East Village Loft Living

 

This visit to New York, I again chose to stay in the East Village..but not in a hotel. Oh NO!!! This time, I stayed in a very stylish loft that I found on Air BnB.  Sooo much better, quieter, cheaper and convenient than a hotel. I picked an apartment that was quite minimal in its decor, with white walls (and one dark grey one, like I have at home), skulls on the walls (again, as at home), stylish furniture, and loads of amazing books on design, fashion and art. Oh, and the LIGHT!!!! Especially in the afternoon, it was bathed in glorious sunlight, as you can see in the photo.

Next door was a bar, across the road was a fab ramen place and just down from that, a gourmet burger eatery. At either end of the road were swishy restaurants, and there were cafes aplenty all around. It was on 5th Street, between Avenue A & B, just a few blocks from my beloved Tompkins Square Park, and smack bang in the middle of Alphabet City.

I can hear your questions about Air BnB, and yes, it is still a bit of a sore point in New York; technically it is said that “all rentals under 31 days are illegal in the state of NY”. My apartment owner/host said to me “just say you’re a friend visiting from Australia while I’m out of town”. I never had to explain to the few people I ran into, and as Dom and I were very quiet and out most nights anyway, we were hardly a nuisance.

We also stayed in a lovely Air BnB apartment in LA in West Hollywood, and again got a nice quiet residential street that was nonetheless near fab eating and nightlife areas.

So my advice is to give it a go!

If you’re wondering what I’m wearing:

Ribbed vinyl jacket: Gothic Renaissance, NY
Snow leopard tank: Express, NY
Trane laced Leggings: Gelareh Designs
Black high-tops with rubber platform: Demobaza

Coming up soon is a rundown of the amazing & hip shops in New York that sell those dystopian designs we love so much!