funny and sad at the same time.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Those places are aweful. I can be pretty indifferent to my surroundings, but those places are simply aweful. The worst room indeed :) The ones with few or no windows are the worst, feel claustrophobic. It is kinda sad (as at one time even the places in that city weren't that expensive).

[jp1]

Ugggh. I'd agree that those are all pretty bad. I last looked for apartments in NYC back in 1992 when I found the Hells Kitchen studio (250 sq feet) that I lived in for 12 years. It was $650/month when I moved in and thanks to rent stabilization was only $899 when I moved out.

I looked at a lot of crappy places before I found it, but none quite so bad as those pics. Probably the worst 3 were the 25 foot long one lane bowling alley (about 6 foot wide, all one room), the 2 bedroom share where both bedrooms were windowless in the basement (and I had to agree to never be home during the day since the main floor living area was the condo owners' office during the day (her tenants could use it as living space at night as long as we left it pristine before leaving in the morning), and the 2 room studio in the east village with 4 big windows. The main downfall to that one was that the fire escape ran all the way around the building, so all 4 windows had security gates over them. Totally depressing.

I loved living in NYC, and my studio, while small, was actually quite homey and not a bad place to live for all those years. I gave it up when I moved to NJ to live with SO. At the time it was a huge deal to me to give it up because I realized that I would probably never again be willing/able to afford anything in NYC that I would want to live in.

[Tussiemussies]

Ugggh. I'd agree that those are all pretty bad. I last looked for apartments in NYC back in 1992 when I found the Hells Kitchen studio (250 sq feet) that I lived in for 12 years. It was $650/month when I moved in and thanks to rent stabilization was only $899 when I moved out.

I looked at a lot of crappy places before I found it, but none quite so bad as those pics. Probably the worst 3 were the 25 foot long one lane bowling alley (about 6 foot wide, all one room), the 2 bedroom share where both bedrooms were windowless in the basement (and I had to agree to never be home during the day since the main floor living area was the condo owners' office during the day (her tenants could use it as living space at night as long as we left it pristine before leaving in the morning), and the 2 room studio in the east village with 4 big windows. The main downfall to that one was that the fire escape ran all the way around the building, so all 4 windows had security gates over them. Totally depressing.

I loved living in NYC, and my studio, while small, was actually quite homey and not a bad place to live for all those years. I gave it up when I moved to NJ to live with SO. At the time it was a huge deal to me to give it up because I realized that I would probably never again be willing/able to afford anything in NYC that I would want to live in.

Hi JP1 This is OT but wondering if you are still in NJ. There are a handful of us here and someday I'd like to have a meet-up!

[SteveinMN]

Of course, there's no way of knowing whether these places actually do get rented out. But even the thought that someone considers them a choice certainly makes some of our smaller (cozy), older (rustic/charming) places look mighty good....

[catherine]

My daughter was able to work for a non-profit in NYC making $27k and live in Brooklyn and make ends meet. How? By living in places similar to the ones shown in the article. The worst was what we called "The Pirate's Cove" because she had to climb up a ladder-like stair to get there, and she couldn't stand up in her bedroom. It was like a big railroad train berth. But it did come complete with all the bare lightbulbs, graffiti on the walls, and lots of greywater.

As you guys know, I love permaculture, but somehow living with 7 other people in a small space and depending on greywater systems in the bathroom was .. well, all I can say is, thank God she wasn't there very long.

[sweetana3]

I think most of us who do not live in NYC realize what people give up to simply live there. TV does not, probably cannot, give a real depiction of lower income life in NYC.

There is a nice condo for sale here and I just laugh at it because the windows face another brick wall. No matter that it does have windows and air. It is huge and in a well located building and still for sale.

[jp1]

Hi JP1 This is OT but wondering if you are still in NJ. There are a handful of us here and someday I'd like to have a meet-up!

No, we actually moved to san francisco a little over 4 years ago.

[larknm]

When I moved to NYC in 1982 I could afford $300/month tops. I stupidly tried a realty person and the worst place I was shown was a small room painted green with walls that sloped down to the sloping floor that had a drain in the center of it. I still wonder if it had somehow been a swimming pool. I finally found a $150 place that was much better and in a good location--that was through friends.

[jennipurrr]

Ha, I saw this the other day when my friend who lives in NYC posted it. I think I posted back here way back when (2008 I believe) because I was just in shock...I visited my three friends who had just rented a "fabulous" apartment in Manhattan for $5,000/mo. The apartment was nothing like those (of course, completely different price bracket) but it was super small for my non-NY worldview and the "amazing terrace" was about a foot wide, lol. Oh well I am sure they pity me living in Alabama, with a $650 mortgage payment, hahaha.

[Spartana]

I took a tour of San Quentin prison once and the inmates had better digs. And they got to live there for free :-) :-). Although the NYC apts in the link are still much nicer than living aboard a military ship's berthing area with a bunch of people for months and years on end but again, it's free :-)
I like small places and would love a little place right in a city - although not NYC - but those places are bad.