John Tierney via Peter Gordon:
"Who knows what evil lurks in the soul of a New York tenant? Nora Ephron knows — sort of.""She has broken the code of silence of Manhattan's most exclusive aristocracy. She became the crème de la crème of the city's rent-regulated tenants by bribing her way into an eight-room apartment for $1,500 a month at the Apthorp, the palatial building at Broadway and West 79th Street.
By chance, I happen to have spent quite some time in the Apthorp during my college days. I even wound up in the elevator with Conan O' Brien. I didn't live there myself, though I knew two non-social-elites who lived in rent-stabilized (not rent-controlled) apartments in the building. They used strong personal connections to get in on the deal.
Market rent at the Apthorp is $19,000 a month for 11J, a completely renovated 3000 sqft home, and $10,000 a month for a two-bedroom two-bath...
Rent-stabilized, not rent-controlled. They're two separate programs, and there is no way to "bribe" your way into the latter, which can only be transferred to family members.
(Or you can simply say "rent regulated.")
Corrected. Thanks.