Story Archive

Boxed In

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, Calif., has hit $3,670 a month, but freelance illustrator Peter Berkowitz, 25, has found a cheaper solution: a wooden box set up in a friend’s living room. He and his friend prefer to to call it a “pod” rather than a box, and it’s “honestly very comfortable,” Berkowitz says. He has to stoop while inside: it’s only 4-1/2 feet tall, but at 8ft long, a twin bed fits inside. He’s charged $400/month, including access to the bathroom. “I firmly believe that it makes a lot of sense,” the college graduate says. “There should be some kind of middle ground between having a bedroom and sleeping on a couch.” (RC/Washington Post) ...I’d like to hear him explain that to potential girlfriends.