Saturday, August 28, 2010

week #35

Alas, dear readers, I am currently writing from the JFK airport in New York. Last week's rambling, optimistic post was a sham. Let me tell you...

So, I was going to be rooming with two girls out in Hoboken, N.J. (or the 'Boke as I had been calling it). Right? So, last me and this girl leave off, she texts me Friday saying "hey roomie, I'll email you the papers to sign on monday." Roomie! She called me roomie -- that's legally binding! Anyway, Monday comes and goes, and no email. So Tuesday morning I send her an email, and get no reply. Wednesday, I call and leave a message. Thursday rolls around and I'm getting nervous. I haven't heard from her, and I'm supposed to be moving in on Saturday. So Thursday, I bring out the big guns. Three calls, one text, one more email. Nothing. Friday, I try one last call, and when it goes unanswered again, I realized I have to quickly devise a plan B. Well, actually, I panic, get depressed, curse the NYC and all its evils, and then devise.

The plan I come up with is to hop on a flight from PIT to JFK early Saturday morning, and come back Saturday night. A total of about 10 hours to find a place. So I figure it's time to call in the professionals, and I call a broker. I look at some places and put in an application and deposit down on an over-priced, tiny studio on the UES, that's actually pretty cute and I will hopefully be able to move in this coming Wednesday. I am cautiously optimistic about this. I'm sure something else will go wrong (perhaps the building will burn down?) but I have to hope that cruel fate is done toying with me -- testing my will to move to New York.

Oh wait, and here's the new thing for the week (no, it wasn't using the realty broker, although that was a first, nor was it being dumped by a roommate): I am sleeping in the airport. My red eye was canceled. HA! So, I'm flying out Sunday morning. At least there's WiFi at the airport though, so I can blog and check my email, and see that potential roommate who will henceforth be known as that stupid *!$*@ emailed me saying that her other roommate doesn't actually want a third roommate, so sorry.

And so, I am begging New York, the fates, any higher being out there, and Suze Orman who's on the TV currently, to please stop messing with me, to help a sister out, to please, please, please, make something in this whole move go right, because I'm not sure how much more I can take.

Friday, August 20, 2010

week #34

Why, hello blog. Sorry I've taken such a hiatus. Many apologies for my lack of new things of late. But I was just in NYC yesterday and today searching for an apartment (umm, new thing), so I have many new things to tell of. In fact, this post may get too wordy and philosophical. I just re-read Eat, Pray, Love, so I'm pretty sure that's the cause of anything that gets too deep.


Anyway, yesterday, I woke up at 4 a.m. -- an ungodly hour for anyone for sure, but especially for someone who works the night shift and didn't hit the hay until well after midnight. So I arrive in New York mid morning, with a list of apartments to see and a second tier list of people to call to set up appointments for later if the #1s don't pan out. How much detail do you want here? I'll go into my depressing day… but if you want the gist, just skip down 4 paragraphs.


The first two places were in Morningside/Harlem. This is not an area I'm too familiar with, but according to the ad, it's just steps away from Columbia University. Columbia was gorgeous. I walked around the campus for a while, and man, I could picture myself living there for sure. When I finally got to the business of heading over to the apartments, my heart slowly sank. "Steps from Columbia" actually meant about 10 blocks and 4 streets in the wrong direction. The apartment wasn't a total dump, but I just couldn't stomach spending $1200 a month, to live in a shack in a sketchy neighborhood. I wasn't too worried though, because, this was only my first stop, I had others lined up.


Well, #3 was a closet. I know, I know, it's New York City, ALL apartments are a closet. But, no, this place literally was a closet. I don't think I could have fit my queen size bed and had room for anything else, including clothes. Three strike outs off the bat and I was starting to get nervous. Then when I got to #4, it seemed to have already been rented "just that morning."


It was now time to start calling my B-list. After that though, I got a number of "Apartment's gone" -- clicks, and also left a few voice mails for people. I set up two more appointments out in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, which can be dodgy I know, but was hoping these places would be in good areas, but no such luck. I actually skipped the appointments I had set up with the owners, because there was no way I was living in that area. So I headed back to my hotel room to regroup, recheck craigslist, and break down and finally call a broker or two. I found that the favorite tactic of the broker is to post an apartment for $1250, but upon calling, tell you "sorry, that apartment is gone, but I have one for $1400 in that neighborhood."


I was thoroughly defeated at this point. I mean, really, really questioning whether New York wanted me. I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn't think it would be as soul crushing as this. A friend of mine from Cleveland was helping me search the web for places to try, and sent me a link to an ad for a roommate. A call, text, and visit later that night, and TADA -- I have a place to live in Hoboken, N.J. for at least the next 4 months. What a sense of relief. (Roommate also equals new thing (discounting college of course.))


So I got a place to live. Hoboken is pretty cool. The roommate seems pretty great (she texted me this morning and called me "roomie"). And my mojo was coming back. I AM going to kick this city's ass, thank you very much. So, since I was officially going to become a resident, I thought I'd use my last chance as a tourist to take one of those double decker bus tours (also new). It was fun, interesting, relaxing, and a great way to see the city and get a tan -- or in my case, a sunburn. I went to Times Square. I did some shopping at Century 21 (new). I had some really fantastic sushi near Wall Street. I visited ground zero for the first time ever, which was pretty awe inspiring.


*moment of silence*


Then, when my feet were aching and I couldn't stand acting like a tourist anymore, I hopped a subway train and a bus (I am so proud of my bus-taking abilities) back to LGA. And now, I'm writing this on the plane back to Cleveland. I'm just drafting this up, to be posted when I get back to my apartment, because typing on your computer on the plane makes you look big and important. I'm doing work here people, not reading some smut novel like the rest of you schmucks. Oh, time to power down, we're coming in for a landing. Hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging from here on out. I actually think I might end up doing more than regular blogging, because there is so much to do in New York. I can't wait to get there. I can't wait to do anything and everything!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

week #31 - 32 - 33

Oh dear... I'm super behind. Many apologies. Thing is, I'm busy and stressed with packing up my life and shipping it off to NYC. If you want to stretch the rules a bit, I'm sure I've been doing new stuff like posting my apartment on craigslist, trying to get out of my lease in the Cleve, straightening out bills, apartment searching for places in New York, calling brokers, looking at roommate ads (what is the difference between a sleepover and a "weird sleepover?"), canceling bills/services/utilities, and much more. Ugh... there is so much to do.

Today I'm showing my apartment to a person who will hopefully love my place and take over my lease. If this happens, I will probably die of happiness. Getting out of my Cleveland lease has proved to be the most difficult and stressful part of the moving process (and heck, I don't even have a place to live in the big apple yet). I'm hoping this showing goes well, because I am sorta thinking this would be the perfect opportunity for some creep to murder my in my own apartment and steal all my valuables. Although, I think he would be disappointed with what few valuables I have. (A Wii and the whole Bourne Identity Trilogy... SCORE!)

So... sorry for my lack of newness, my boring old same self. I promise I'll make up for it later in the year with *gasp* two new things in a week.