Saturday, April 07, 2007

Costs of Living

New Yorkers aren't only paying an arm and a leg for overpriced Manhattan apartments (in addition to a safety deposit involving an organ donation or a firstborn son). New Yorkers also forfeit space in absurd ways that seem irrational to the rest of the civilized world.

Before meeting Tiffany for coffee at a Starbucks in Harlem, where we both ended up drinking herbal teas, I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond on Sixth Avenue to get a doormat, wine stoppers and a water filter replacement. While I was looking at an espresso-stained, space-saving folding table with four chairs that can be folded and stored within, two guys stopped to check it out.

Roommate #1: "That [regarding the folding table] would be perfect under the TV. Then we could actually sit at a table and eat."
Roommate #2: [shrugs] "Yea ..."
Roommate #1: "What ... you'd rather keep eating on your bed or the couch?"
Roommate #2: "I just don't know if we have room for it."

The table - when folded - was approximately 1x4'. Such is the New Yorker's constant Manhattan-apartment dilemma.

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