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Since I like having multiple bases in multiple geographic areas, I'd be interested in renting a pod as a crashpad in some cities - but the issue would, of course, be the quality of other tenants, ie, mostly safety of the co-living space. There is a great difference between a pod share occupied by welfare recipients (which basically equals a homeless shelter) vs. a pod share occupied by professionals or people with independent means, who don't need more than a basic accommodation because they are either completely focused on some project they are pursuing, or are in the area only temporarily (or on/off), or don't want to spend much for acommodation for some other reason, or any combination of these reasons. If safety and civility are assured, I think a pod share is a great option to have.
Since I like having multiple bases in multiple geographic areas, I'd be interested in renting a pod as a crashpad in some cities - but the issue would, of course, be the quality of other tenants, ie, mostly safety of the co-living space. There is a great difference between a pod share occupied by welfare recipients (which basically equals a homeless shelter) vs. a pod share occupied by professionals or people with independent means, who don't need more than a basic accommodation because they are either completely focused on some project they are pursuing, or are in the area only temporarily (or on/off), or don't want to spend much for acommodation for some other reason, or any combination of these reasons. If safety and civility are assured, I think a pod share is a great option to have.
Would you pay $1400 for a "pod space"?? You better off just doing an Airbnb. You will have the whole place to yourself.
Would you pay $1400 for a "pod space"?? You better off just doing an Airbnb. You will have the whole place to yourself.
The cheapest AirBnB private rooms (not even the entire apartments) in NYC area start around $100/night outside Manhattan.
I am quite familiar with staying at hostels worldwide (I am at one now). I simply search for "best hostels X-city", find the one that several websites list as the best, and go for it. I was never disappointed so far. The best hostels tend to be about twice the price of average ones but still quite cheap (that tends to eliminate the skid row clients who always go for the cheapest). For the price of a moldy room in a rundown motel, you can have a wonderful pod in a hostel room shared with interesting and nice people, and use the very cool, convenient and clean common facilities. I had met amazing folks in these places - a somewhat well known writer, musicians who sometimes played with very famous artists, somebody who ran a big family rice export business, several other physicians I met from several countries, somebody involved with a huge engineering project somewhere in Asia, young people with all sorts of plans and ideas, older people who retired from all sorts of fascinating lives. I generally prefer a top quality hostel to AirBnB (although I find AirBnB a good option too - but I will typically look at hostels first).
The only thing about co-living - the same as living in multiunit buildings - is to have some mechanism to exclude disruptive or outright dangerous people. Good quality people have an instinct for decency and privacy, which makes for invisible boundaries that make it comfortable to live around other such people even in the tiniest of private spaces (such as just a private bunk with a curtain), at least for a limited time.
Not all AirBNB's are that expensive in NYC but you are right they can be pricey. They are un-regulated rentals for the most part and the hosts are allowed to bend and twist the rules however they chose. AirBNB can also be a friendly gateway for harboring illegals, drug dealers looking to move to the USA, and just general troublemakers, party animals, and other riff raff. There are plenty of reviews from AirBNB hosts of the endless streams of troublemakers. It is not always that perfect idea that people have in their mind about AirBNB's.
The thing about cramming people into shared-rooms is that most people do not know how to share a room. They might stink or not shower. They may party. Snore. Just being inconsiderate nitwits. How about the drunk guy from some other country who buys friend chicken boxes every night and then leaves the box out for the cockroaches to eat at, and he doesn't know how to prevent mice. Leaves his dirty laundry out all over the floor like it's no biggie. Jerks off. The complaints can be endless.
Not all AirBNB's are that expensive in NYC but you are right they can be pricey. They are un-regulated rentals for the most part and the hosts are allowed to bend and twist the rules however they chose. AirBNB can also be a friendly gateway for harboring illegals, drug dealers looking to move to the USA, and just general troublemakers, party animals, and other riff raff. There are plenty of reviews from AirBNB hosts of the endless streams of troublemakers. It is not always that perfect idea that people have in their mind about AirBNB's.
The thing about cramming people into shared-rooms is that most people do not know how to share a room. They might stink or not shower. They may party. Snore. Just being inconsiderate nitwits. How about the drunk guy from some other country who buys friend chicken boxes every night and then leaves the box out for the cockroaches to eat at, and he doesn't know how to prevent mice. Leaves his dirty laundry out all over the floor like it's no biggie. Jerks off. The complaints can be endless.
The solution to those problems is to have it in the contract that the management reserves the right to remove anybody from the facility at any rime for any reason. Hostels have explicit rules preventing food, drink, sex, noise and disruptive behavior in the dorm rooms. They can, (and do) kick out anybody disruptive with a 10 minute notice - although I have never personally witnessed that because, as I said, I only stay at top-rated hostels where scummy people generally wouldn't check in to start with. The only occasional issue in shared rooms with bunks can be snoring - but even that is largely blocked with heavy curtains in the bunks, or with the hum of the AC.
Fair enough but I have no experience staying at "top rated hostels". I dunno about that one. The people that will enter into these co-living places do so because they cannot afford better options. The company just frames it in advertising to convince kids it is all good and this is the new thing that is acceptable.
Back to the original topic: I think "co-living" will definately downgrade housing options in NYC. They just fluff it up with "amenities" and tricky advertising but it a step down for everyone. I know they tout it as a solution but it is really just a repackaging of youth hostels or shared AirBNB's and they should not be defined as Single Room Occupancy.
I predict a lot of assaults/murder in these shared rooms. 2 strangers sharing a tiny room. Gee what can go wrong?
The pod share spaces are very large (they are not tiny rooms), and are shared with more than one other person. A person has his/her own pod, and has nothing to do with other pods. Assault? Murder?? Not among normal people. Where do you even get such ideas, are you posting from jail??
The social elite of this and most other countries has grown up sharing spaces with other kids at prep schools. No known assaults or murder at such schools.
One of the reasons why I like hostels is that I, as a solo woman traveler, feel safer at a hostel than in any other accommodation.
Last edited by elnrgby; 10-10-2019 at 10:58 AM..
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