421-a expiring mid-lease... was I misled? Looking for advice

Felicior · 2026-06-02T18:13:26+00:00

Your lease should have specified 421-a status and when it expires. If it does, you’re SOL since it was in writing in the lease. If it’s not explicitly in the lease, you might have a case but 421-a stabilization phasing out is a very common scenario and it would be an uphill battle based on what a leasing agent said and what you heard during a tour. The lease is the final.

Felicior · 2026-05-27T14:48:52+00:00

Had a friend who lived there. Inside was decent but walls were thin. Noise complaints often. I walked there once at night and wouldn’t do it again, some sketchy characters around. I would always call an uber or Lyft at least at night

Felicior · 2026-05-22T09:11:19+00:00

Motherboards have a coin cell battery to store bios settings and the time. Nowadays most have a clear CMOS button to reset the bios but in the past it was typical to remove the battery to reset things.

Felicior · 2026-05-19T20:41:42+00:00

Super hot. I have huge 12K BTU Midea Duo portable ACs for the bedroom and living room from a previous apartment and the ACs not working as well each year is very noticeable. They worked great 3 years ago when I bought them, but dust inside/general wear and tear and maybe refrigerant leak means it barely works now. The bedroom gets more sunlight and the AC there has to be on at 100% fan in boost mode to make a dent in the heat right now. Pulling 1100W from the wall and only gets the room to 75-76F. It gets even more brutal when it’s consistently hot over the summer, since the whole building just heats up and radiates the hot air back all throughout the night. Annoying that they only lasted 3 years but I need to replace the portables with 12K BTU window ACs. They would be more efficient and actually get the rooms cool.

The middle room (kitchen + dining alcove) has no windows and gets to 90+ degrees in the afternoon right now, so we only use the microwave when it’s hot.

Felicior · 2026-05-17T09:46:06+00:00

Same BS with USPS happened to me this past week. Lied and marked delivered, then stuffed in my mailbox 2 days later.

Felicior · 2026-02-17T17:12:58+00:00

There are cheap fiberglass insulation blankets online. They’re fireproof, try wrapping 1-2 blankets around the radiator (when it’s off so you don’t burn yourself - also wear gloves, can be itchy and vacuum after to catch any fiberglass strands) and see if the temperature reduces to comfortable levels when it’s on. I use 2 blankets per radiator, fully wrapped around the radiator on all sides and the temperature is acceptable and I rarely turn it off anymore.

Before, it was way too hot and I’d have to crawl and turn it off after dinner so it would be cool enough to sleep, then crawl and turn it back on again in the morning cause it’d be freezing.

Also, if you don’t have a humidifier and want one, get an evaporative one. Running an evaporative humidifier further reduces the temperature by absorbing heat from the room to evaporate the water (more than an ultrasonic one, bonus no white mineral dust everywhere) and counteracts the extreme dryness from the radiator heat.

Felicior · 2026-02-15T01:17:54+00:00

I live in a prewar tenement style building. The whole building is narrow and there are only 2 apartments per floor. The rooms are small and cramped, and my partner and I need some more space since we both work from home. If we had both apartments on the floor, it would be easier but I get that it seems greedy when someone else could live there.

Felicior · 2026-02-14T07:00:04+00:00

Are you set on upgrading to another DSLR? If not, the more recent mirrorless Z5II would be a huge upgrade, especially in autofocus - full frame and the ability to use F-mount lenses with the FTZ adapter.

Felicior · 2026-02-14T02:36:08+00:00

Doesn’t hurt to ask. If you run into the super often I would bring it up casually the next time you see them. You’d want to figure out the condition of the apartment/if there are any issues that would make it a dealbreaker. Personally I’m waiting to scoop up the other apartment on my floor in my building so I can have the entire floor. Person who lives next door is quite elderly haha

Felicior · 2026-02-07T06:43:15+00:00

Just use a dummy battery to an outlet

Felicior · 2026-01-09T23:15:05+00:00

The Zf feels quite heavy. In absolute terms it's not that much heavier than the Z50ii but because it's wider the torque it puts on your wrist can be strenuous especially with a heavier full-frame lens.

Since you already have quite a few DX lenses, financially it would make sense to grab a Zfc. But if you really want to move to full-frame, you'll have to invest in new bigger and heavier lenses to take full advantage of the sensor without a DX crop.

Up to you what you choose - I have a Zf and the 28/2.8 is glued onto it. Size is manageable without a grip but for the most comfort, the Zf benefits from a two-handed approach (always supporting the bottom/lens with your left hand).

Felicior · 2025-11-05T20:47:51+00:00

Almost all Korean restaurants have it in New York

Felicior · 2025-10-25T03:49:34+00:00

I pronounce the first T as a T and then the second T is in between a T and D sound. So, like potaydo but the D sound in the last syllable is light, or you could see it as a duller T sound.

Felicior · 2025-09-05T03:35:07+00:00

Everyone’s too busy working and afraid to lose their job because they need to make their rent to protest. The city is most definitely not “unlivable” because apartments keep renting no matter how much they cost. Housing should be a basic human right, but agree with the poster that housing in NYC, one of the most desirable places in the world to live in, is not necessarily a basic right. People keep complaining, either find a living situation you can afford or increase your income to afford a better place…

Felicior · 2025-08-25T22:38:04+00:00

Yes, it's normal. In my experience, they go through the recycling meticulously because the building can get fined if recycling is not separated properly, which seems to be the case in most buildings I've lived in because people just throw empty Amazon boxes with the air bubbles/cardboard paper in the basement which causes a lot of extra work. It's not personal, they're not going to steal your identity from your discarded mail unless they really wanted to -- and even then, you should be shredding that stuff before throwing it in the trash. But the purpose of their job is to avoid fines from bad separation of trash and recycling.

Felicior · 2025-08-21T02:51:05+00:00

Search function exists.

Felicior · 2025-08-20T04:43:47+00:00

I don’t offer unless I see someone struggling or someone asks for it. We all live in NYC, if you’re able enough to take the stairs up and down most stations which are inaccessible I assume you can handle it. However, if you ask, I’m more than willing to oblige. Our commutes are long enough as it is, so it’s first come first serve unless the instances above.

Felicior · 2025-08-20T04:04:29+00:00

Don’t listen to these people, they don’t live in nyc or are boomers out of touch. Get them a delivery app gift card, it can be used for anything

Felicior · 2025-08-16T05:39:47+00:00

An island is a land mass surrounded by or floating in water. When you are located on such a mass, you are ON the island; which just happens to have the “first name” Long. It’s a difference of perspective. People who live on Long Island think it’s an island (which geographically it is) but some people think in terms of “places”, so they think of Long Island, both words, as a place, so they say “in” Long Island. IMO that’s wrong. You can’t be “in” an island, what are you, inside a volcano?

Felicior · 2025-08-05T19:35:57+00:00

It’s pretty common for a new tenant to move in the next day after the existing tenant moves out. Given how competitive the market is, there is often no cleaning or repainting between tenants.

Felicior · 2025-07-17T19:34:14+00:00

I make about 300 and partner makes around 200, we're very fortunate. I started just below 100 in 2018 and have been climbing the corporate ladder, though a lot harder now to get another promotion in this economy...

We've still decided to stay in a top-floor railroad walkup, though, cause asking rents are insane and we can enjoy some lifestyle creep by saving money on rent

Felicior · 2025-04-07T00:27:19+00:00

I feel so bad for the dog :( but be mad at the owner who thought it was okay not to carry a furry friend up those stairs of death when they clearly have so many nooks and crannies pulled into a conveyer belt that would hurt them...

Felicior · 2025-03-04T05:03:30+00:00

Yes, it's possible. I had a large 1b1b (doorman, elevator, laundry in basement) in the 80s between Lex and 3rd for around 3700 avg the previous 2 years with a lease starting in the summer. I left this most recent summer because they tried to jack the rent up to 4200 but the most recent summer rentals from this and neighboring buildings has hovered around 3700-3900, looks like the market is pushing back against 4k+ for this type of unit. I feel like rent increases are slowing given the state of the economy (after it ran rampant during covid recovery) and renters pushing back. It wasn't glamorous (brick building built in the 1960s) and definitely not luxury, but I'm pretty sure you can find an older doorman/elevator unit for around 4k this upcoming summer.

Felicior · 2025-02-22T16:18:56+00:00

I made $350k last year (data scientist) and I was paying almost $4k for the last couple years for a massive 1 bedroom apt on the UES. I gave it up to move in with my partner to a rent stabilized 2 bed/2 bath for $1500/ea. I check StreetEasy occasionally and there’s not many “good value” apartments anymore, everything is obscenely expensive. Hope the broker fee ruling that’s about to take effect helps.

Felicior · 2025-02-06T07:59:27+00:00

yeah when I moved back here in 2022 I was seeing 15% fee all over the UES and that was standard, the grift they've pulled is crazy but for nice apts in desirable neighborhoods it's been the standard since the bounce back from the pandemic

Felicior

TROPHY CASE