Noise Violations
Living in a four-floor walk up on the upper west side in Manhattan comes with its pros and cons…Pros:
- Ridiculously cheap & rent-controlled
- Proximity to not one, but two fabulous parks
- 20 minute subway ride to work
- Cost of having a social life is increased due to copious cab fares on weekends
- Ridiculously cheap & rent-controlled apartment comes with “character” (i.e., ancient heating system, bedroom window that faces a brick wall)
- The concept of a “doorman” is the homeless guy that hangs out on stoop collecting rogue socks from the sidewalk
The thing about rent-controlled apartment buildings in this city is that secretly the building owner cannot wait until the building inhabitants can be evicted. Up until the storied eviction date, the landlord will put minimal renovations into the place to keep costs down…just enough to keep the tenants in a state of contentment (because in New York strange insects can be tolerated for a rent below $1,000).
Once said tenants can be evicted, the building owner can gut the place, jack up the rent and lease the shiny-new space to a lovely family with two screaming children and three lhasa apsos that have the pleasure of yapping incessantly.
All of us New Yorkers know how irritating construction can be. One apartment in or near your building is quite enough. Well, try this on for size…the entire building next to mine (yes, the one in the same brick wall I get to stare at day in and day out) has been gutted. Large, friendly neighborhood Dominican family, gone. Enter team of men stocked with every power tool in the book.
Last night they proceeded to use those power tools well into the wee hours of my precious sleeping time. 2AM to be exact. The friendly folks over at 311 were beginning to call me with updates. For hours I tried to tune out the pounding of hammers, the buzzing of the power saws, the clang of metal chunks dropping from the apartment windows - shortly followed by a strange man yelling, “HEY! I live down here!”
For the love…
The only thing I could think to do was to try and plug my ears somehow. In my delirium I thought…does stuffing my sheets in my ears work? Nope, too thick. Cotton balls? Nope, not dense enough. Putting a pillow over my head? Nope, too suffocating.
Just when I thought I was ready to start counting sheep I figured it out. Surprisingly enough, I was so damn tired that I managed to fall asleep with my fingers jammed into my ears. Not exactly comfy, especially after a thirteen hour day, but nonetheless effective.
Today, I’m a walking scowl. Construction crews, clients and whiny co-workers beware. It’s no wonder New Yorkers are known for being irritable…
posted by Lisa @ 9:53 AM
6 Comments:
HAHA - LOVE this post, doll! tragic but true. what we won't do for rent control.
I'm wililng to bet folks with non-stablized apartments face similiar issues you are not alone.
Don't you love 311. It feels good to have someone to complain to - even if they don't do much.
I was in a similar situation, albeit on the Upper East Side. Except they were gut renovating the apartments on the floor below me. Yeah, that was a blast. Especially when the mice showed up. Awesome. I feel your pain.
Gotta love NY!! What we won't do to live in a "fabulous" city.
I live in a rent controlled UES apartment. My landlord tried to evict me for - get this - the noice my cat would make when he'd run across the floor.
I alos, about 4 years ago, awoke to a scorpion in my shower. No lie. A real live scorpion.
I have no idea if that was somethign devious or just a random coincidence.
Crazy.
Cheers,
Sex & Moxie
www.moxieblog.typepad.com
This post is priceless! It's so true! I can totally relate. ;)
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