New York City is not a easy place to get started. Entry level job in the city? Congratulations. You can now rent a windowless room. Want you own space? It’s a single room. It has a window but it also has mice and roaches.
I was 32 and had recently decided to leave architecture and start developing buildings for myself. Extra risk but the money is much much better. Once I had my first deal in place I decided I needed a better apartment situation for myself. A place that would motivate me everyday and allow me to work from home. What I had wasn’t that. It was depressing.
It was the end of January and absolutely freezing. There was a brand new building that had just gone up in Brooklyn and I had my eye on a particular unit, it was on a high floor and had 180 degree views. Windows on three sides and a huge balcony overlooking the harbor. It was very expensive and I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to spend that much. I was in the neighborhood one afternoon and decided to pop into the leasing office to try and see it in person.