Earthquakes & Hurricanes

Yes, it's turning into quite the week here in NYC!

First, an earthquake in Virginia which we felt (and caused the native NYers to freak out slightly - granted, they don't know about earthquakes over here while the Californian in me just laughed a bit).

Now, the possibility of Hurricane Irene on late Saturday/most of Sunday. The lines at Duane Reade/Trader Joe's/Fairway are out of control. I've never been in a hurricane or even a tropical storm...so why am I not really worried? (The friends I'm staying with and I stocked up on essentials: booze, snacks and flashlights. We should probably get water and bread, too.) Hope everyone stays safe and crossing my fingers that it won't be as bad as everyone seems to be anticipating.

In other exciting news...I'm moving into my new place next Wednesday! My new roommate is setting up his work schedule so he'll be home to let me and the movers in. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be settled. I can't wait to unpack, set up my room and get back into an actual normal routine with a place to call my own for the foreseeable future. Oh yeah, and I can't wait to cook again! (My list of must-do's is long...like get my act together and make dr/dentist appointments. Seriously.)

Also, today is my 5 month mark of moving to NYC. Crazy, frustrating at times but it has been completely and utterly worth it. My friends are amazing and I'm making new ones every month. Best. Decision. Ever. :)

Apartment: Found

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Yes. You read that right. I found an apartment! Or rather, an apartment share in Manhattan.

Let's rewind a bit. By last Friday (July 29th), I had seen almost 10 places that week alone. From places with one-year leases to even a few one-month sublets since nothing else was working out. Again, the ones I wanted immediately never got back to me and I even missed out on one by 10 MINUTES. (Yeah, I don't want to talk about it.) Over the weekend I gave up and found a moving+storage company since I was completely out of options. They came on Saturday and moved all of my belongings: full bed+dresser given to me by the girl I had been subletting from, and 12 boxes. I made a plea on Facebook and was incredibly moved by all the offers of awesome friends to stay on their couches! I cannot thank them enough for their generosity while I'm "homeless."

So after taking a four day break from Craigslist which had been the bane of my apartment hunt in July, on Monday during my lunch break I couldn't resist going back on to see what had popped up over the weekend. I ended up emailing five places and then dove back into my work to have a few hours where I wasn't focusing on the fact that I didn't have a place to live... However, before I even left the office for the day, one of those places had replied to my email. We set up an appointment for that night at 8pm. I didn't have any expectations and I knew to avoid giving off an air of desperation this time around.

And then of course everything worked out exactly how it's supposed to.

I saw the apartment and fell in love with it instantly! And I met my now-soon-to-be (male) roommate and we clicked right away as well. The place is a 2-bed/1-bath with an open kitchen and living room plan. The building is on a very busy avenue but the apartment itself isn't on the street and faces other buildings which means it's very quiet. The location is also amazing! It's on the same corner as one of my favorite restaurants in the city in a bustling neighborhood, it's one avenue from Central Park and one avenue from the subway. As for the finances, my portion of the rent for the larger room with a closet is $1,200. Utilities run around $100 per person for cable, internet and electricity. Altogether it's more than I wanted to pay, but I'd actually set my max rent amount at $1,250 not including utilities so it still falls below that. Plus there's also the one month security deposit and the $75 credit check (ripoff!) fee. You know what? This place is WORTH IT.

I'll be signing onto the lease for a year. I am so excited, but most of all relieved. This is a huge weight off of my shoulders after all of the frustrations and emotional breakdowns I'd been going through! I'm so ready to be somewhere permanent instead of living a semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Life works in funny ways. Just when you least expect it. :)