Real Estate Sneak Attack for additional +1d6 damage

I was walking from the F to work this morning, but happened to cross over to the other side of the street as my goal was to go onward for coffee; and happened to notice, in the window of the art supply store, a small placard saying "Studio apartment for rent, inquire within". So I did.

Apartment #11: Studio, Lexington Ave. at about 65th St. For the same $TOOMUCH I keep seeing everything for (obviously it's a break point). Every time I think "wow, can't beat the location" I see something EVEN CLOSER... I can literally See My House From Here. 3rd floor walk-up, the bottom floor being the aforementioned family-owned art supply store (who own the apartment, too--maybe the whole building?) and the 2nd floor is an old-school tailor. The apartment itself is...small. Maybe 16' square in toto, with the kitchen implements randomly jumbled into a nook in the corner. No counter space whatsoever except a cheap pressboard stand-alone unit someone shoved in there at some point, which is maybe 2 feet square. One picks one way through this cubby to get to the bathroom, which is also tiny, and has the most peculiar old-timey tub: it's like nedlnthred's, an old deep curvy iron one, but only half the length, with a shower sending down into it. The windows face behind, so not much street noise, and there's a reasonable amount of light and privacy. No laundry, of course.

So it's small and it's kind of aged and the kitchen sucks, but...it's so very old-timey. There's what has to be an original fake fireplace mantel, in marble, with some Art Deco-ish finishes on it; the floor is a beautiful fancy wood pattern; the sink itself is, I think, possibly original. There's a window seat (just powder-painted metal, yes, but) under one of the two windows--the other having the radiator inside a same-looking containment thingie. These interior details charm me in the way that the exterior details of #9 charmed me. Dither, dither.

By Jove, I Think I've Found It.

Comes now Apartment #12, E. 66th between First and York: 1BR, in that wacky Manhattan way which means "bedroom, living room, kitchen: pick two". The living room (which has the kitchenstuff recessed into a wall per normal studio operations) is 11 X 18, and the bedroom is 11 X 12. But here is the kicker: it's arranged much like #4, only the archway between the sections is smaller, and separated by a pair of folding wooden doors; so you can close it for privacy, or open it for larger social occasions or just a more airy feeling. The bathroom is generous, with a full size old-timey tub like nedlnthred's. The kitchen, though the whole against-the-wall thing, is all new appliances and has a decent amount of cabinetry for what it is (and I picture putting one of my IKEA workbenches parallel to it, to form a sort of mini-railroad-kitchen). One flight up; two living room windows that look out over the back gardens that the ground floor apartments have access to (and a window in the bedroom area that looks into an airshaft, so not much point). It is for a bit under $LIMIT. It's a bit further from work than #10, but that also means I won't have major road work right outside my building, and OH GOSH IT'S A WHOLE FIVE MINUTES FURTHER oh the humanity. No laundry in building, alas. There is a bunch of stuff along First, though, including laundromats.

The building itself dates to 1872, is brick construction, and has lovely mo(u?)lding around the windows &c just like the stuff in Beth's house. The super lives downstairs, works from home, and is clearly Everybody's Mom; she had me in for a cup of tea talking the place up, and there were several tenants who were coming up & down who chatted with her for a minute. So, definitely a nice vibe. She accepts packages, laundry drop-offs, all that sort of thing. Oh, and you can get DSL there, hurrah.

The building isn't as nice as #9, but it's nice enough, and closer (and cheaper). It's not as close and the kitchen isn't as nice as #10, but it's nice enough and close enough, and bigger (and cheaper). It's not as close and not as handsomely appointed as #11, but it's close enough and handsome enough, and bigger (and cheaper). It seems kind of obvious, doesn't it?