A New Window.

It's a new window I look out today. One where the view is no longer tree lined wide streets, but rather looking across at the brick walls of the next apartment building through some steamy windows that need cleaning on the outside. Instead of sun streaming into my large windows, now I have to look sideways through an angled window, and up for a peek of blue skies. I'll miss the view, but the trade-off is that when we come out of the subway now, we are in the swanky streets of the Upper West Side where the pretty people live, college students, families and no longer walking down a block of crackheads, drug dealers and bums. The noise level is 100% different. The culture I recently lived in was one of people who felt the need to talk at very loud levels, yell, shout and then get downright crazy somewhere around midnight. Emergency vehicle sirens wailed at all hours. The walls in that apartment building were tissue paper thin, and the crazy Mexican (sorry, I know that's not P.C.) couple who lived next door seemed to pick middle of the night for their loudest fights.

Yes, living in New York City is very glamorous.

When I first moved here, six months ago, a friend said to me that only rich people should live in New York. I disagreed at the time, saying that most people here are just regular, working, going to school, raising families, getting by. The harsh reality of the economy is such that truly only rich people can afford to live here now. And let me say that I am not one of them. The rent I pay for a small one-bedroom is 1-1/2 times the cost of my mortgage for a 3000 sq ft house in the woods with a pool. This takes some serious lifestyle adjustment. I think today I'm having a major case of the "be-careful-what-you-wish-for" blues.

Visiting NYC several times a year for Olivia's auditions in the past always afforded us a somewhat oblique version of the city. We came with an agenda, appointments and enough money to see a show or two. We always prided ourselves that we did those trips "on the cheap" staying in a friend's apartment, eating little, seeing bargain shows.

Moving here and living in this city every day for half a year now gives you a new insight on the realities of being a New Yorker. First and foremost, find out what is free—the library, museums, walking vs. taking the subway, a one-week gym membership, your first yoga class. Then find out what is discounted or cheaper—student rush tickets to Broadway shows, lotteries for shows, the street vendor for fruit instead of Whole Foods and bargaining for everything everywhere you go.

Yesterday was a big day. When we originally moved to New York last August, we brought a backpack and a suitcase each (a small one because I didn't want to pay to ship it on the airplane.) As I packed for us to move to this apartment, it quickly amounted to at least 50 bags, boxes and stacks of pillows and blankets along with those suitcases and backpacks. With the help of a Man With a Van, we moved from a 4th floor apartment with an elevator across town to a 5th floor walk-up. Not from New York? Don't understand the lingo? Walk-up means no elevator in the building. I like to think that I am in good shape, but carrying those boxes up all those steep flights of stairs, I thought I might pass out, or worse. My heart was beating so rapidly and powerfully I thought there might be a possibility of having a heart attack while switching apartments. Luckily for Olivia, she was at rehearsal all day. The Van Man and I got quite a workout. I paid him almost double our originally agreed upon fee. In my good midwestern conscience, I couldn't haggle.

The rest of the day I scrubbed this space that apparently no one has lived in for a while. Because I am a designer, I had to immediately rearrange all the furniture, bookshelves and cabinets, giving it a complete remodel. I have to make it feel like home for Olivia and I. This morning I got my internet connection set up, and then watched online President Obama speak to a gathering of House Republicans. I drank coffee and ate yogurt. I sent some emails. I write this blog. All in the avoidance of unpacking those boxes. I need to do it to find some semblance of normalcy, but I lack motivation. I feel nostalgic for my old life. I miss Alexis. I miss Zachary. Heck, I miss Olivia because she's always out living her life. I miss my cats. I miss my friends. I miss the sheer amount of space in that big old house.

 

should have had before & after photos...

crooked photo of my little kitchen. we have a microwave again!

cute little workspace.

Okay, I'm inspired now. Going to make this apartment feel like home—at least for the next month. After that, we will see what the view is out the window.

Channeling Julia.

So, yeah, long time no write. Life has a way of taking hold, and twisting you in ways you didn't know you could bend. And I do yoga, so I'm pretty flexible. But, still.

If you've been reading, you know I've been watching the rehab of an old building across the street for months. It's finally all finished, and I was excited at the timing, since I need to move. Upon checking out these fabulous new units—I found out that they are just that—fabulous, which in my world translates as expensive. Actually they are condos for sale, with a studio starting at $350,000. And when you buy an apartment in New York, there are monthly fees plus real estate tax. So you'd better have some serious bucks when you are ready to purchase. I think that will be never in my case.

At least two couples have wanted to buy my house in the past month or so. Unfortunately neither has worked out. Unfortunate for them, unfortunate for me, as it is a lovely house. The setting in the woods is one that you cannot find in suburban living. Yet there it is, with a beautiful pool to boot. It's highly possible that I will find myself living there again in March.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/132-Barrett-Drive_Swansea_IL_62226_1113242513

Let me get back to my title: Channeling Julia. I am often a fan of lite, feel-good movies. There was a point in my life where I shunned such frivolity in favor of more esoteric, thought-provoking viewing. Until my adored college literature teacher told me her favorite TV show was Dukes of Hazard. I was shocked! She explained that it was a great way experience joy by watching no-brainer television. I'm sure she didn't use the term no-brainer in the early 80s, but at that moment, I felt like I'd been given the freedom to enjoy easy-reading and comedy TV and film. Not that I actually needed permission, but it felt good.

Back to Julia. I digress. The movie is lite, but thoroughly enjoyable. The actual character of Julie is a bit underdeveloped, but Meryl Streep as Julia Child is incredible to watch. And her love story of a marriage was fascinating. Okay, it's not a deep movie, but I had a few tears. The beautiful thing about watching was that I felt inspired to write in this blog again. In case you don't know, the story is about a wanna-be writer, Julie, living in sub-par apartment conditions in NYC, who takes on the challenge of cooking her way through every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, all the while blogging about the experience. Interwoven are flashbacks of Julia Child's life attending Le Cordon Bleu and writing her book.

I thought, "hey, I like to cook, and I'm pretty good at it. I write, and I have a blog." I'm not sure exactly where this leads, but I want to start writing about my inspired recipes, sharing photos, having dinners. There could be a future in this somehow. I read about a new trend of yoga class with dinner afterwards... I don't know. I'm open to what the future holds.

What my future holds right now is moving. It's been an angst-filled couple of weeks looking for an apartment—scams, brokers, deposits, apartments that are the size of my walk-in closet back home. Last night we finally settled on a cute little apartment on the Upper West Side. We are thrilled with the location, and the place feels a bit bohemian, artsy and very cozy. Not too small. And guess what?! It has a microwave! You would be surprised at what small pleasures can bring you happiness when you have been without them for extended periods of time. Hmmm, a boyfriend? We'll see about that.

For now, here's the dinner Olivia and I cooked last night. Spanikopita from scratch. Amazing.

Next up, adventures of moving across town in NYC.