Theresa Braine

The apartment looked dreamy: a three-bedroom, two-bath penthouse in a historic Greenwich Village townhouse. At least one famous artist had lived there. Historic landmarks were mere blocks away. 

In this second part of a two-part series, I’ll continue to discuss how the Bedbug Registry should factor into an apartment hunt. In my previous column, I talked about two apartments which I ruled out not because there were past bed bug reports, but because I was dubious of management’s handling of the infestations. 

I just spent a month searching in earnest for an apartment. As a recent New York Times story put it, I was a sprinter. 

As I contemplate the prospect of moving into a new apartment, in which I will finally have my own space and be able to sort out belongings that I haven't been able to unpack in three years, I look back on my year-plus of bed bug education—what one friend of mine dubbed "field work.” I think, How can I make sure this never happens to me again?

I am in the throes of apartment hunting, and lo and behold—the Bedbug Registry appears not to be working. 

One of these days I will leave my shared apartment and seek out my own space. And I am sometimes kept up at night worrying about how to transport the few pieces of furniture I own safely.