Does anyone remember the days when finding a Manhattan studio for $500 per month was a deal and the local newspapers were the main source for searches? New York Magazine has a few studio choices on the supposedly affordable side found online and it appears that under $2,000 is the magic number nowadays (rents rates have gone up 10% in the past year). On the list includes Harlem which apparently is going on average of $1,873 per month and the featured flat at 271 Lenox is apparently slightly lower. There's a funeral parlor next door and the facade is currently under renovation but the location by123rd Street is close to the 2,3 express trains and the historic district. Check out the roster of Manhattan apartments "deals" in NY Magazine:
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Yes, Ulysses I do remember when a studio was $500 per month. I also remember when the vacancy rate was hi and apartments were easy to get. One of my classmates got a huge 3 bedroom in Washington Heights, just by talking to the guy putting out the garbage one morning! That was back in 1975. She was able to go to school full-time, hubby was a cab driver and the two kids ate just fine. She still lives there, hubby died, the kids are grown and gone. She wants to leave but fears that she could never afford to come back if necessary.
ReplyDeleteI'm really impressed at how things have changed over the past 30+ years and scared!