New Trend!: Freezing in Your Own Apartment

bubble wrap is a cheap and easy insulation for drafty windows.

i read that article yesterday

and noticed some things,

if its a commercial space unheated or not, it means theres NO CO. NO LIVING,

which means the bldgs dept can shut you out in the middle of the night anytime anyday rain or shine.

if its the landlord who willfully neglects heating and some tenant thinks it's cool, what about the other tenants, oh they are rent stabilized so they dont deserve heat???? get real!

havent hipsters learned, blowing up your spot in the newspaper & blogs is a great way to get locked out, kicked out or evicted.

I spent a winter without heat, alienating my friends, and practically making my dog hibernate. It was interesting. I didn't catch a single cold. I felt very healthy. When it was over, I thought, "that wasn't so bad!" But the next winter came, and I as soon as I imagined doing it again, I didn't.

I did catch a few colds.

You have to be tough and very disciplined to do it, but it's not impossible. And it's definitely healthier. Too bad I can't bring myself to do it, especially with building heaters not encouraging me to ration the heat. I only turn them off when we're not home. Or when it gets too hot, which it definitely does, sometimes.

I have all the radiators in my apartment turned off, and it's still 71 degrees. There are 2 uninsulated steam risers that probably contribute to that, but I bet the girl downstairs has hers on full blast or something.

In regards to other places that have building steam/boiler heat, most if not all older northern cities work this way. It's just the way houses and apartments were built in the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. Even today, a large boiler and radiators is much more efficient at heating an apartment building than each apartment having central heat.

As far as cities with municipal steam systems like New York, that's less common, but I know Detroit has one...the sewers vent steam just like here. I don't think Chicago does, actually.

I secretly turned off the heat in my bedroom. I have a big ass down comforter, and my husband gives off the heat of a thousand suns while sleeping.

Therefore, I sleep in comfort.

Why secret, you ask? My husband's always bitching that it's cold.

I blame Hipsters for this 'trend', and you all should blame them too.

Live in a house and control your own temperature. I've noticed most apartments are either too cold or way too hot.

This trend is so Native American before the white man came.

I don't care what anyone says. "WINTER SUCKS!"

My mom and dad are trendy? Who knew? I always thought they were trying to freeze me out of their nest sooner.

I was also doing this before it was cool.

My landlord includes heat w/ the rent but it is so fucking hot we turned off all the radiators in the apartment. ALL. I would prefer to just use the oven to cook dinner and wear a sweater. I don't live in Florida - for a reason.

Wow this Winifred Gallagher is one tough guy. Living in an unheated house for a couple months. That's almost like living in an igloo with no water or electricity and having to hunt whale and seal and fending off bears for survival.

I was doing this before it was cool.

You guys never cease to amaze me. Now we're condoning something as basic as the lack of heat. Jeez, why don't we just stop filtering our tap water too - that's a money pit we can avoid. Idiots.

What the hell are you saying? Your text is incomprehensible by anyone.

And New York City Tap water doesn't need to be filtered, among the cleanest municipal tap in the country and the world.

Plus, it does not get cold enough in New York to keep the heat on. Anyways I also eschew air conditioning during the summer.

this must point to huge snuggie sales. anyone know their stock symbol?

I keep my thermostat somewhere between 'Thai crocodile farm' and 'fifth ring of hell'. The rest of you can freeze for all I care.

MRTHA STWRT

We turn all our heaters off at night in the winter. Why pay for heating when we can snuggle under the covers? During the day though, it can just get too cold in my apartment, the old windows really let in a lot of drafts. I could try the sweater/blanket thing but my hands would be so cold I don't think I'd be able to type.

Of course, when we had steam heat, it didn't matter what we wanted. It was just really frickin hot all winter. We couldn't invite people over, because sitting in our apartment with clothes on caused you to immediately sweat like a fountain. We became involuntary nudists! Are there any other cities with steam heat? Aside from maybe Reykjavik?

I've heard that Chicago has it in some parts.

Many New York buildings have steam heat.

a lot of the older buildings (and even older building that have been rehabbed) have radiator heat. it's a lot warmer than central heat, but if i cooked anything in the oven i had to open a window.

I layer up, but not by choice. My landlord doesn't like to turn on the heat. I kinda don't blame him. Majority of the units in my building are rent stabilized and many of those dirty clowns can pick up the garbage they leave laying around to keep warm.

omg i think we live in the same place! lol