88 Charles Street — Nyumba ya Juu yenye Mwanga wa Jua Inayokabiliwa na Kusini kwa Watu Wanaoamini Katika Amani.

Ni bayana kwamba hii ni moja ya maeneo yanayotamaniwa zaidi katika NYC. Na hesabu inasema: kwa nini ukodishe katika hali hii ya kuajiri wakati unaweza kutumia pesa hizi kwa nyumba yako mwenyewe?

Nyumba hiyo iko katika ghorofa ya juu. Ina mwanga wa jua. Dari ni za juu, jikoni kuna dirisha, bafuni kuna dirisha, na madirisha mawili makubwa yanayokabiliwa na kusini nyuma yanaangalia kwenye kimya badala ya machafuko. Nataka kuwa wazi kwamba hakuna jambo lolote kati ya haya linapaswa kuchukuliwa kama jambo la kawaida.

Unachopata:

Mahali pa ghorofa ya juu linalokabiliwa na kusini, lenye madirisha mawili makubwa na aina ya kimya inayokufanya ujiulize kama jiji limechoka — halijachoka, lakini hutalisikia.
Chumba cha kulala kinachoweza kuweka kitanda cha ukubwa wa kawaida au cha queen, kikiwa na madirisha mawili, ambayo ni madirisha mawili zaidi kuliko vitu vingi vya kulala katika New York vinavyostahili.
Jikoni wazi — yenye dirisha, kama ilivyotajwa awali, kwa sababu inaonekana kuna mtu hapa ambaye aliamini katika mwangaza wa asili na hewa ya kupita.
Madirisha mawili ya ukumbi, ambayo katika jiji hili yanachukuliwa kama kile wanaita "uhifadhi wa kutosha" na kile nachokiita "miujiza midogo."
Bafuni yenye dirisha, ambayo nakataa kuchukulia kuwa jambo la kawaida.

Mambo ya Vitendo (Kwa sababu ulitaka):

Mashine ya kuosha/kukausha inaruhusiwa kwa mpango na idhini ya bodi.
Wanyama wa kipenzi wanakaribishwa — jengo halina ubaguzi dhidi ya mbwa na paka.
Sublets zinaruhusiwa baada ya mwaka mmoja (tatu kati ya kila tano).
Pied-à-terre kirafiki.
Matengenezo ya kila mwezi ni ya chini.

Jengo:
88 Charles ni jengo la ghorofa tano lililopangwa kuonekana kama alama, lililojengwa kati ya mwaka 1880, sehemu ya 84–88 Charles Street Owners Corp — ushirika wa vyumba 45 ambao umeweza, licha ya vikwazo vikubwa, kubaki jinsi inavyopaswa kuwa: nzuri, kimya, na isiyo na usumbufu. Nyumba ishirini katika ghorofa tano. Hakuna concierge, hakuna gym, hakuna "floor ya huduma." Wewe ni mtu mzima. Huhitaji yote hayo.
Block:
Nimetembea sehemu nyingi za Manhattan. Baadhi yao ni nzuri. Charles Street, kati ya Greenwich na Hudson, sio nzuri — ni sahihi. Ndivyo mtaa katika jiji hili unavyopaswa kuonekana: umepandwa miti, umejengwa kwa mawe ya giza, kihistoria umekamilika, na umefree kabisa kutoka kwenye aina ya maendeleo inayokufanya ujihisi jiji limekosa matumaini. Mto Hudson uko karibu. Washington Square Park uko karibu. Kila subway unayoweza kuhitaji iko karibu. Restaurant ni bora sana. Sitazitaja. Unakaa New York — nenda utafute.
Historia Fupi, Kwa sababu Muktadha ni Muhimu:
Mtaa huu ulipatiwa jina la Charles Christopher Amos, aliye miliki ardhi iliyokuwa ikiendelea kwenye mtaa huu na pia anawajibika kwa Christopher Street na mtaa wa zamani wa Amos (sasa West 10th). Kati ya mwaka 1866 na 1936, block halisi ambapo 88 Charles iko ilijulikana kama Van Ness Place, lililopewa jina la familia ya wakulima waliokuwa wakiishi kwenye block hiyo hadi mwaka 1865. Jiji lililipatia jina jipya. Jiji daima linaangalia kuitwa upya. Angalau hii ilishikilia.

***TAFADHALI KUMBUKA PICHAS, MBWA (Nenda Knicks!), CHUMBA WHITE, ZILIHARIRIWA/VIRTUAL***

Anza sura yako mpya nzuri ya New York hapa, sasa hivi.

88 Charles Street — A Top-Floor South Facing Sunny Apartment for People Who Still Believe in Peace.

It is incontrovertible that this is one of the most coveted blocks in NYC. And the math maths: why rent in this crazy rental climate when you can spend this money for your own home?

The apartment is on the top floor. It is sunny. The ceilings are high, the kitchen has a window, the bathroom has a window, and the two large south-facing windows in the back look out onto quiet rather than chaos. I want to be clear that none of this should be taken for granted.

What You Get:

A top-floor perch that faces south, with two large windows and the kind of quiet that makes you wonder if the city has finally given up — it hasn't, but you won't hear it
A bedroom that fits a full or queen, flanked by two windows, which is two more windows than most bedrooms in New York deserve
An open kitchen — windowed, as previously noted, because apparently someone here believed in natural light and cross-ventilation
Two hall closets, which in this city constitutes what lawyers call "ample storage" and what I call "a minor miracle"
A windowed bath, which I refuse to take for granted

The Practicalities (Since You Asked):

Washer/dryer allowed with a plan and board approval
Pets welcome — the building is not prejudiced against dogs and cats.
Sublets permitted after one year (three out of every five)
Pied-à-terre friendly
Monthly maintenance is low.

The Building:
88 Charles is a five-story landmarked brick brownstone, built circa 1880, part of the 84–88 Charles Street Owners Corp — a 45-unit cooperative that has managed, against considerable odds, to remain exactly what it should be: handsome, quiet, and unbothered. Twenty apartments across five stories. No concierge, no gym, no "amenity floor." You are an adult. You don't need all that.
The Block:
I have walked most blocks in Manhattan. Some of them are fine. Charles Street, between Greenwich and Hudson, is not fine — it is correct. It is what a street in this city is supposed to look like: tree-lined, brownstoned, historically intact, and entirely free of the kind of development that makes you feel the city has given up on itself. The Hudson River is nearby. Washington Square Park is nearby. Every subway you could possibly need is nearby. The restaurants are excellent. I won't list them. You live in New York — go find them.
A Brief History, Because Context Matters:
The street was named for Charles Christopher Amos, who owned the land the street passed through and who is also responsible for Christopher Street and the former Amos Street (now West 10th). Between 1866 and 1936, the precise block where 88 Charles sits was called Van Ness Place, named for a farming family who occupied that square block until 1865. The city renamed it. The city is always renaming things. At least this one stuck.

***PLEASE NOTE SOME PICS, THE DOG(Go Knicks!), THE WHITE ROOMS, WERE EDITED/VIRTUAL***

Start your next beautiful New York chapter right here, right now.