First Shanghai. My apartment (of Chinese TV fame--the famous scene where I am making the bed... so Hollywood. I never make beds, a fruitless and vain project). Description: One bedroom, 5th floor. No elevator. Spacious living room and dining area. Bright, big windows. Scary kitchen that always threatened rats but delivered cockroaches. Apartments in China generally come furnished; sometimes at the terrible mercy of your tasteless landlord. Mine was pretty sweet though.
Huge awesome deck overlooking French Concession warren.
Bathroom that required yoga moves to maneuver. No heat. Air conditioning. Pictures worth a thousand words.
Now, NYC.
Now that we've basked in the luxury of China apartments, let's take a foray into this land of NYC rented rooms. One large room. On the 3rd Floor; huge freight elevator that you operate by pulling a rope. I can feel my butt muscles atrophying already.This is how it came. Minus the clothes hanging on the bar. A foam on the ground graciously lent by my roommate/landlord. Share a kitchen and bathroom with my roomie.
Again, let it be said that the bed-making is a lie.
My view, is sweet. No one would deny. Or maybe they would. That's because all an ex-Shanghai-er needs is a little glimpse of blue sky and she's easily in raptures.
This is what some post-xmas world-financial-crisis sales with a little Chinese-learned bargaining skills get you for the room. American clerks find Chinese price negotiations a little disarming. Suffice it to say, I got some good deals. My now cozy room!
Now, the coin:
Shanghai one bedroom in the French Concession weighs in at $439 US per month. Utilities extra (but cheap when you have no heat).
NYC one room in a two bedroom apartment, East Village, Manhattan. Cool roommate, barely see each other. Walking distance to Whole Foods, a bajillion cafes and restaurants, live music in every direction. Rings in at $1,000 per month. Utilities included (and i've got the heat craaaanked!). A postscript: It is said by most that I have a screaming deal for the size of my room and what I pay in this 'hood.
The verdict: you guys can be the judge. I love both homes for different reasons. But in NYC I can't see my breath as I jump in the shower. So it's kinda in the lead.
My girlfriend lives on the 6th floor - no elevator, on Thompson street. She pays $1250 for her room, and it seems to be half the size of yours. So yeah, you got a pretty good deal.
ReplyDeleteApparently there is a tradition to give your landlord money around Christmas time. I never heard of anything like that in Toronto. Must be a New York thing... But keep it in mind for next year. You'll be stuck giving the Landlord, the manager, the door man, and anyone else that works in the maintenance of the building that you've seen from time to time. (People in expensive apartments with several doormen, etc. usually say goodbye to a lot of cash - at $100/person)
You must've been hoarding cash in Shanghai.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a Shanghai Starbucks mug on the floor? Do you have any others to show off to your visitors, e.g. Hangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin??
What about scrolls? Still in transit? Where will you practice calligraphy?? :-)
companero... No! That is, in fact, a $1 mug from Zabar's... a jewish institution of deliciousness in NYC! It was, however, made in China!
ReplyDeletere: hoarding cash... um, have you seen the exchange rate? yes I may have been hoarding but it doesn't translate into much ;)
hmmm...so, it´s cozy like hell now, but you have a blue sky to watch...
ReplyDeleteOh oh oh...well, I guess you´ll turn this room into a home in no time... (starting with fixing the lamp [or is it the wall that´s crooked?],next is a real bed is it?)...
Sorry if I´m harsh, I´m just sad to see that you have no bed to sleep...but as you said (wrote) you are armed with fearsome bargaining skills and your smile will open all doors 加油加油加油 ^_^
I'm with you on the making the bed thing - really, what's the point? It's on my list of pointlessness alongside such entries as brushing your teeth before breakfast and paying extra for a view from a hotel room...
ReplyDeleteYour room & view looks like right result though!
I liked your Shanghai villa more but no heat kinda sucks.. I can completely understand where you're coming from on that front. I would like to comment though on the difference in pay/wages though and curious to know whether the $439/mth equates to the same as $1000/mth when this is taken into account?
ReplyDeleteI know that when I look at the average wage for a foreigner in China (~8000RMB/mth) that I could certainly not live in Australia on that amount but could live VERY comfortably in China on that amount.. may be not in Beijing/Shanghai but certainly in any of the other major cities. So I'm curious as to the comparison here..
I am surprised by your ability to make do with what you have (or haven't as the case may be).. not being sexist here but all the girls I know wouldn't set foot in a place that had a foam mattress for a bed.. but may be that is just Australian girls for you..
I also don't need a lot to live comfortably.. but certainly heat is a high priority.. :)
Since there was a DA about moving in China, how does one go about efficiently and inexpensively moving their belongings across continents? :)
ReplyDeleteNever been to Shanghai, but from what I read on the CPod forums, there didn't seem to be a huge variety of international food readily available. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I think the fact that there are so many cultures present in New York, and subsequent cuisine available, makes it come out ahead for me. :)
The book nerd in me had to ask...what book are ya reading (the one on the foam)?
Completely agree with the making beds thing;waste of time [though it was made out to be so important when I was growing up].I also think ironing is a waste of time and energy and will buy iron free clothes where possible and will wear unironed clothes when I think I can get away with it.Just doing my bit for the energy crisis.
ReplyDeletehi lllyria,
ReplyDeleteYeah I didn't bring much with me, so that's how I did the move inexpensively. Actually, although NYC is said to be expensive, I think it's one of the easier/cheaper places to move, as you can easily just rent a room from someone, everybody does it, and you don't need a car. Basically all you need is some clothes, a foam, and a bit o cash, and you're good to go.
The book! Oh i can't see it clearly but at the time i took this pic I was reading Hunter S. Thompsons "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Train in '72". It was pretty good! It was like this old 1970s copy I found at my friend's place. I'm a book nerd too!
bababardwan,
I never iron either!!! :D
light487,
I think living 6 years in Asia makes a girl a lot lower maintenance.
The heating in your NYC apartment is a winner for me too! Where did you live in Taiwan and how was the heating situation there? I imagine it was more like NYC than Shanghai.
ReplyDeleteYour Shanghai appartment looked cutter to me, but there's no doubt that the "heater factor" counts for a lot!! I almost froze to death last winter in Shanghai!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
ReplyDeletePerhaps you'd like a 344 sq. ft. apartment with 24 layouts!
You got a great deal! I moved uptown last summer because East Village had gotten so expensive - but it sounds like rentals have dropped a lot since then. I know the painful feeling of moving from semi-luxury in China to NY rentals, too - it's a bit rough for a while. $400 in Beijing vs. $1,350 in the Village. Tough transition.
ReplyDelete