Submitted by AMY SPANEL, Feb 28, 2008 20:48

02/28/2008 posting

THE BIG APPLE: WHAT ABOUT TOURISM, TENANTS, AND RECENT-COLLEGE GRADUATES?

Like, when was there any appeal to reason circa 1982! As if: just yesterday I remember pounding the pavement in Greenwich Village--and in Brooklyn Heights-- for weeks-- make that, months-- just-to rent an apartment. My feet hit the pavement and did the paperback-- my sole wrote the book: on renting an apartment in New York City. (LOL :)

Yes, but where was any encouragement, much less-- any incentives-- circa 1982? Where were incentives then in New York City for new tenants? Where was the spirit of "Welcome-To The Big Apple"? Landlords, apartment managers, and building owners kept the upper hand-- and the cards close-to their chest. This was certainly shown-to me,to other, educated Americans and recent college graduates. The typical response, SOP< was: > the sneer> the snub >and the cold shoulder.

Eight hundred dollars a month and up-- no incentives-- was the prevailing attitude about rates--with 12-month-leases, with pressure upon new tenants for 3-year-leases-- and with no flexibility about short-term-leases. 25 years ago, during the recession (lower case) of the early '80s, this was imposed upon young people whom had just graduated from school!

The snub, the sneer and the cold shoulder was also SOP in The Big Apple: shown-to well-intentioned roommates, like, even-to clean-cut young people with entry-level jobs, from wholesome places like The Midwest, and The Southeast. In my experience, there was no "thanks, we would enjoy having you as a tenant in our Big Apple building." It was much easier for SOP: to ridicule rental applicants, suggest they go home, forget about $400 a month per person to-share.

As it turns out: my landlord was a Socialist whom drove a Mercedes! He was able-to gouge me for a sublet. He didn't live a finger to have the roaches in the bathtub raided, nor-to do renovation. He preferred smoking unfiltered cigarettes in his street-level-office, and to pound-out his leftwing rag on his manual typewriter. The unfiltered aroma wafted upstairs to my modest pied-a-terre.

Such a hand-up for American youth! And that was an example of a Big Apple landlord being nice.

I had friends from college whom had-to live in The 92nd Street Y for a while. The lucky ones had grandmothers in Queens and on Long Island whom let them stay with them!

More often, doubling-up as roommates and recent college grad's became impossible: triple and quadruple roommates became standard fare. This was the scenario during the early '80s, of that recession (lower case) then. This was also the scenario: for Americans, recent college graduates from major and prestigious universities. Where was the Hand Up then?

Fast Forward to: 9/11. Suddenly, The Big Apple remembered that it needed the rest of America, and tourists, and visitors.... The Big R Word-- RECESSION-- is finally-mentioned on-air: during first quarter 2008. Where were the incentives in The Big Apple for new tenants and for American college graduates circa 25 years ago? Where is The Big Apple track record in the past 25 years: to help young Americans and recent college graduates settle there for awhile? Why does it take 9/11 and another RECESSION for The Big Apple: to remember that it needs tourism, tenants and recent-college graduates? For The Big Apple: what about tourism, tenants and recent-college graduates now?

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