1BR, Lower East Side

Emily Schildt, 24, social-media and communications manager
Rent: $1,850
Broker's fee: Not disclosed
Broker: Morgan Turkewitz, Citi Habitats (516-314-6309, mturkewitz@citi-habitats.com; citi-habitats.com)
Moved in: September 2011.

THE AREA: "I left Memphis because I wanted to move to a bigger city, but New York was always a little scary. The Lower East Side had so much character and seemed a bit more neighborhoody [than other areas]. There's this really cool little taco place called Snack Dragon (164 Orchard St between Rivington and Stanton Sts; snackdragon.com) for fish tacos and late-night eats. The Essex Street Market (120 Essex St between Delancey and Rivington Sts; 212-388-0449, essexstreetmarket.com) is awesome. It's not just your typical grocery-shopping experience. I'm right around the corner from the Meatball Shop (84 Stanton St between Allen and Orchard Sts; 212-982-8895, themeatballshop.com), which was probably the No. 1 thing that led me to sign the lease. [Laughs]"

THE PLACE: "I saw some things in the East Village that were $1,995 [a month]; you could cook pasta on the stove while literally lying on your bed. The size of this apartment impressed me; I thought that given the location and the price, it had a good amount of space. Plus, it was just renovated before I moved in."

THE SEARCH: "I had a friend who used Morgan to find an apartment in the Lower East Side, and I liked her place. She said Morgan was fantastic, so I hooked up with her. In [typical] New York fashion, [getting the apartment] happened very quickly. I think I found my place on the 30th or 31st, and moved in on the 1st."

HER FAVORITE PART: "There are two windows in the bedroom, so there is a good amount of light. There is also a faux fireplace that creates this nook where my desk fits perfectly [next to the fireplace]. It's a cozy little work area."

THE MANAGEMENT: "There is a super on site, which I learned after I left my keys in my apartment door. He knocked and kindly let me know that I had left them in there and that I should be more careful. The landlord actually owns a shop on the other side of the building, so you can have packages delivered to the store. It feels very comfortable; I'm not just stranded with some angry management company."

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