The Nostrand Lofts Apartamentos

also noteworthy: dark, hardwood flooring throughout, except for the kitchenette, which features faux wood ceramic tiles, and the bathroom, which has charming but common black and white tiling. The ceilings are high, which allows for storage cupboards above the closets as well as tall upper cabinets in the kitchenette. The apartment has a video intercom for buzzing people in (some people call them electronic doormen). The stove runs on natural gas and the built in microwave has a ventilation fan that actually send the exhaust to a stack on the roof, as opposed to just recirculating the kitchen air through a filter. Building amenities include three sets coin-operated laundry washer/dryer units, a common room with a billiard table, and rooftop access. Furniture on the roof is rather spartan, but you get a decent view of Manhattan. There's a semi-secure bicycle parking area. I say semi-secure because there is only a combination lock to get to it from the street. Anyone with the code can get in. There are lots of closed circuit TV cameras throughout and around the building, perhaps too many. Not sure if I feel more self-conscious or secure. The landlord seems responsive. I've contacted him about one minor issue so far and he quickly remedied it. Now for the bad stuff: there are significant workmanship issues that I have only noticed after moving in. I wish I could upload pictures, but I will do my best to explain. The most irritating of these issues is in the kitchenette where one of the drawers will not open more than an inch, maybe less, because the stove is in the way. It really just kills me a little bit every time I think about it. At least one other apartment has the same problem. I've also noticed that the tile-work in the bathroom is really sloppy. There are "subway" tiles in the bathroom which go up to chest level, but then it just transitions abruptly to painted drywall without a chair-rail; just an ugly, quarter inch ledge.