Friday, November 25, 2011

Flashback #4. A Room with a View

June 2008. Week 3 in New York.
By now we have lived in the city of Big Apples for three weeks. Living at a hostel in Chelsea was becoming a hustle, as some homework required to be done “at home”, and our closet space that we shared was just out of the question. We had to change rooms about every two days, as their policy didn’t allow prolonged stays, but we managed, with our smiles and positive attitude, even though management was already stepping on our toes. We hadn’t enjoyed a private bathroom or homemade breakfast for weeks now, and constantly moving items from locker up the narrow stairs to room and back to locker had become a daily workout routine, so losing those plush love handles was quite effortless. The weather was getting hotter and hotter as the stench in rooms grew heavier and muskier and served as a ticking reminder that we were in desperate need of an apartment.
And I’ll be honest; we started searching all sources from day one of our arrival. We daily scavenged Craigslist, frantically emailing all possible and impossible leads, and nothing came our way. There were two scenarios: 1) people who posted ads about apartment/rooms but vanished without a trace and never responded, and 2) scammers who posted unbeatable deals and tried to steal from people right from computer screen. But I kept in mind my New York motto: Do not give up and fight for yourself. So, we fought and fought through the brush of cyber space, the jungle of subway crowds and endless stairs of buildings to find our very own temporary home.
And one day great deal of persistence paid off. We found a perfect two-bedroom apartment on a quiet tree-lined street near Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, with all kinds of amenities: furniture, book stuffed shelves, a kitchen and even unspeakable luxury for many locals, washer and dryer inside. We were on top of heaven, cloud nine, if you will. And I even got a room with a view. It was the first thing my eyes saw every morning right upon waking, which instantly reminded me of my urban transformation, I was thankful to be out of Chelsea and I knew I had to get a job to experience the city to its fullest. 

To Be Continued...
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Photo is the property of DC2NYConfessions


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1 comment:

Skinny Moonstick said...

Wow, you are one tough cookie! What an amazing determination! You see, when you want something very very very much, it comes true... :) Can't wait for the next post!
Good luck!

skinnymoonstick.blogspot.com

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