My rent-stabilized NYC apartment doesn't even have a bathroom sink, but I can never leave the 380-square-foot gem

I feel lucky to have grown up in the West Village, living in a rent-stabilized apartment that feels like a New York City gem despite its many drawbacks. Isis O'Flynn-Shahaf I live in a rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in the West Village that's about $2,000 a month. It's small, with no built-in closets or a sink in the bathroom, and it is above noisy restaurants. This apartment is still a gem despite the drawbacks, though, and I don't want to ever give it up. My three-story walk-up apartment in the West Village has some dreamy qualities: original exposed brick walls, classic crown molding, and a claw-foot tub. Perhaps best of all, it's rent-stabilized, meaning annual rent increases are capped, and tenants retain the right to renew the lease each year. Rent for the one-bedroom, 380-square-foot space is about $2,000 a month.