We�ve swapped twice for the same elegant studio near New York City�s Columbus Circle. The bed, in a former closet, was a tight but quiet alternative to the previous week�s stay in a more spacious one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side. While we did have more room in the first apartment, the rumble of the Lexington Avenue subway line, which ran directly beneath the apartment, jostled us to sleep each night.
Though I am a life-long New Yorker I have never heard of an apartment on such a low floor that the subway rumble could be felt inside the apartment. Still, noise can be a huge problem in City apartments. People often describe the view, the amenities and the neighborhood but I rarely see mention made of noise.
I have been asked a few times if our apartment is quiet. In saying it is I provide specifics. I note that it faces the rear garden of the building and is offset from the street. There are no residential buildings facing our apartment so there is complete visual privacy in the bedroom. This is also rare in Manhattan. The building was built before the turn of the 20th century and the walls are a solid 12-inches thick. This insulates us from noise outside the building, as well as from our neighbors.
Asking city dwellers about noise is a good idea, and one that not many swappers think of. Until their first experience being unable to sleep at a noisy city swap home.
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