building at 17 East 7th Street

The building interior is often dirty; garbage piles up in front of building every day because super, who is decent guy, works a full-time job elsewhere and lives about 10 blocks away. Building is next door to infamous McSorely's Ale House, so building has people around entrance all the time; McS's patrons often vomit on door step and McSorely's door people rarely direct their patrons to not loiter... [more]

The building interior is often dirty; garbage piles up in front of building every day because super, who is decent guy, works a full-time job elsewhere and lives about 10 blocks away. Building is next door to infamous McSorely's Ale House, so building has people around entrance all the time; McS's patrons often vomit on door step and McSorely's door people rarely direct their patrons to not loiter in front of 17 E. 7 Street. Proximity to McSorely's also generates great quantities of filth around building and garbage area. I pay half or less of what new tenants will pay for the same small apt. space. Building has poor sound insulation between apartments due to rehab done in 1960s to convert building into 20 units from 10. Sheetrock walls between apartments have no insulation, so no sound blockage. I heard my neighbor snoring after I moved it. Also, apts. are noisy for people below an apt. (all but top-floor apts.) because ditto on no sound blockage between floors. Lease used to call for mandatory carpeting on most of an apt's. floor surface area, but I don't think any tenants do that, and it's not upheld by management. Building has high turn-over rate, thereby further escalating the high rent on the apts. -- the current rents are ridiculous for the size, quality and "amenities" of the units! I believe many Airbnb-ers are coming and going, increasing the "hotel" feel of the bldg. I also believe, but don't have proof yet, that bldg. management/landlord has illegally jacked up prices on the units. Many of the units should still be rent stabilized, but most kids moving into NYC have no idea what this means, and I have some reason to surmise that bldg. management takes advantage of their ignorance (and you probably don't educate them, either). But yet, despite all this, some 20+-year-old from Des Moines may feel lucky to pay $2200 for a storage-closet-sized space in this building. Sad. Thank you for perpetuating the myths about how cool it is to live in New York City now. Bob Sacco Email: bthere@compuserve.com [less]