Some loose ends, before we go on...
What's this "rent control" you hear about on television? When housing in NYC began to skyrocket, they passed legislation that rents couldn't be raised on tenants who took occupancy before a certain year. 1971 or something like that. I remember hearing that Alistair Cooke, the host of Masterpiece Theatre, had a Park Avenue penthouse for which he paid $300/month. These rent control arrangements could also be inherited, if you were a relative who grew up in that unit - if you've ever watched Friends and wondered how they could afford that place, it is mentioned once or twice that it was Monica's grandmother's. i.e. rent controled.
While it's not legal, those who have a legitimate rent controlled apartment have been known to pass it to someone else not a blood relative. Slip the super a few dollars to look the other way, etc. While it's also not legal, landlords have been known to try and get these tenants out by letting the building deteriorate. That led to the birth of the rent strike.
Now, even in New York, there are those who own their homes rather than renting. As with renting, the simple law of supply and demand makes it astronomically more expensive. And if you can manage anything between several hundred thousand and 9 or 10 million to buy a place, that is not the end of the story. Because this isn't a house in Pleasant Hills, Indiana. It's a 26 story co-op with many other people who have paid between several hundred thousand and 9 or 10 million to buy their apartments, and they have to approve you. Most neighborhoods, no big. But if it's one of the most desirable zipcodes in the country, prepare for your future neighbors to poke into crevices you would hesitate to expose to your doctor.
If you have a car, don't imagine there's a corresponding space for it in the lot under the building. Those probably go for $400 a month. Cars are seriously impractical. If wherever you're going is close, you can walk it faster than you can drive, given the traffic congestion. If it isn't close enough to walk, a cab or subway covers the distance economically and spares you the challenge of finding parking on the other end of your journey.
I could go on and on and on, and chances are by the time I finish, at least 3 of the above situations will have morphed into something else. Point is, this is a different world and it's smart to keep that in mind as you write. If all you know of New York is from watching Seinfeld - you still know that much. You know there are a plethora of mom & pops like fruit stands and asian groceries instead of just megamarts. You know it's a publishing center. You know traffic is a bitch.
You know a lot. You have to KNOW what you know, and keep it in mind as you write.
What's this "rent control" you hear about on television? When housing in NYC began to skyrocket, they passed legislation that rents couldn't be raised on tenants who took occupancy before a certain year. 1971 or something like that. I remember hearing that Alistair Cooke, the host of Masterpiece Theatre, had a Park Avenue penthouse for which he paid $300/month. These rent control arrangements could also be inherited, if you were a relative who grew up in that unit - if you've ever watched Friends and wondered how they could afford that place, it is mentioned once or twice that it was Monica's grandmother's. i.e. rent controled.
While it's not legal, those who have a legitimate rent controlled apartment have been known to pass it to someone else not a blood relative. Slip the super a few dollars to look the other way, etc. While it's also not legal, landlords have been known to try and get these tenants out by letting the building deteriorate. That led to the birth of the rent strike.
Now, even in New York, there are those who own their homes rather than renting. As with renting, the simple law of supply and demand makes it astronomically more expensive. And if you can manage anything between several hundred thousand and 9 or 10 million to buy a place, that is not the end of the story. Because this isn't a house in Pleasant Hills, Indiana. It's a 26 story co-op with many other people who have paid between several hundred thousand and 9 or 10 million to buy their apartments, and they have to approve you. Most neighborhoods, no big. But if it's one of the most desirable zipcodes in the country, prepare for your future neighbors to poke into crevices you would hesitate to expose to your doctor.
If you have a car, don't imagine there's a corresponding space for it in the lot under the building. Those probably go for $400 a month. Cars are seriously impractical. If wherever you're going is close, you can walk it faster than you can drive, given the traffic congestion. If it isn't close enough to walk, a cab or subway covers the distance economically and spares you the challenge of finding parking on the other end of your journey.
I could go on and on and on, and chances are by the time I finish, at least 3 of the above situations will have morphed into something else. Point is, this is a different world and it's smart to keep that in mind as you write. If all you know of New York is from watching Seinfeld - you still know that much. You know there are a plethora of mom & pops like fruit stands and asian groceries instead of just megamarts. You know it's a publishing center. You know traffic is a bitch.
You know a lot. You have to KNOW what you know, and keep it in mind as you write.
