Need a place to hang your hat in Manhattan, but lack the necessary means (like, you know, income?) to make it happen? Two residents of an East Village apartment are conducting a 350-word essay contest on the subject "Why I want to live in New York City." The prize: six months of rent-free living in their East 6th Street walkup. Now, some may doubt the veracity of the contest?notably the fact that the winner also receives $5,000 to "defray the costs of living in New York for six months" (hey, everyone knows it's going to cost at least six times that)?but Curbed believes such fears to be unfounded. A cursory glance of the apartment photo gallery reveals this to be a real-deal East Village apartment. (Brooding hipster guy... hipster chick with guitar... malnourished black lab... patina of one too many nights spent licking the couch pillows.) If you're still unsure, check out the description of the apartment's "hallway," one of the most accurate real estate ads we've seen: "This hall separates the bath and kitchen from the living and bed rooms. Most Manhattan apartments are not fortunate enough to have such an addition. The hallway not only creates the illusion of more room it also contains a closet which is another luxury not afforded most City spaces."
· Rent Free NYC [rentfreenyc]
· My 1br Apartment: Up for Grabs [Gothamist Forum]
UPDATE: Ooops, did we forget to mention the $69 entry fee per application? You'd almost think we were complicit in this thing. Anyway, Gawker does the math on the potential haul for your new landlords: $207,069.
UPDATE II: Less than 24 hours later, Kim and Joel have cancelled the contest. Apparently, it had something to do with landlord issues. (Go figure!) Unused limericks, poems, and short essays about "Why I Want to Live in NYC" can be forwarded to Curbed, which promises not to giggle while reading them. Too much.