The problem is that the windows and building are filthy grimy and covered with pigeon poop on the outside. If I open the window the soot all blows into our apartment and I don’t even want to know what diseases could come from the poop.

The problem is that the windows and building are filthy grimy and covered with pigeon poop on the outside. If I open the window the soot all blows into our apartment and I don’t even want to know what diseases could come from the poop.

The elevator at my building has been out of order for more than a month, and we have no indication that repairs will take place anytime soon. This situation has made life miserable for people on the upper floors, who must lug laundry and groceries up to six flights.

At the beginning of the cold snap, the ants were gone. My stomach sank. I knew they were in the house. A few days later they made their ingress at the base of our food pantry, and there were suddenly hundreds of ants swarming on those food shelves, and over to more food shelves on the other side of the house.