Livin' on Wall Street

Update on the Davis fam: This past month has been quite stressful finding a place to live in New York City. First of all, the universities and Corey's summer employment offer to help but then they realize he's married - single housing ONLY! Yep, I guess there aren't many college interns who have a wife. so we are left to find housing on our own. It's been hard. No one wants to work with people who will be there 12 weeks only. and we don't know ANYBODY out there... no one to tell us good/bad areas, good subways to be close to, or help with checking out the apartment for us before we sign a contract. We've had to call in friends of friends for some of these favors (thanks evan and heather). Plus, since most of the city is rental space, everyone uses realtors to find places, which brings me to my next point - cost. Most realtors require one month's rent and the Landlord requires first and last month. Average price for a 400 square foot studio apt (no bedroom) is $2100. If you do the math, that's $6300 upfront for 3 months of stay!! It's so expensive, but we just turn our heads away from the price and try to remember that it's worth it.

After a lot of frustration, we came across an amazing place this week that is in a good price range. We talked to the people who own it and it's a done deal. This was done through CraigsList, which means no broker! The place is ON Wall Street. How cool is that? And the best part - it's 7 months old. Yep, you don't find that often in Manhattan. I guess the city has put a lot of effort into getting more residential into the financial district, and this is one of those new buildings. It is 462 square feet, no couch.... but everything else about it is great. Dishwasher, W/D in the unit (which is rare there), marble counters, dark hardwood floors, modern furnishings and bathroom, stainless steel appliances, subzero fridge, 42 inch plasma, two kitchen island carts, and brand new gym facilities and classes for free. One of the weirdest perks but still cool is that breakfast is served complimentary every morning in the lounge. The area is a little quiet at night, but we are two minutes from about 7 subways. and the place is 10 minutes from Corey's work (he works next to Ground Zero). I will continue to work with my current employer from the apartment, so it will be nice to see Corey at nights since he doesn't have a long commute. Anyway, if you are still reading my long story (sorry, can you tell I'm excited?), here are a few pics:






As you can see, we are super relieved and ready to go.