Mary Lowengard

Swapping your NYC apartment is a time-tested way to travel domestically or abroad affordably and it offers you the added pandemic benefit of being able to skip crowded hotels and also limit your meals among unmasked diners in restaurants. But depending on whether you live in a NYC co-op, condo, or rental, there may be prohibitions against swapping.

Last summer, during the pandemic, our writer found a way to be on the beach at least once and sometimes twice a week. Here are her secrets to hacking a beach vacation, even a summer rental share.

The renovation I planned was not a tear down. No plumbing, electrical, flooring, or major painting. The layout of my existing kitchen was functional and would remain in place. This would be more of Juvéderm treatment than full-on face lift. The global pandemic added a special twist. Suddenly, all bets were off.

In March 2020, as the pandemic descended on our small corner of the globe known as Manhattan, it became a whole new ball game for car owners and aspiring car owners. The mean streets mellowed considerably—and have stayed that way to some degree.

Our writer says turning to the mediation services offered by the New York Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection was an easier route than Small Claims Court for getting a security deposit back.

I trek to one or the other IKEAs encircling Manhattan (Brooklyn, Hicksville, Elizabeth, and Paramus) on an irregular basis even though I should have outgrown IKEA 20 years ago. I know I should be leaning into Ethan Allen, CB2, Pottery Barn, or Design Within Reach like other adults. In fact, I probably should be döstädning, the so-called gentle art of Swedish death cleaning.