Apartment Hunting in New York

Apartment hunting in New York is really only fun if you have lots of money to spend. Otherwise, you end up living in a dump. Well, unless you room with half a dozen other people in a high rise loft or something along those lines. So you can guess that Philip and I have had a rough time finding an apartment.

Some NYC real estate offices have
cool waiting areas!

Our sublease is up on July 30, so for the past month, month and a half, Philip and I have made apartment hunting a full-time job. Unless we’re eating or sleeping, we’re on Craigslist, real estate websites, or makeshift apartment search websites or we’re visiting places from everywhere in Riverdale in the Bronx (WAY up north in NYC) to Astoria in Queens.

What makes it even tougher than our financial situation in general is that NYC has super strict renting policies. Basically, if you’ve ever missed a rent payment, if you’ve ever been to court with a landlord (regardless of circumstances), if you don’t make 40x monthly rent, etc. it’s virtually impossible to rent an apartment. 

Office desk, office chair, and visitor chair

Then there’s the broker’s fee. Arizona real estate agents, read carefully: If you want to provide shoddy services to your clients (not that I suggest it) while making bank, move to NYC! The real estate agents we’ve worked with here are the worst we’ve ever worked with, and many of them make 15-18% of the yearly rent for each rental transaction (as opposed to the 6% you make!). It’s a crazy market here in the City.

Anyway, our search is over. We now have a place to stay for the month of August. I’m sorry, did I write “place”? I meant “places.” Yes, we’re playing the New York game of live-where-you-can-until-you-find-the-perfect-place-for-you! As soon as our lease is up, we’re moving into a shared apartment for a week and a half before finishing out the month in a beautiful shared apartment on Roosevelt Island. Wanna know how beautiful? Check out these views from the apartment:

Pics above and below: East River and Manhattan Skyline

Okay, so I know my earlier pics of the office furniture didn't really have to do with our apartment search, but it kind of did. We talked to and visited so many real estate agents and offices that when I saw that particular office, I had to take pictures and share. It was, by far, the trendiest office space I have ever seen in person (as opposed to magazine pictures, TV shows, movies, etc.).

By the way, remember that I said Philip and I found a place to stay for the month of August. Wish us luck on our next search!

NYC in the Summer

Although it may be hot and humid, summer is the best season to visit NYC if you’re on a budget. The City offers so many free events around the different boroughs that it’s hard not to find an event you might enjoy.

Stage before it got dark and before
singers started performing.

A few weeks ago, there was a traveling classical theatre troupe performing Moliere’s The School for Husbands in Central Park. When I write “traveling,” I literally mean traveling. After each scene, all the actors and audience members would move to another part of the park, re-situate themselves, and continue the show. Philip and I showed up late, so we didn’t stay, but we were at the park long enough to see them travel. It was interesting.

Eating brick-oven pizza while waiting
for friends.

Last week, Philip and I attended a Met Opera recital at Summer Stage in Central Park with a couple friends of ours, Ryan and Tiffany. Although you’re not allowed to supply your own alcohol in the park, there was a beer and wine vendor at the event. They also had brick oven pizza, taco, hot dog, and ice cream vendors there. Hot dogs, by the way, are not always typical in NYC. This particular stand offered hot dogs made with different meats, including a vegetarian version.




It’s like a picnic everywhere you go. We took our blanket to the Met Opera, which we set on top of something (carpet? fake grass?) they used to establish a seating area. The seating area comprised of a roped off section with fold-up chairs for Met Opera members, as well as floor seating on both sides of the members-only section. Behind that section were metal bleachers for non-members who didn’t want to sit on the ground.


There are so many other free events that people can take advantage of that it doesn’t matter if you’re a broke college student or artist or actor trying to make it in the glamorous city of Manhattan.