I love the location of my apartment. I'm happy to have made friends with my next door neighbor. What I loathe is

1. the near constant smell of garlic and other odoriferous spices emanating from another apartment that is seemingly running a small business selling condiments—smells that awaken me in the middle of night and sicken my neighbor's stomach

2. The thumping sounds from the apartment above me, which cause the floorboards to squeak and force me to have to wear headphones or earplugs just to enjoy my apartment. In America, we don't build apartments with much soundproofing, certainly not in the 1940s and 50s, because people weren't expected to live in them long-term.