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.
I took a risk, and it was worth it
I FaceTimed Aleyda to see the apartment, but the person I spoke with wasn’t even her. It was a younger guy who lived in the building and was helping translate for her because she spoke Spanish.
He showed me around the apartment, and I liked it. Still, I was a little suspicious because I thought, “I’m not even meeting the person I’m going to be living with.”
I told my parents. My dad, who’s from Boston, was basically like, “Yeah, you’ll be fine.” My mom was more concerned.
Being a guy made it feel a little less scary. So I decided to go for it and hope the apartment actually existed. Worst case, I figured I’d get a hotel or find something else.
Courtesy of William Swanson
On move-in day, I finally met Aleyda and was relieved to find out she was a real person and I wasn’t getting scammed. My parents helped me move in because they wanted to meet her, too.
She was incredibly nice and caring. I remember my mom was taken aback by how lucky I had gotten. I had somehow found the perfect roommate.
We had an unusual but great living arrangement
I don’t know too much about Aleyda because I didn’t want to ask her too many questions. What I do know is that I was the 11th or 12th person she had rented the room to.
Aleyda’s apartment has three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small living room. She sleeps in one bedroom, another is used for storage, and mine was near the bathroom we shared.
I paid about $1,900 for the month without utilities, which is objectively insane. But short-term rentals are more expensive, and it was still one of the better deals I could find in a great location. I figured I’d eat the cost for a month.
Aleyda speaks Spanish, so a lot of the time we texted, and I think she used some kind of AI to help with translation. I also have a Colombian friend who speaks Spanish, so sometimes I’d FaceTime him to help us communicate. Other times, the neighbor would help.
It was obviously a nontraditional living situation — a 22-year-old guy living with a 70-year-old woman — but she was super laid-back and let me do my own thing.
She had a few rules: no partying, drugs, drinking, or having a bunch of people over. Basically, she was like, “Whatever you do outside my apartment, I can’t control.” I thought that was fair. I was coming into her home, so I was going to play by her rules.
Aleyda had a social life of her own. She was always out with friends. Sometimes she’d make me meals, and I’d ask her to eat with me, but she’d be like, “No, I’m busy. I have somewhere to go, but please eat.” Some nights, she’d stay up watching TV way later than I did, which was kind of funny.
Courtesy of William Swanson
The NYC rental market is difficult to navigate
While I was living with Aleyda, I had boots on the ground touring apartments for my future roommates and me.
I was looking for listings on StreetEasy and Zillow. Local New Yorkers will sometimes make fun of people for using StreetEasy, but a lot of them seem to have connections or just know how the market works. Some of my friends even have rent-stabilized apartments that were passed down to them.
The New York rental market is insane, so if you’re coming to the city with no connections, it’s much harder. You might not know which websites to use or which listings to trust.
Sometimes I’d show up to a listing, and there would literally be 100 people touring it. It definitely tempted me to stay at Aleyda’s, but she already had someone lined up for the room once my one-month lease ended.
Courtesy of William Swanson
Eventually, my roommates and I found a pretty decent place in the East Village. I pay around $1,975 before utilities — pretty similar to what I was paying before. We really lucked out. If you find anything for under $2,000 in Manhattan, you’re lucky.
There are definitely upsides and downsides to my new place. I have my own room, so I’m more relaxed, because I don’t have to tiptoe around someone else’s home. While it’s nice to have that freedom, I don’t have an abuelita looking after me anymore.
New York kind of forces you to say yes and try new things. Living with Aleyda was an awesome experience. She welcomed me into her home and put a lot of trust in me. Having that stability and comfort when I first moved to the city was really nice.
