Truck and Barter

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...