“I lived in Cobble Hill for 20 years. I had a rent-stabilized...

“I lived in Cobble Hill for 20 years. I had a rent-stabilized apartment. But I got tired of the city. I got tired of the crowds, and the people bumping into you, and nobody saying ‘Excuse me.’ So I had the idea to move to Atlanta and try to open a café. My friends said: ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret losing the apartment.’ But I was feeling adventurous. I was tired of New York. I knew I made a mistake the first day I was there. I didn’t have a car. I had to walk a mile to Trader Joe’s. There were no cabs anywhere. No fucking cabs. What the fuck? And the hills! So many hills! And the movie I wanted to see was two counties away. Two counties! I don’t even want to talk about laundry day. I missed being able to get everything I needed on my block. I missed the sidewalks, and the tall buildings, and the half-priced Broadway tickets, and the restaurants. I can take the crowds now. I can handle it. But I lost my apartment! I don’t know where to live. An apartment that size is going to cost me twice as much now. I can only afford a room. I should have listened to my friends. Oh man, I messed up.”