So this just got posted on one of my alumni email lists:

A large bedroom ($1227/mo) is available with a move-in date of December 1. The room is in a 5th floor walk-up of a brownstone building in the heart of Chelsea. It is very big (about 10 by 10) and gets great light. There are three north-facing windows and access to a small balcony area facing an interior garden. It has hardwood floors and exposed brick. There is a shared kitchen and bathroom. Roommates are two late-twenties professional females. We are looking for someone who is relatively quiet, considerate, clean and friendly. No lease required, just a one-month's security deposit to move in. No smokers and no pets, please.

Jeez. I just got done spending $900 a month in mortgage, taxes and condo fees on an 830 square foot condo in CT (in which my bedroom was 12x15). And a 100-sq ft room in NYC runs $1230? (Which, if you do the math, means it costs 11.35 times what I pay for my condo, per square foot, and you don't get the equity or tax break.) Remind me again why people live there? Also, is "exposed brick" supposed to be a good thing (I mean, "two late-twenties professional females" clearly is a good thing, but exposed brick?)?