Life in New York City: I’m Moving (Again)

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Cue The Jeffersons theme song because I’m movin’ on up to the east side — of Manhattan, that is. Yes, kiddies, I found a new apartment. If you follow me on Twitter or view my Flickr photostream or read my Facebook updates, you already knew this. I’ve been sitting on the news for a week or so. I didn’t want to blog about it until I picked up my keys; I was afraid I’d jinx it (i.e. the building would burn down, they’d lose my deposit check, etc.) because I’m oddly superstitious. I’m happy to report all is well. I love the apartment! I’m sooooo excited about everything I could squeal. Truth be told, I DID squeal the first time I entered the new place. It’s super cute. Thanks to the awesomeness of FloorPlanner, here’s a replica / floor plan:

By the way, in case you were wondering, I’m moving because I wanted something more centrally located. In 2005, when I first moved to New York, I lived in the West Village and, later, Hell Kitchen. Both neighborhoods were great. But,  I lost my job shortly after settling in. I wasn’t freelancing yet, so my funds plummeted. I pretty much started living off my credit cards and I totally fucking wrecked my credit. :( I didn’t talk (or blog) about it a lot because I was embarrassed. I thought my credit score was like a GPA for the “Are you being a good, responsible adult?” test, and I was flunking because my rank was bottom floor low. On top of that, I thought I was going to be forced to leave New York because I couldn’t afford to live here anymore. Luckily, things worked out and I got back on track. That sentence sounds more “passive” than it should be. Getting back on track didn’t just “happen.” I fought like hell for it. I sold all of my furniture and decreased my expenses by moving further out of the city into a furnished apartment. I also increased my income by working more than one gig: took on social media consulting projects, added more pay-per-click ads to my site, did more freelance article writing, etc. etc. Now that I’ve finally figured out how to live as a freelancer in New York, things are going well. I’ve been stable, making money and fixing my credit for a little while now. Hence, the move. New life. New start. New apartment. I still have to buy furniture to make it feel like home, but I’m going to furnish the whole place with 90% thrift store bargains and  found items. It’s a more unique, greener and less expensive way to decorate. See image below or click here to see pieces and layouts I’m considering:

Yep, that’s exactly 439 square feet of new home located only a few blocks from Central Park. In New York, I swear the rents are based 90% on location and only 10% on square footage. Take that guy Kevin Patterson, for example. He’s a New Yorker and he won Apartment Therapy‘s contest for the smallest, coolest, teeny tiny apartment. His place is 210 square feet and his monthly rent is $1,550. I’m originally from Illinois — where $1,550/month is considered a “luxury” rate — so I’m still dealing with the sticker shock. Paying less than $2,000/month is actually a really GOOD DEAL for the Upper West Side. This city is insane. Actually — and, yes, this is totally off topic but — speaking of “only in New York” stuff, did you see that New York Times story about the place with a drug dealer as the previous tenant? When the current tenant dude was on vacation, people actually broke into his apartment and tore up the floorboards to get $900,000 rumored to be buried under there. Needless to say, the new guy is moving to a different place now. Glad my previous tenant was a totally awesome chick in new media who (to my knowledge) didn’t stash extra drug cash under the floor. Hmmm, actually, I would’ve liked the extra cash … just not, you know, that whole “druglords chasing it” stuff. ;) Anyway. It’s going to take me a little while to settle in and get the place presentable. I’ll post additional pictures as it starts to looks more like a “home” rather than four bare walls and a floor.

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