New York, New York

[moni]

Interesting article about New York City and the changes that have occured since 9/11, regarding architecture, shopping, etc.

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?...0&GT1=10243

[lockmat]

even studios no larger than a walk-in closet continue to bring top dollar. And why not? Even a New York apartment feels spacious compared to a London flat,

Anyone ever live in NYC or know someone who has/does? We think anything around 6-800 sqf is small, right? Is that big to them? Normal?

[moni]

I once saw a show on tv where these decorators donated their time and money to redo an apartment for these firefighters. It had a total of 187 sq.ft. and was really a dump. Rent is so expensive there, especially in Manhattan.

[lockmat]

I once saw a show on tv where these decorators donated their time and money to redo an apartment for these firefighters. It had a total of 187 sq.ft. and was really a dump. Rent is so expensive there, especially in Manhattan.

Wow. I can only imagine what the flats are like in London. I think my dorm room in college was bigger than that.

Here's another quote I found interesting

But all this excitement has not been without its costs. New York City today is safer and cleaner than ever, but also more generic. The head shops and XXX theaters of Times Square have long since gone the way of the Checker cab, replaced by family-friendly entertainment and dime-a-dozen chain restaurants. Columbus Circle, where the homeless once mingled with people catching buses that would take them upstate to visit relatives in prison, is now home to a massive Whole Foods Market, a staggeringly expensive Mandarin Oriental hotel, quotidian staples such as J. Crew and Jamba Juice, and the stunning but sterile Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Even the residential parts of Manhattan have become more like the rest of America. New Yorkers who once prided themselves on patronizing unique boutiques and specialized butchers, bakers and candlestick makers now shop at the same big-box stores as everybody else. An entire block of Chelsea has been turned into a suburban mall, complete with a Best Buy, a Home Depot (can you take lumber on the subway?) and an Outback Steakhouse.

Maybe a slower market produces better quality...sometimes?

[editor]

Anyone ever live in NYC or know someone who has/does? We think anything around 6-800 sqf is small, right? Is that big to them? Normal?

I've lived there, and yes, 800 square feet can be considered quite large in some neighborhoods. But in others there are very large apartments. It's all about what you can afford.

People outside New York like to focus on the matchbox-sized apartments and assume that all apartments in the city are the same, just like people in New York assume everyone in Houston owns a cowboy hat.

[millennica]

Anyone ever live in NYC or know someone who has/does? We think anything around 6-800 sqf is small, right? Is that big to them? Normal?

I lived in a 700 sq ft apartment close to Washington Square, not too far from NYU. Considering the location and price, my apartment was considered a good deal and bigger than normal. I have a good friend who currently owns a 500 square foot co-op apartment in Gramercy Park--East 21st St that although smaller than my 700 sq ft apartment, she considers her co-op "normal". What is considered normal has a lot to do with location and price.

[Vertigo58]

Wow. I can only imagine what the flats are like in London. I think my dorm room in college was bigger than that.

In 1990 a 3 bdroom apt on 3rd floor w/balconies in West Los Angeles district cost about $1,800.00 per month. You are in a nicer part of the city and near everything but you pay dearly for it. The typical "bachelor" apt which means one room that has only room for a single bed, kitchenette and RR would be about $900.00 per month. Bills not included. That is in the not so good parts of town.

Basically living in LA is expensive. You deal with the overcrowded situation, horrific traffic, smog & occasional earth movement. Quake Insurance is outragious.

That's why everyone there wants to come here! Yikes!

[WesternGulf]

Anyone ever live in NYC or know someone who has/does? We think anything around 6-800 sqf is small, right? Is that big to them? Normal?

I have a cousin who lives in Harlem. I have not been to her place yet. Also I have a relative that lives in a 900 square foot one bedroom in San Francisco. It is not bad at all and turns out to be pretty spacious for herself. As long as you have a kitchen to cook in, a restroom, a bedrrom, and a living room, what is the need for all of the space? I think people who need large homes are encompassing for something else. There must not be too much life outside of the home. The relative I am speaking of in SF has plenty of amenities outside of her door where "sacrificing" space is not that much of a great sacrifice at all.

[Orikal]

I have a cousin who lives in Harlem. I have not been to her place yet. Also I have a relative that lives in a 900 square foot one bedroom in San Francisco. It is not bad at all and turns out to be pretty spacious for herself. As long as you have a kitchen to cook in, a restroom, a bedrrom, and a living room, what is the need for all of the space? I think people who need large homes are encompassing for something else. There must not be too much life outside of the home. The relative I am speaking of in SF has plenty of amenities outside of her door where "sacrificing" space is not that much of a great sacrifice at all.

My wife and I rented a 600sf one bedroom apartment in Boston, and it was very liveable. You learn to maximize the space at hand. In a lot of these cities (NYC, SF, Boston) there is so much going on just out the door that you tend to not spend a whole lot of time at home. At least that was our experience.

FWIW, my house here is only 900sf.......

[lockmat]

As long as you have a kitchen to cook in, a restroom, a bedrrom, and a living room, what is the need for all of the space?

I agree. Plus, the less room, the less stuff you have to buy to fill the dang space. These words yall bring are encouraging.

[TheNiche]

I agree. Plus, the less room, the less stuff you have to buy to fill the dang space. These words yall bring are encouraging.

Frankly, I agree as well. I stayed at a tiny room in a Motel 6 in Harlingen earlier this year, the epitome of a minimalist experience, and realized that I could easily live in a space like that if I had to. That was the moment I became a fan of single-room occupancy (SRO) facilities. I'm in a 600sf 1/1 unit right now but my bed is set up in the living room and about all I use the bedroom for is a place to put the computer, bookshelves, and a spare bed that gets little use...and if I really wanted to, most of that could be moved into the living room/dining nook as well or just gotten rid of.

By the end of the year, I'd like to be out of my current unit, and my preference is to actually downsize, possibly into a garage apartment, studio unit, or something similar.

[Htowngirl]

Starting next week, my friend moves into an apt her company rented for her (and her coworker). It's a furnished 700 sq ft 2B/2B apt on Central Park West for $6000/month. It required a $15000 deposit, which they ended up negotiating to $9000. Makes my mortgage for my 2400 sq ft house seem quite reasonable!!