Inside Stories

New york city street and brownstone buildings with trees covered in Christmas white lights one point perspective car dusk or early morning stock photo
Roommates + Landlords
The holiday gift I gave my landlord helped me avoid a rent increase
By Anonymous |December 8, 2025 - 11:00AM
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Neighborhood Intel
I’ve been a NYC doorman for 22 years. This is what I think about holiday tipping

… years in a rental building on the Upper East Side who asked to be anonymous for reasons that will soon be obvious shared … and a bit of gratitude in the form of a cash tip isnt too much to ask for after a full year of dedicated service  … … if a card is attached with a bit of cash as well  … How to calculate your holiday tip from a doormans …

By Kelly Kreth |December 3, 2025 - 11:30AM
A handheld gas detector
Live
Gas was seeping through our walls and my family is lucky our neighbor took action
By Emily Myers |September 16, 2025 - 11:30AM
​Samantha Bravo and CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities rally at a Rent Guidelines Board hearing
Affordable Housing
I’ve testified at Rent Guidelines Board hearings since I was 11. Here’s why I won’t stop fighting for tenants’ rights
By Celia Young |July 22, 2025 - 12:30PM
NYC seen from the water
Rent
Brick Underground’s best advice from New Yorkers who lived through real estate drama
By Brick Underground |April 25, 2025 - 9:30AM
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Small Projects + DIY
My attempt to grow a lawn from seed in my tiny front yard
By Mimi OConnor |March 19, 2025 - 3:30PM
Inside stories
The Search
From owners to renters (twice): Why we will never buy in NYC again
By Marjorie Cohen |February 26, 2025 - 2:30PM
A bed on the white background
The Search
I’ve lived in an illegal, windowless bedroom for the past year. Here’s why I stayed
By Celia Young |February 21, 2025 - 9:30AM
Correawhite in her studio.
Affordable Housing
I won a NYC housing lottery unit in Brooklyn's 'Sauron' tower but the vibes are good
By Celia Young |December 18, 2024 - 5:15PM
Postman transferring packages to the doorman of a residential building on Madison Avenue
Live
What it's like to live in a NYC doorman building
By Nikki M. Mascali |November 11, 2024 - 4:00PM