...and a cot
So there I was, in New York, on a Tuesday night. The reason I'd brought my PowerBook is so that I could make appointments with people to see their apartments, and be in communication with the people with whom I'd already done so. I was making appointments for Wednesday and Thursday nights, but that night's appointments called.
The first place was a nice enough place. It's on the first floor, which definitely gets it bonus points. However, it has a big window facing the building's entrance, which means that the heavy curtain covering it is needed to keep out the light at night. The ceilings are nice and high, but the kitchen is just a bunch of appliances along the wall of the common room. The main problem is that it's on 110th, which is a little out there compared to where people are, which is supposedly the 80s and 90s.
The other place that night was a fourth-floor on 94th. The living area was nicely sized, and the kitchen was very big. The room that was for rent was the dining room, so it's a half-octagon with no closet. The entire apartment was sweltering, with the only suggestion being to open up the windows for ventilation.
You may have noticed that I haven't said anything about how I spent mornings. The reason is that to get into the city from my friend's house was a two hour ordeal. It would typically go: Get up, run off to daven, come back and shower, nibble on something, ride the A in, get in at about 11, go to the Apple Store, pull down my hundred or so spam emails, and then go off to KD to eat.
It was actually much later that I learned that against the back wall of KD is actually an open WiFi network, so you can go online while you're eating. Now, I'd never before understood the appeal of WiFi finders. However, I get it now. In New York, they're everywhere. When I was seeing apartments, nearly every place could see about four networks, and at least one was always open. Thank goodness Pair finally enabled SSL email.
Wednesday was another day I cannot discuss right now. But things took far, far longer than I ever thought they would. Fortunately, the apartment I had an appointment to see had to push things back a day.
Thursday I spent wandering around. I ended up checking out the mall at Columbus Circle. Ahem. Sorry, the “Shops at Columbus Circle”. Rather like the “Somerset Collection” in Troy. I wasted some time at the Borders, and got a copy of Alton Brown's first book. After Mincha, it was time for the last two apartments I'd be able to see.
The first was on 87th. “Penthouse A”. I was there a bit early, rang the bell for “A”, and waited. Some guy let me in to wait inside, so I sat there. It wasn't for ten minutes that I realized that one of the bell buttons was labeled “PHA”, and that I should have rung _that_ one. Damn! I went up to the fourth floor only slightly late, followed by another guy to see the place.
That place is a two-floor apartment with some lofts. The open spot was the second floor, which had its own bathroom, and a room not much bigger than the bed in it. And you'd better like the bed in it. The staircase to get up there is too narrow to get a bed up, and the only way the current bed got in there was that it was brought up in the adjacent building, and moved over the rooftop patios. Well, before they put up a brick wall that precludes that from being done again...
It's a very nice place, and the patio is incredible, but it's a bit expensive for now.
The last place is a three-bedroom on 96th. It's centrally-located, and on the third floor, which isn't bad. There's one guy right now who's renting out two rooms. The rooms are small but reasonable, and so is the common area. I seemed to hit it off with the guy pretty well.
And that's where things stand. Right now, I'm waiting for some kind of response. The last place is what I'm hoping for. Otherwise, I'll try to run down some of the other options.
Oh, the rest of the trip? Friday I moved from one friend's place to another for Shabbos. On Saturday night I tried to see a movie but wasn't able to find something showing that I wanted to see. And Sunday was the flight home.