we all went to the Tenement Museum. Part of the museum is in a five story tenement building that was empty for over 50 years before it was acquired by the museum. Some apartments were preserved as they appeared when the building was acquired and one was decorated in the style from the late 1890s. One thing I couldn't help but notice is that the apartments were bigger than mine. Still, four or five people lived in each one and I at least have a working bathroom in my place, but it still was odd to hear people marvel about how small the place was compared to, say, their home somewhere far away.
Which leads, naturally, to my exciting announcement that we have heat! Yep, after four or five nights of little or no heat--and, consequently, little or no sleep--it looks like I should be able to be in my apartment without wearing sweats and a thick pair of socks. Pinch me. Oh, and yes, the boiler was broken, as I suspected. The water line that fed the boiler had a leak, so the boiler would steam the water until it ran out and then shut off. The super was coming in and manually filling the boiler to give us one hour of minimal heat each evening. That is, the super and management knew what the problem was but didn't call in a boiler repairman until this morning.
Tomorrow I have to write out my rent check. Let's just say my check will reflect the lack of heat (and the lack of hot water for three day earlier in the month). Sure, they'll bitch, but the question is whether they are willing to sue for less than $500. They weren't cool about that in the past. We shall see.
