Virginia K. Smith

You've probably harbored your suspicions about your neighbors' rampant Airbnb-ing, but now you can see exactly how much the service is being used in your 'hood—and how much cash your neighbors are raking in. Thanks to an upgrade earlier this month, users of interactive data map Inside Airbnb can now see information based on all Airbnb listings within the five boroughs.

Q: A neighbor in our building recently died, and another neighbor and I are interested in potentially splitting the apartment to renovate and add on to each of our own individual units. What's the appropriate way to approach her children, who are handling the estate? And how soon is too soon? 

5 clever ways to lay out your studio (Apartment Therapy)

And now, an educational, depressing audio tour of your apartment (NYT)

Eat and drink your way through Bay Ridge (Gothamist)

Happy Friday: Is your favorite (or only) neighborhood grocery store a vermin-infested germ factory? A gross—but informative—new interactive map courtesy of AM NY will help you find out just that, if you dare. (Spoiler: if you live in Brooklyn, which had the most violations of any borough, brace yourself.)

Relatively affordable 'hoods for Hamptons buyers (NYO)

Don't ever let a broker convince you that the South Bronx is called "the piano district" (Curbed NY)

The eight kinds of bad Brooklyn roommate you'll inevitably encounter (Brokelyn)

In the wake of last week's horrifying, deadly balcony collapse in Berkeley, a lot of us have probably found ourselves wondering how we know that the structures we're sunbathing and grilling on are actually safe, especially now that we're hitting peak balcony season.