After a year in the railroad apartment, Alyssa took the plunge and moved into a junior one-bedroom apartment in the East Village — essentially a studio with a bedroom behind French glass doors. She's since decked out some 350 square feet with her mix of vintage and mid-century modern sensibilities, reveling in the ability to do whatever she wants in her own space. "I feel like getting this first New York apartment by myself was a little bit of a milestone," she says. "I don’t regret it. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made as far as convenience, comfort, and mental health."