In a famously mobile city like New York, living in one apartment for decades is the exception rather than the rule. A recent New York Times story suggests stasis ensues mainly when an apartment is cheap (such as rent controlled or rent stabilized) or if it is flexible enough to adapt to a growing or shrinking number of occupants (think Soho loft).
But as any experienced New Yorker knows, there are plenty of arguably more compelling motivations for clinging like a glue trap to your current abode, such as:
- You have a storage bin and 5 bike spaces. The citywide average wait for newbies is two years and up.
- You finally know how much to tip at the holidays (a little better than the neighbors, but not so much that the staff thinks you're loaded).
- You spent $3,500 Cityproofing your windows and $2,700 customizing your closets.
- In the dead of winter, there's a 3 x 5 foot patch of living room that still gets sunshine.
- It took you four years, but you finally got the newspaper delivery guy to leave the paper at your door.
- You've already dealt with your mouse problem -- do you want a new one?
- Even if you move a block away, we can guarantee that at least one of your favorite restaurants will no longer deliver to you.
- Your downstairs neighbor is hard of hearing, so you never had to buy rugs for your floor...which is a good thing, because your Maltese treats anything absorbent like a wee wee pad.
- The roofdeck you spent four years fighting for is finally opening this summer.
- The super is cool with your illegal washer dryer.
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