Here's how to tell you're living next door to a brothel

Think that just because you live in a nice neighborhood that you don’t have to worry about such lowbrow concerns as, say, a prostitution ring in your building? You’d be wrong, as our Upper West Side writer was shocked to discover after noticing a glut of young, fishnet-clad women in her lobby.

Eventually they were ousted from the rental building, but it was a true "Only in New York" story until then. So what are some clues that you might be sharing an address with the best little whorehouse in NYC?

• A sudden influx of young women in the lobby who are clad in short shorts or cutoffs with camisoles or tiny, bedazzled tank tops. On their feet are towering platform shoes.
• These ladies are always either checking their phones or on their phones (though that could describe just about any millenial, too, so don't jump to conclusions  based on that alone).
• Awkward men appear on the front stoop, nervously making phone calls while staring at the building number—mostly there for either a “lunchtime quickie” or a “way-home-from-work delight.”
• You get a quick look inside and see mattress upon mattress upon mattress lined up.

For more, read “My Upper West Side neighbors? A prostitution ring.”

In Case You Missed It: Every so often, BrickUnderground digs through the archives to find the best advice our experts have shared through the years.

Related:

What to do about those prostitutes in your building

The easiest way to get rid of the brothel in your building