being different

I need to rant. Morningside Heights is filled with dark, geometrically awkward apartments (walls zig-zag around air shafts, property lines, and halls that must connect everything.) No matter. Aluminum ('stainless') refrigerators, ovens, sinks, gleam, and a coat of something on floors makes 'em shine. I, on the other hand, have a place that's sunny, with separate rooms that don't 'fold' into each... [more]

I need to rant. Morningside Heights is filled with dark, geometrically awkward apartments (walls zig-zag around air shafts, property lines, and halls that must connect everything.) No matter. Aluminum ('stainless') refrigerators, ovens, sinks, gleam, and a coat of something on floors makes 'em shine. I, on the other hand, have a place that's sunny, with separate rooms that don't 'fold' into each other. My wife and I have been artists, and appointed the place with details like a ceiling with birds circling, a tub with a design in the vein of Harry Bertoia, and a bedroom floor that's refinished as a painted surface, like Pamela Nelson. When realtors say "gut renovation" they mean replacing lath and plaster with drywall. Plaster has bumps; drywall is literally paper smooth. When did texture become a negative? They rip up old flooring and lay down hardwood or laminate. The old floor boards were probably a mess, but the new 'hardwood' is homogeneous. We repaired the old floor boards carefully, and they're unique. When did unique become a bad word? Because having rented the place out for over a decade, something's now changed. People aren't excited by character; they want bland. Two things have converged in a negative way. First, the internet changes both renters and owners. Sites inundate users with almost identical units. Something kind of different starts to seem weird, when everything else is so similar. The other thing is price. Apartment prices keep going up, but are people making that much more? No, so renters are nervous and worried. They can't afford a mistake. Something out of the ordinary, a bathtub that looks like an art deco piece, poses a risk, when half or more of your paycheck goes for rent. As an owner, I'm faced with choices. I can hold tight. In a city of 8 million, not everyone wants the identical stuff. I can raise the rent astronomically. People evaluate a lot by price, and the art deco tub looks like an art piece at 4,000/month rent. Or I can go cheap, since people will look twice at something that's a bargain. It does amaze me how superficial things are. Gleaming refrigerators, really? [less]