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Tue 10 Jan, 2006 08:09 pm
Quick, I need to be convinced I'm doing the right thing! I got an apartment last week, and put down the deposit. Then I started having doubts, because it's a 4th floor walk-up. So I stalled on signing the lease so I could keep looking and hopefully find something better.
So tonight I found another place, but it is the other extreme. It is a basement apartment. It's probably about equal in every other way, except the 4th floor walk-up is bigger, and for some strange reason, I like it better, even with the horrible walk-up part.
I have put deposits down on both places now, but it is put up or shut up time, and I am leaning towards the walk-up, because I'm thinking basement apartment = rats, bugs...**** like that.
So tell me your horror stories please, even if you have to make them up. The more horrifying, the better.
Thanks,
Kicky
I don't have any horror stories, but I'd say the 4th floor would be "safer" from break-ins than a basement apartment.
I have lived in both. I didn't mind the walk-up, I was young and thought the exercise would make me thinner. It was also the top floor so I didn't have to listen to stomping feet.
I briefly had a basement sublet in Greenpoint near the L train. It was rather dark and I could hear all the street noises. It was at a time they were doing work on the L and every time they would use the jackhammer a herd of cockroaches would come running in from every crack in floor. It always had a musty smell because I was located near all the plumbing and I could hear the furnace running. My worst experience was when some drunk puked in the little area between the street and window grate. My boyfriend once claimed it was as an apartment only Dostoyevsky could love.
Quote:My boyfriend once claimed it was as an apartment only Dostoyevsky could love.
Ha! I love Dostoyevsky! I think I would've liked your boyfriend.
Ask quinn about basement apts.
How about this? People will feel compelled to sing the "Laverne & Shirley" theme song whenever they visit your apartment.
Once upon a time, Kicky, there was this guy, not me of course, but a friend of mine, who lived for several days in a one car garage, below grade, in downtown Atlanta, just outside of a nightclub. Some writer more clever than I might say it was in pissing range of the nightclub. Go for the 4th story one, dude. The exercise will do you good and there might even be light coming through your window. rjb
My friend lived in a basement apartment. I don't think he had any problems with bugs. Only had a couple tiny windows, so the place wasn't exactly "sunny."
I'd much rather live on the 4th floor. It'll be quieter, because you're further away from the street(if it's a busy street at least), and it may even be warmer, since heat rises(don't know if this is true). Plus you probably do have a much less chance of getting mice. Especially if it's an old foundation.
Not wanting to walk up 4 floors? Don't be lazy, man. I can understand not wanting to MOVE everything up there, but I'm all about moving companies now.
Actually, I have fond memories of a basement apartment I live in once! It was huge, and it was a real basement! I could do anything I wanted with the place. It was cool!!
Anon
P.S. The bugs came in handy when the grocery funds got short
Hey, you guys actually brought up some stuff I didn't think of, like the noise factor, and the mustiness possibility. The heat thing might also be a factor. And drunk guys pissing in front of my windows is not a very pleasant thought.
Plus, the walk-up apartment's living area is bigger, and the alcove part where I can fit my bed is actually a little bigger than the "bedroom" in the other one. PLUS, I am on the top floor. PLUS, I have roof access. It's a crappy-looking roof, but it might be pretty nice to go up there during summer nights to get a little fresh air. And if I ever get a girlfriend, I might actually get to live my fantasy of doing it on the roof of a NYC apartment building.
The fourth floor walk-up it is!
Yeah, Slappy, you are right. I was putting a lot of emphasis on the horrible nightmare that moving is going to be. But f*ck it. I'm doing it.
Thanks!
Hire movers. Best money you'll ever spend.
Roof access. That's key. I apparently can go on my roof too, but haven't yet. There's no deck or anything, not really designed for hanging out.
Going back to NYC. You ever get a new job?
I used to be a mover. So now it's like a pride thing with me that I have to move my own ****, and make my friends break their asses along with me. But I think I will call a couple movers at least and see how much they'll charge. I have a feeling it's going to be ridiculously expensive though, since it's a walk-up.
Got a job at an ad agency. Quality Control. They love me there.
Oh, by the way, the realtor told me my credit score was 813 out of a possible 850. I am a credit badass.
Good choice, kicky. In my single days, I always wanted to be on the top floor. It was always quieter.
A basement apartment? I'd be living in fear that someone above me would have a toilet overflow or a sink stop up, and I'd come home to find dirty water standing in my living space. Top floors can't flood!
"Quality Control." New term for me, agencies around here don't use that one. What do you do? Press checks, sign-offs, proofreading?
kickycan wrote: I am on the top floor. PLUS, I have roof access. It's a crappy-looking roof, but it might be pretty nice to go up there during summer nights to get a little fresh air. And if I ever get a girlfriend, I might actually get to live my fantasy of doing it on the roof of a NYC apartment building.
Top floors are the best! No one passes your doorway singing like Sid Vicious at 3am and no stomping over your head. As to the sex - the problem is 4 floors are not very high in NYC and you might end up doing a free porn show for the neighbors (of course you might like that). Get permission from the landlord to do "improvements" on the roof. Drag some astro turf up there, a few potted plants and some garden furniture. We bought some big plastic palm trees and a few pink flamingos from a theatre prop shop (yeah, I'm garden designer now, can't ya tell) . Just add a BBQ and you'll have the best of NYC and Miami.
Slappy is right about the movers, especially going up 4 flights. Do Moshe's Movers still exist? I really liked them - big hunky Israeli boys.
Top floor all the way!
When I could still sort of hear I lived in a duplex on the first floor and I regularly came close to losing it and marching upstairs and murdering the horrible clog-wearing assholes who lived upstairs. <clonk clonk clonk. CLONK. clonkclonk. Clonk clonk clonkclonkclonkclonk> ad nauseum. Ooh, my shoulders clench just thinking about it.
Eva wrote:"Quality Control." New term for me, agencies around here don't use that one. What do you do? Press checks, sign-offs, proofreading?
Yeah, it is a new trend in ad agencies, or so they've told me. It's got some elements of proofreading, but it's more of an electronic file proofreading-type of thing. When the files are ready to go to print, we do the final checking of the files to make sure colors are correct, no fonts are missing, crops for the bleed, trim and safety are correct, etc. We also do the final release to the pubs that are printing the ads...creating hi-res PDFs, output of Creo proofs, disking the files...
I'm not really crazy about the job itself, but the people are a lot of fun, and the environment is good. They even have a fridge full of free Pepsi and Beer for anyone who wants it! It will do for the time being, although soon I think I'm going to start bugging my agency to find me something that's more of a hands-on production kind of thing. That's really what I used to be.
Green Witch wrote:kickycan wrote: I am on the top floor. PLUS, I have roof access. It's a crappy-looking roof, but it might be pretty nice to go up there during summer nights to get a little fresh air. And if I ever get a girlfriend, I might actually get to live my fantasy of doing it on the roof of a NYC apartment building.
Top floors are the best! No one passes your doorway singing like Sid Vicious at 3am and no stomping over your head. As to the sex - the problem is 4 floors are not very high in NYC and you might end up doing a free porn show for the neighbors (of course you might like that). Get permission from the landlord to do "improvements" on the roof. Drag some astro turf up there, a few potted plants and some garden furniture. We bought some big plastic palm trees and a few pink flamingos from a theatre prop shop (yeah, I'm garden designer now, can't ya tell) . Just add a BBQ and you'll have the best of NYC and Miami.
Slappy is right about the movers, especially going up 4 flights. Do Moshe's Movers still exist? I really liked them - big hunky Israeli boys.
I forgot to mention that I don't think the landlord has actually officially given me roof priviledges. I'll ask about it, but I think it's going to have to be a stealth access kind of thing. It will be technically against the rules, but there is no alarm on the door, so it shouldn't be too hard to sneak up there whenever I want. I do, however, think that decorating up there might be a bad idea in that case. I'll let you know when I find out for sure.
I see signs for Moshe's all over the place. I'll check 'em out. Thanks.
sozobe wrote:Top floor all the way!
When I could still sort of hear I lived in a duplex on the first floor and I regularly came close to losing it and marching upstairs and murdering the horrible clog-wearing **** who lived upstairs. <clonk clonk clonk. CLONK. clonkclonk. Clonk clonk clonkclonkclonkclonk> ad nauseum. Ooh, my shoulders clench just thinking about it.
Thanks for the supportive voice, Soz! I have never been bothered by noise in pretty much any apartment I've ever been in (even the one where I was right above Third Avenue, which was incredibly loud, I got used to), but I still like being on the top floor.
Yeah, this could be good.
The agency artists here are expected to do those things themselves, and not many of them are very good at it. Most of the really good file management people are at the printers & service bureaus and charge $125+/hr. for corrections. So I can see why agencies would want to do it in-house.
Thanks for the explanation! Now I'm ahead of the curve here!
Yep, that's exactly why they told me they're starting to do it. $125/hour? Wow, that is a lot of freaking money.
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