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Updated 10/06/2011 06:04 PM

UWS Tenant Lives Small In The Big City

By: Jill Urban

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A YouTube video showing how one Upper West Side tenant lives in her 90-square foot apartment has gone viral, giving new meaning to the phrase "space saving." NY1's real estate reporter Jill Urban filed the following report.

Felice Cohen's apartment is one of the smallest in New York City.

"My apartment is 12 feet long by 7 1/2 feet wide," says Cohen. "If Michael Jordan were to stand in the middle and put his arms out, he could touch both walls."

Her cozy little piece of Manhattan, located in a prime location on the Upper West Side, has all the comforts of home.

"I can touch every room of my apartment without even moving," says Cohen. "Heres my desk area which is where I spend most if my time. It's where I do my writing, where I do my art."

She also has half of a kitchen, which she likes to call her “kitch." There's a small bathroom and her bedroom, which consists only of her bed, is raised above the ground, accessible by ladder. She has just 23 inches of space from the top of the mattress to the ceiling.

"I never felt like the walls were closing in on me, except for the first night," says Cohen. "I had a panic attack. With the walls and the ceiling - everything was so close. But after that first night, I love it now.

Even though the apartment is only 90 square feet, it feels larger than it is.

That’s because everything has a place. She says the key to surviving in a small space like this is staying organized.

"I am a professional organizer as well, so I knew you have to go up," says Cohen. "So one is making shelves and also having everything in its place."

To conserve space, she only keeps what she needs.

But the big question is the price. What does a 90-square foot apartment at the top of a fifth floor walkup cost?

"I pay under $1000 and for this area it's a great bargain," says Cohen. "I am living with a lot less - I have a kitch, I have a small space, I can't lounge on a couch - but I am not really a couch potato anyway."