54 Comments
Mar 20Liked by Sari Botton

Wow, that's a New York story if ever there was one! Beautiful.

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Thanks!

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Not only a remarkable only in New York story but a testament to the gutsy, fearless gal you are! AMAZING!

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<3

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Sari-truly an excellent and quintessentially New York essay. It brought me right back to my bathtub in the kitchen apartment in the 80's. Kudos!

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Mar 20Liked by Sari Botton

Oh my god, I lived in this building a decade ago! On the first floor. It was indeed renovated—and none of the piping had been patched around, so I had constant roaches even after I did a mediocre job of fixing it myself. It was absolutely not rent-stabilized and I got priced out within a year. What a story! What a character!

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Wow! East 13th St? What a small New York world.

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Let’s see, in 1995 (after two NYU dorm rooms on Washington Square Park) I was living in a 400-square-foot studio on Waverly Place, then moved to the Red Square Building on Houston with a roommate… In the studio, I could brush my teeth while sitting on the toilet… and Ethan Hawke was my neighbor! I’m sure that’s renting for thousands now. Love this story—it brought on nostalgia. I have mouse stories, too…

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Such courage - and intuition - on your part!

This was gripping right to the end. (And gah! Mouse coffins lol ...)

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Mar 20·edited Mar 20Liked by Sari Botton

Compelling narrative, Sari -- a true tale from the colorful streets of Manhattan. (I'm a son of Inwood, raised in a postwar apartment with step-down living room . . . and no "gift" surprises.)

There are eight million stories in the vivid city. This has been one of them I'm grateful you share so stylishly. 😉

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Thanks, Alan!

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Fantastic story and story-telling, thank you!

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What a great story!

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Thanks!

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Mar 20Liked by Sari Botton

Mouse coffins wouldn’t bother me, but the worry that that odd tenant might still have a key would!

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😂

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Another great NYC story, Sari! And omg, mouse coffins! I can't even imagine...

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Mar 20·edited Mar 20Author

Crazy, right? Thank you!

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I grew up a few blocks down from you on West 13th Street.

In an apartment building that had no 13th floor. But it was on 13th Street. Figure that one out.

Great story.

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Hello, former neighbor! That's crazy. Thank you.

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Yeah, it is.

I'm a fourth-generation native New Yorker on my father's side who grew up in Greenwich Village and attended NYU, so your essay rang a lot of bells.

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Love this! I worked on one of his books! But I only met him twice during that time. I did actually wonder how he got away with turning his famous apartment into a spectacle!

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Oh, wow! Apparently he did that to subsequent apartments, too.

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Wow, indeed! Well, I thought there was only one weird museum apartment! Makes sense, once you have all that stuff. The amazing weirdo I worked for had actual sideshow banners from old circuses all over the office along with real WWII propaganda posters. The people who were collectors of oddities pre-internet seemed to all know each other.

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Such a great New York story; thank you for sharing this.

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Mar 20Liked by Sari Botton

I do have a collection of jewelry boxes, which are now tiny, empty coffins to me. I think they need to go now. What a great story!

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😂 🙏

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Really enjoyed reading this, Sari!!

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