Virginia K. Smith

"Hot tar" smell means Red Hook might not be the most pleasant 'hood to move to right now... (DNAinfo)

Painting your room with polka dots like this Crown Heights reno: brilliance or madness? (NYM)

At first glance, $1,200 for a Prospect Heights studio within an easy walk of Prospect Park and about eight subway lines seems like a good deal. On the third floor of a pet-friendly, four-story townhouse, the place has two big windows and a fireplace as well. Unfortunately, there's one major, brake-screeching catch: you'll be sharing a bathroom with your neighbor down the hall, a fate most of us haven't endured since living in a dorm. 

The jury is still out on whether vaguely "hip," "millennial-targeted" advertising actually works to market ultra-expensive apartments to young people. But the tactic is ubiquitous—so much so that a union is now poking fun.