William Swanson.
Courtesy of William Swanson
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with William Swanson, a 22-year-old working in medical sales who moved to New York in June. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.I had just graduated from college and was moving from Massachusetts to New York for a job starting in June. I planned to get an apartment with friends, but they wouldn't arrive in the city until the end of July. Since they didn't want to start paying New York rent before they needed to, I had to find a short-term place to stay in the meantime.Finding long-term housing in New York is already difficult, and looking for a short-term lease is even harder. I was in a time crunch and didn't really know where to start.I wanted to live close to the hospital where I'd be working because I was new to the city and unfamiliar with public transportation. I was also just starting out, so I wanted something affordable that was still safe.There are a bunch of NYC Facebook groups where people post things like, "My roommate just left, and we're looking for someone to fill their spot." Those can be good, but you have to get lucky with the timing and location.I also looked on Airbnb and websites like SpareRoom and Furnished Finder. I reached out to a few people, but some of the situations were weird. It would be like, "My cousin is sleeping on the couch," or, "Someone else might also be staying in the room." So I avoided those.Eventually, I found a listing from a 70-year-old woman named Aleyda on SpareRoom. We messaged a little, and I figured she was probably a safer bet. It was an unusual living arrangement, but I decided to take a chance.
