Good-bye Roosevelt Island

I found shelter on Roosevelt Island, within the first year of Covid, after I left the Upper West Side. It's a quiet place, part retirement community and part college campus - a lot of people living in my building were associated with Cornell University which has an actual college campus on the south end of the Island. 

And I really loved my apartment, with its spectacular view. And I enjoyed living in the middle of the East River, and could walk around the entire island in two hours, more or less.

I could only afford to live in that apartment because rents were in the basement thanks to Covid - but once Covid was over, landlords all over New York started making up for lost rent, plus extra. My rent went up by $1300 in the five years I lived there, and finally, in spite of annual raises, I was priced right out.

I'm sure this rent-hike mania on the part of the haves is what made so many have-nots vote for Mamdani. That was certainly one reason I voted for him, although just the fact that he wasn't a: former governor and sexual assaulter who was chummy with Trump; a corrupt  mayor who was chummy with Trump; or a crazy cat man was enough reason to vote for him.

So now I'm over here living in the Commie Corridor. My apartment view is not spectacular, although at least I can see the Empire State Building from my street.