Welcome to our Apartment

We’re still waiting.

We’re waiting for the moment when it will hit us that we live in New York City.  As of now it feels like we’re on some kind of gigantic road trip, albeit one which includes all of our furniture.

Tracy and I have spent the better part of the last 3 days putting together our apartment.  While we can’t yet say that NYC feels like “home”, we are extremely excited about the apartment - thankfully we have not had a moment of renter’s remorse. Before we get to the good stuff (pics of the apartment), I thought I’d take you through some of the highlights of the last few days.

On Friday we left the hotel and headed up the Turnpike for our final 40 miles to the city.  I know I already reamed the Turnpike in a prior post, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share what has to be one of the most miserable parts of all - it’s a NJ State Law that you cannot self-service at the gas station.  So not only did we have to stop at one of the silly Sbarro/TCBY/Nathan’s/Gas stops, we also had to wait in a line with 30 other cars/trucks as we tried to get our gas pumped by one of the 4 attendants (who obviously didn’t see much incentive in getting us through quickly).  To put it plainly, it was a lovely 20 minute stop.

Before long we were approaching the city and my stomach was beginning to do cartwheels (or maybe that was the Roy Rogers burger I scarfed down as “breakfast”.)  While I felt I had mastered the 16’ Budget Truck along the interstates of NC and VA, I was somewhat less confident about traversing the LIncoln Tunnel and streets of Manhattan.  Alas, we had no choice, and before long we found ourselves fighting for position to enter the tunnel.

Once we hit the city streets it was actually quite easy to get to the apartment - parking, however, was a different story.  I was able to use some of my Southern guile to fake out a parking cop and secure a spot right in front of our building.  A little over two hours later (with the help of two lads from Stress Less Movers), all of our boxes and furniture were in the apartment.  Our mission felt mostly accomplished.

There was the little task of taking the truck back to the Budget dealer on the other side of town.  Though we had to re-route during our drive (and on the way home as a subway train was stuck), we found ourselves in the comfort of our 85 degree apartment by 7:00 p.m.

That’s right, folks, our apartment was steaming hot.  So perfect conditions to unpack all of your earthly possessions.  We jumped into it with aplomb, churning through a few hours of unpacking before grabbing a late dinner in the neighborhood.

Funny story from dinner: we ordered a couple burgers at JG Melon and were both parched from a long day of moving.  Tracy ordered some iced tea and began to plow through glass after glass (to those who know her, this is no surprise!)  As our waitress brought iced tea #5, she very graciously said to Tracy, “You don’t know there are no free refills, do you?”  Needless to say, we didn’t (the menu has mentioned this fact for sodas but failed to mention it for tea).  After our nervous laughs gave away our surprise, our waitress let us know she wouldn’t charge us for any refills - chalk one up to New York hospitality!

After filling our stomachs, we decided to keep unboxing and did so until well after midnight when we began to grow tired and thought we’d try and set up the bed - only we had no idea where the hardware for the bed was located.  We searched through nearly every box until we came to the final one which was tucked away in the closet - and which contained the aforementioned hardware.  By 3:30 a.m. we were tucked into bed (after a quick shower, as it was still 85 in the apartment).  Somehow, through sheer exhaustion or the power of a fan we had brought, we were able to brave the conditions and sleep through the night.

Day 2 seems like a blur - in fact, we’re not really sure where it went.  After waking up around 10, we were able to welcome Robyn Clanton as our first apartment visitor.  It was wonderful to have a friendly face and someone who knows us so soon after moving in.  We grabbed a quick bite around the corner before wishing Robyn safe travels. 

Then we napped. 

Sleep wasn’t planned but came nonetheless, and it’s clear in retrospect that we were in dire need of some rest.  I awoke before Tracy with a newfound vigor to attack the installation of the air conditioners. I’m no Bob Vila - and  with no Tillett to call in NY, I was more than a bit nervous about the process (not the mention the fact that I could kill someone by dropping the unit from the 9th floor).  I’ll spare you the intimate details of the experience and just let you know that I’m typing this post with a stiff breeze at my back, and our room is down to a manageable 78 degrees.

This morning we went to the 10:30 service at Redeemer which is only 9 blocks from our apartment.  At church we met up with John and Summer Ellis and were able to walk back to our apartment after the service (it’s quite amazing to talk about walking to and from EVERYTHING - the Mansfield carbon footprint is shrinking as you read this!)  John came back with us and we also got a surprise visit from two other friends, Jordan and Trevor Smith, who were on their way back from signing a lease for an apartment directly across Central Park on 77th and Columbus.   As we sat in the apartment and talked there was this really surreal feeling of seeing all of our stuff in what still seems like a very new and unfamiliar setting.  For a second it felt like we were watching ourselves in a scene from a movie or dream - only this film is happening in living color!

As we wrap up this rather verbose and detailed account of the last few days (I promise the blog won’t be this dry in the future!), we have to admit our sticker shock at going to the grocery store this evening.  We had visited some groceries during our visits this spring and tried to compare prices, leaving us pretty confident that we knew what we were in for.  Yet, somehow it seemed that everything was at least $1 more than expected.  And in some cases, well more than $1 more (see the ice cream below).

It’s all part of the process, and this great NYC adventure which we’ve gratefully shared with you all.  Before signing off, we want to thank all the family members and friends who have reached out through the last few days via phone calls, emails, blog comments, Facebook messages and old fashioned letters (props to Eller and Donna for that!) You have made us feel so loved and have definitely eased the transition, even from many miles away in some cases.  The beginning of work tomorrow will pose new hurdles for both of us - we’ll be sure to keep in touch and let you know how it’s going.

Until then, enjoy the first pictures of the Mansfield NYC pad here.