Pages

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Live from the Bolt Bus...

it's the quintessential grey day in New England day as I ride the Bolt Bus up to Boston for a weekend with old friends. I, of course, am pensive as a listen to my ipod and think about my future, my career, my life choices, etc. (you know, the usual).

In a few weeks I will have my first official Manhattan address (after 6 months or so with an "unofficial" one...) in a great little starter apartment. I'm calling it a starter apartment because it is exactly how I imagined my first NYC apartment. Nothing fancy, but charming in it's own way and right in the center of all the beautiful chaos the NYC (in particular the east village) has to offer. I went the widely accepted "Craig's List" route and I'm looking forward to this new chapter for me.

Apartment hunting in NYC is quite a comical if not a harrowing experience, especially if you don't have $4,000 a month for a luxury studio (which in all reality is probably still the size of a non city dweller's bathroom or kitchen). Things that are acceptable in NYC as living conditions would NEVER fly in the suburbs. I was appalled to find out that the rumored "bitchen" (combo kitchen/bath) actually did exist...AND it still costed an absurd amount! Other frightening conditions include the "loft" style living which more times than not means that you sleep in an attic-like alcove the only fits your bed and that would induce a head injury if you actually stood up when getting out of bed. No thanks!

When I told my mother that I had finally found a place, she innocently asked, "does it have a doorman?" Haha, I just laughed. She had remembered that when I first ambitiously started looking for apartments in NYC, I listed doorman, roof deck, and pass-through kitchen as some of my must-haves. My new apartment has none of these. These can only be attained by wealth, living in an un-cool, inconvenient neighborhood (hello FiDi) or extreme luck. These things are still on my list of eventual necessities for my future digs, but for now, I'm happy with a place that isn't a 5th floor walkup, has windows in the bedroom, and has a separate space for showering and cooking. Hey, it's the little things...

3 comments:

Lisa-isms said...

I am so happy for you! And, I'm putting in my reservation now for your couch :)

Derek said...

you travel to boston and i dont get a text or call.... whack zoggy whack.

how r things, hit me up sometime soon

PS: costed should only be used to as to evaluate the price of something.....

Costed is not the same as cost.

If I costed the company, I evaluated it in some way to put a price on it.

If I cost (past tense of some kind) the company, I caused it to spend money or other resource.

<3 Derek

Evie Stewart said...

Congrats on your new home. Yes, NY is the most expensive place ever! But the great thing about living there is seeing how New Yorkers rally over absolutely everything, whether it's a good cause or a holiday (Halloween is huge in the city.) Do all of the things you're afraid to (I'm working on that myself)and when you look for a volunteer position, try the local ER. It's actually pretty fun because it's so active.
xo/
@EvieStewart