8 REMB THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020Aaron Morgan was living in Boston and
commuting frequently to New York, where
he would stay in hotels during work trips.
On one trip last winter, he met Da Ping Luo,
who was renting in Washington Heights.
“We both swiped right, and the rest is his-
tory,” said Mr. Morgan, 49, the regional chief
administrative law judge for the Social Se-
curity Administration.
He and Mr. Luo, 35, who worked in arts
administration before becoming a freelance
photographer, soon decided to give up their
leases and find a place in New York togeth-
er. Mr. Morgan’s rent in Boston was around
$3,000 a month; Mr. Luo was paying $2,000.
They settled on a range of $4,000 to $4,500.
Mr. Morgan, who is from Missouri, was
familiar with the Lincoln Center area, hav-
ing lived in a high-rise nearby. Mr. Luo grew
up on the edge of Chinatown and SoHo, and
had attended LaGuardia High School, right
behind Lincoln Center.
They knew that the area west of Lincoln
Center, and the nearby Riverside South
neighborhood, had plenty of new rental
high-rises with amenities like gyms and in-
unit washer-dryers. Many were offering in-
centives, like a month or more of free rent.
The couple set out to find a one-bedroom
big enough to hold Mr. Luo’s photography
and computer equipment, as well as a piano
they could both play.
A doorman building was a must. “There
are times when I am waiting for expensive
packages like a new camera or new lenses,
and I am not home and they can’t leave it,
and I miss deliveries,” Mr. Luo said.
Hunting in the thick of the pandemic,
they found video tours helpful, providing a
more realistic view than photos, which of-
ten made units look bigger than they were.
Among their options:
1.A RENOVATION ON WEST END AVENUE
This 850-square-foot one-bedroom was in a
1999 building with about 500 units and a
gym with a basketball court. Renovation
work was ongoing. The apartment had a
new garbage disposal and a sunny view of a
parking lot. The rent was $3,800 a month.
2.A DEN ON RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD
This one-bedroom facing northwest was
865 square feet, with a foyer, floor-to-ceiling
windows and a doorless den space. The
2008 building had more than 250 units, a
gym, a pool, a bowling alley and a basket-
ball court. The rent was $4,550.3.A CORNER UNIT ON WEST END AVENUE
This northeast-facing corner apartment
was in a 2016 high-rise with more than 600
units. It was around 650 square feet, with
abundant closet space and huge windows.
The building had an indoor pool and a gym.
The rent was $4,800.THEIR CHOICE
In the newly renovated building on West
End Avenue, the deterrent was the ongoing
improvements. “I have lived next to con-
struction before, and it is a real downer on
quality of life,” Mr. Luo said. “That kind of
noise is really disruptive.”
The corner unit in the other West End Av-
enue building was intriguing, but “for that
amount of money, without having seen it, I
just couldn’t do it,” Mr. Luo said.
The couple snapped up the Riverside
Boulevard apartment, drawn by its spa-
cious layout and the building’s many ameni-
ties, and arrived in early summer. They
married shortly after that.
“With the pandemic, everything was on
fast-forward,” Mr. Morgan said.
The den is filled with Mr. Luo’s camera,
lighting and computer equipment. He is
happy to be closer to his Midtown clients.
Although the building offers a subway shut-
tle, he usually bikes or uses Uber.
Mr. Morgan is working from home these
days but plans to go to Boston one week a
month. “Once we are back to normal, I will
have an office in Boston,” he said.
Their luxuries include a separate shower
and a soaking tub but no garbage disposal,
which puzzles Mr. Morgan. “Aaron would
throw things in the sink sometimes, think-
ing it would magically disappear,” Mr. Luo
said. “He is still throwing eggshells into the
sink. The sink is like the catchall.”
The building’s amenities closed when the
pandemic hit but have now mostly re-
opened. Mr. Luo is especially grateful for
the pool, now operating at limited capacity.
There are sometimes lines for the eleva-
tor, but the men live on a low enough floor
that they can take the stairs.
“I’ve owned before,” Mr. Luo said. “I don’t
think I would do it again. I felt like it was
such a huge burden to own, going through
the co-op interview process. I don’t think I
would want to be responsible for an entire
house — the maintenance and management
of that. So living in a rental with a doorman
and the amenities, it’s been great.”The Hunt
Their Building’s Amenities and a Doorman Are a Must
Seeking an Upper West Side
rental in a pandemic speeds
up everything, even marriage.
An 850-square-foot
one-bedroom on West End
Avenue was in a 1999 building
with a gym and the prospect
of months of renovation work.A Riverside Boulevard
one-bedroom was 865
square feet. The 2008 building
had a gym, a pool, a bowling
alley and a basketball court.A corner one-bedroom on
West End Avenue was 650
square feet with lots of closet
space. The 2016 high-rise had
an indoor pool and a gym.‘I’ve owned before,’ Mr. Luo says. ‘I don’t think I would do
it again. I felt like it was such a huge burden to own.’
KATHERINE MARKS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESBy JOYCE COHEN[email protected]1 2 3The RentersAaron Morgan, left, and Da Ping Luo in their Upper West Side neighborhood.Their OptionsLow Fuji Attic Platform Bed
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“It’s everything,” said Jake Arnold,
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So which bed to choose? That de-
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“If you have a tight space and
want things to look a little more
minimal and sophisticated, it’s
nice to just fill most of the bed
wall with the headboard,” he said.
“I’ve had people use four-poster
beds in tiny rooms, and it does make
the space feel more dramatic.”
Just watch out for high foot-
boards. “There’s nothing worse,” he
noted, “than jumping on the bed and
whacking your leg.”
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■Should a bed be upholstered? Mr. Arnold
frequently uses upholstered beds and head-
boards “so it’s really cozy and comfortable,” he
said. “But I might use a wood bed frame in a
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you can go much lower in a more casual room..