Virginia K. Smith

As part of society's ongoing efforts to turn every single shred of New York-related data into a map, you can now see how your neighborhood's noise levels compare to the rest of the city's blocks and boroughs, Thrillist reports. As you might have guessed, by this metric, Manhattanites have it the worst of anybody.

This recording captures exactly what it sounds like when landlords try to trick rent-stabilized tenants into leaving (Gothamist)

Lighting ideas that won't break the bank (Refinery 29)

After months of speculation about a potential increase in interest rates for mortgages, the Federal Reserve decided yesterday to keep rates where they are, citing evidence that the economy isn't strong enough to handle an increase. (Talk about bad news wrapped in good news.) This means that it's still a good time to take out a mortgage, provided you've got the cash to buy anything at all in New York City's overheated market.

The cheapest—and most expensive—New York neighborhoods for renters right now (Business Insider)

Steal space-saving ideas from this Swedish studio (Refinery 29)

Got a discount on the down payment? Good luck getting a mortgage (Bloomberg View)