Even if it was rent controlled, was it controlled enough for a coffee shop server and a part-time caterer living within walking distance of Central Park to live there?
It's unlikely...but not impossible:
http://gothamist.com/2018/05/10/village_rent_controlled_apartment.php
https://nypost.com/2017/09/27/nycs-craziest-rent-controlled-apartments-need-a-new-landlord/
I am too somewhat embarrassed to be this familiar with Friends, BUT... Monica, who inherited the rent-controlled apartment, was only a part-time caterer briefly between jobs, and sometimes did it on the side. Most of the show, she was employed as a chef or head chef in a fancy restaurant. She had a roommate throughout and before (Phoebe) the show. She also borrowed money from her parents and brother on occasion. Phoebe lived in her grandmother's apartment until she inherited it upon the grandmother's death. Chandler was gainfully employed with a rather crappy apartment that he consistently shared with a roommate, though subsidizing Joey for a long time. Rachel, Monica, Ross, and Chandler came from wealthy families, and no one owned a car except an inherited old cab, which they shared on rare trips.
There were several episodes about the characters' money problems, and they were regularly, if not often, shown working. It's certainly not the best representation, but not the worst. Also, the characters did not appear to upgrade their lifestyles even when their finances improved, which was surely plot-driven but nonetheless mustachian.
You saved me a post! I have watched a lot of Friends and I don't think their lifestyles were too far fetched especially with roommates and a rent controlled apartment. Most of them had really lucrative jobs at some point and came from wealthy families.
I still call a 401(k) a 401wunk in honor of Phoebe when she got a job at a corporate owned spa.
