You guys know how I went speed-friending, right? Like speed-dating, but for BFFs? Well, the other day Callie sent me a link to the latest in quickie relationship builders: Speed Roommating!
It started in London and has now branched out to NYC. The gist is similar: you meet a bunch of people very briefly and try to find the best person to share a tiny apartment with.
It’s actually kind of brilliant. Choosing a roommate is pretty loaded stuff, and everyone wants different things. Maybe you want a potential best friend who you can watch SVU with on hungover Sundays. (This was my exact living situation when I had a roomie. A bestie, an apartment, Munch and lots of take-out. Heaven.) Or maybe you want someone you won’t have to socialize with but will pay her half of the rent on time and isn’t a slob. Or perhaps you want someone in between — you can watch TV together every now and then, but you don’t feel obligated to go out together that much. Here’s what you definitely don’t want: a creepy stalker-esque fella like Chandler’s one-time roomie, Eddie.
I have to say, I loved living with my best friends. In college 8 of us shared a house, and it was totally silly and fabulous. After college, I lived in an East Village six-floor walkup that, at different times, had bed bugs, rats, and mites. And I loved it. That sounds insane when I read it back, but I think it was all part of the city living experience, and it was certainly only made tolerable by having one of my closest friends there with me.
In fact, my next door neighbors are currently trying to sell their place and I’ve spent the last week harassing many of my new pals to buy it. We could run to each other’s apartments in our PJs for the Oscars or have cereal for dinner or have a Call Me Maybe dance party (these are things I actually do). It would, most definitely, be the best thing ever and I don’t understand why not one friend has bitten. I mean, does that not sound dreamy or what?
Anyway, if you’re in NYC and you’re looking for a roommate, there is a speed-roommating event next week. Try it out and report back, por favor.
When you’ve lived with a roommate, do you like it to be a good friend? Or just a reliable cohabiter?
MWF Seeking BFF 
Soooo ideal! Or, so I thought. I have never had a roommate, but I have had bff’s who were neighbors and soon enough the situation became too overwhelming for me to handle. Grant it, the situation could have been burdensome because of the type of friend she was;very needy and uncompromising (they are the two that stand out). I eventually moved because I needed a gap larger than the next apartment building and a break. That experience helped me realize the type of person I turned into; passive and irritable. I also realized the type of person that I prefer to be; respected and at peace.
After that experience, I would prefer to not live with a roommate, but if I had to I would rather it be with someone that I knew. I would just choose wisely.
This sounds great! I wish they did this in Chicago when I was looking for a roommate…it would have saved me from the nightmare roommate I unfortunately encountered.
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Ari
Agree! This would be great to have as a search engine for anywhere! However, don’t know how it would keep the creepers off…. 😉 I’d love to find a roommate I could have and go into the situation at least a little confident it will work out 🙂
I haven’t had a roommate for more than ten years, but I do remember living with three girls for a few months. It felt more like I had four or five roommates, though, instead of just three; they kept inviting their friends to crash at our apartment for several days at a time. I like living alone better, because I’m very territorial about my personal space.
When I moved in with my boyfriend, a close friend sugested to rent an apartment in her building. It was great!!!!! The best years. She wasn´t working at the time so she even cooked for me!!! I came from work straight to her place, for tea and home made cookies, to gossip and watch tv. When it was time for her to move away, turned out to be pretty hard. I still miss her, but we do get to see each other quite often.