Tenants: J and T, since 1980
J, a native New Yorker, moved into the apartment before T. J lived for awhile in New Hampshire, but wanted to come back. She worked at a longstanding neighborhood business, which recently closed.
How did you find your apartment?
There was a Russian guy, a fixture on First Avenue. He sat on a wooden box with a cane, maybe he was Siberian. He collected old rubber bands on his cane. His name was Max. Although he spoke little English, he thought I was really funny. I told him that I was looking for an apartment. He took me to see a man who had apartments in a building that he owned. He had an apartment available on the top floor with loads of light. He rented it to me that day for $150.
If you're interested in inviting Susan in to photograph your apartment for an upcoming post, then you may contact her via this email.
When I first moved into this apartment with Richard there was a Waterman range like the one pictured here, but minus the orange handles—which are a nice touch! It never had a pilot or thermostat, and we lit the burners with a spent butane lighter—the oven with a fireplace match.
ReplyDeleteThe stove was red-tagged last fall by a ConEd worker who came up for a different problem. The replacement is a cheap Avanti range that makes me worry every time I light it; the refrigerator the landlord had given us was also an Avanti and it only lasted a year before it died.
Wow, somebody with a stove even older than mine! (I love these peeks into other people's apartments.)
ReplyDeleteHow old is that stove???
ReplyDeleteMy refrigerator was so old that a German company made multi colored retro versions of it for thousands of dollars. My refrigerator worked so well it didn't make ice it made ice bergs. My refrigerator worked so well when we lost power during Sandy I didn't lose any food in my refrigerator because the icebox was a solid block of ice and kept everything cold. When my refrigerator finally died it took 4 guys to carry it out. When my landlord sent me a new refrigerator one guy could've carried it under his arm. WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK.
ReplyDeletecmarrtyy, funny. I know it's time to defrost the freezer as soon as the ice starts pushing the door open and growing outside the unit.
ReplyDeleteI can check the temperature in my refrigerator and freezer through an app and it will text me when the ice is done, if I want. what a country! (j/k)
ReplyDeleteThey have my stove but the cool not fucked up version. I love it.
ReplyDeletecmarrtyy - I have a massive 1955 Westinghouse push button refrigerator, which I affectionately refer to as "Behemoth", and like you, during Sandy, I opened and closed that thing multiple times a day to get milk, juice, whatever, and lost not a thing. That solid steel case with the thick enamel kept everything perfect. Its one quirk - the entire contents of my freezer can be a solid block of ice, but it will. not. freeze ice cream. Everything else is a brick, the ice cream is semi-soft. Oh well, I still love it!
ReplyDeleteWow-thanks for sharing. It's so moving to see other people's things. There's so much life in this apartment. I love the curtains and the peach wall and red floor.
ReplyDeletei love the dust mop standing between the two windows. Doggie must be a shedder!
ReplyDeleteWe had to get rid of our old stove because it was leaking gas .The replacement we got was one of those Avanti stoves ,4 service calls in the first 2 months .The old stove was installed in the 1930's it lasted 60 years .The current one I give 5 more years.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this section of The Grieve. I think the photographer should focus more on the actual living space then the contents of the apartment.
ReplyDelete