Katie Mingle

I remember the first time I saw these buildings, riding a Greyhound bus into the city from Worcester, Massachusetts.

I was in my early 20s at the time, and I'd never really seen skyscrapers that weren't office buildings.

These buildings, I could tell, were people's homes.

I could see laundry hanging on balconies way up on like the 22nd floor.

There was something thrilling but also almost frightening about contemplating the number of individual lives playing out in just one of those skyscrapers.

It had the effect of making me feel very small and insignificant, the way looking at something incomprehensibly large can sometimes do.

I think I assumed at the time that what I was looking at was a public housing project, but I know now that it wasn't.

This cluster of high-rises was and is the largest housing cooperative in the world, Co-op City.

This is Diane Patrick.

She lives in Co-op City.

Diane moved into her Co-op City apartment in 1978.

Do you feel like you're an owner?

Like, does that?

On top of that initial $2,500 investment, every month Diane pays what are called carrying charges.

For Diane, these are about $800 a month, and they cover the mortgage and utilities like heat, electricity, and air conditioning.

How big is your apartment?

Like, what does it look like?

Diane used to work in real estate, so she's particularly aware of how lucky she is to have a place she likes at a price she can afford.

Not made for ordinary people.

I know what Diane is getting at here.