Friday, August 15

This was the day that I received an email – apartment by 96th street and Central Park inquiring if I was still looking for a room.  I had placed an ad on listingsproject.com for ‘Grad Student needs a room: clean, responsible, drinks tea’ and they had seen it.  After having given up the other apartment on 81st, I responded with interest and crossed my fingers that this one would fit.  In this one week, I had seen half a dozen apartments, and was starting to feel pressure to find something with classes starting in September.  I had also given in, begrudgingly, and set up an appointment to see an apartment in Brooklyn, about an hour commute  to the school (depending on if you were on an express train). 

The apartment in Brooklyn was immediately off the J train in Bushwick so it would be easier to get around.  Somehow in getting there, I managed to exit at the wrong stop and walked the extra 15 minutes to the building, letting me see the neighborhood and the treelined streets but also making me late to the appointment.  I met with an older Russian man with a grey beard, who had the air of an artist, with an open beige shirt exposing his chest (the father of the girl renting the room).  He told me that he lives in the basement and shares the apartment as well.  The apartment was newly remodeled with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances,and had a large backyard with a barbecue and tables. And a kitchen mouse, in which the man showing me did not notice as it scurried around the perimeter of the room.  Not the best sign yet I thought, I could consider this… it has clean lines and updated interiors, it has space, it has a backyard, the rent is affordable,  the girl’s father is eccentric but kind, everyone has mice in New York… and I thought about it more as I took the train back into Manhattan, teetering on the decision.  When I emerged from the subway, I had a voicemail about the room near 96th asking if I could schedule a time to see it on Sunday.   I called the girl back and confirmed a time to see the room and decided to let the place in Brooklyn go.   

Saturday, August 16

I had a break from looking at apartments and enjoyed a day with an old co-worker and her friend in Brooklyn.  I was going to dog-sit/house-sit starting on Sunday for her friend while she was on vacation in Italy.  So even with letting Brooklyn go the previous day, I was going to have some time to explore and enjoy the neighborhood. 

That night, I went out to Central Park to see Blood Orange perform a free concert at the Summer Stage by the Rumsey Playfield.  In amongst the canopy of trees off of the 72nd entrance to the park, the band was playing, a mixture of people sitting on blankets, eating and drinking, people standing and smoking and enjoying the music.   I thought of Olmsted again and how the park’s design captures life and gives room for flexibility as the city changes and grows.  

Sunday, August 17

I arrived early to see the room by 96th and sat in Central Park on the curving benches at the walkway’s edges.  I thought how I could walk to school in 25 minutes and that I could even find a route by the park if I wanted to.  When it was time, I went to the building to see the room and meet with the girl.  It was warm and welcoming, books were around, artwork was on the walls, and as we talked I knew that this fit.  Before I left, I said that I was willing to commit if they agreed that they wanted me to live there. She said she had to think about it and decide if she wanted to move forward with offering me the room.  So I had to wait and wonder if it would work out before I could stop hunting. 

Later that day I packed my things and moved to Greenpoint, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, and my home for the next two weeks. For dinner I walked to a place called Troost, a local bar with red siding and a backyard where they have musicians play in the evenings.  A place that is a calm refuge in the city.   I’m also reminded that after living in Los Angeles for six years, this outdoor space is temporary.  I have been conditioned by neverending blue skies and sun and I hardly think of the weather, but there was a slight chill outside and I realized that I need to.

Monday, August 18

Late in the day I heard back from the girl that they will give me the room! There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you have a place to live in New York.  A place to lug all those boxes of books and stack them up and pull out the winter coats you know you’ll need and place them in the closet.  I’m not backing away from the statement that finding an apartment in New York is the most difficult and stressful thing you can do… but it is that much more rewarding when you do find it.