Happy days are here again!
Oh yes indeedy--and everything's comin' up roses too....
My ex-boyfriend and I found a buyer for the Lower East Side Manhattan coop we co-own, and will be closing the first week of March. I am all set to move into my new dream digs in the Bronx shortly thereafter--found a beautiful one bedroom coop in a gated enclave here. G, my ex, is looking at places in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Amazing what you can get for your money once you get out of Manhattan and into the outer boroughs--though many areas can be very expensive there as well.
I'm starting from scratch, so will be buying all new furnishings, which should be fun. I've got a place that is about the same size as my old one, maybe a tad smaller--750 square feet, which believe it or not is "huge" esp. by Manhattan standards. It's on the 17th floor with an amazing river view looking over into upper Manhattan. For the same space in "the city" I'd be paying at least 6 times more--though our Lower East Side digs are still a relative bargain, if you consider 450K to be cheap. (We got it for a song 15 years ago). And the cost of living in the Bronx is much, much cheaper all the way around.
Manhattan is rapidly becoming an enclave for the rich only. The middle and working classes are being pushed out in rapid numbers, and the borough is more crowded than ever. The outer boroughs can be more quiet, serene, even idyllic--and have retained a lot of their original character, whereas Manhattan is chock full of new high rises and gut renovated luxe buildings in every part of the borough, which means that it's rapidly losing a lot of its old-time quirkiness and charm. The few middle class housing developments still left seem in danger of dissolving as well.
So anyway, that's good piece of news number one. The second is that after I'm settled in, I plan to do some travelling with my boyfriend BG. First stop will be Amsterdam in the latter two weeks of May. The only foreign city I've ever been to is London many years ago, and I adored it, so I'm sure we'll be in for a great time!
Instead of a hotel, we'll be staying in a furnished apartment in the city center, overlooking a canal. The building dates from the 17th century, I think, but has all the modern accoutrements.
Here, take a peek:
I'm a lifetime New Yorker and still adore it, but I have to admit that I don't feel all that safe post-9/ll. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. So I have fantasized about living in another country, permanently or for awhile, and Amsterdam seems absolutely ideal. Virtually no violent crime, but very tolerant. Beautiful, historic, with great cultural treasures. Places galore to party on down. And most of the residents speak better English than many Americans. What more could you ask for?
BG has never been abroad, unless you count a visit to Mexico with his friend when he was about 17. They hitched around with very little money, but the few dollars they did have went far, and he loved it.
So I'm envisioning that by staying amongst "the locals" rather than in a tourist ghetto/hotel chain, we'll really get a feel for what it's like to live there. We can even invite new friends we meet at the pubs, bars, cafes, and coffee shops over to our flat--which will be luxuriously furnished, with internet access, books, CD's, DVD's, X-box games, a stocked mini-bar, a little "something something" to help us chill when we arrive courtesty of the apt service (lol), and so on. We'll be smack dab in the middle of it all too.
If BG loves it as much as I think he will, maybe we could talk about going again for more extended periods--or even moving there one day. Hey, why not? I just found a great ex-pat site with a treasure trove of terrific articles about living abroad. Apts and real estate are not dirt cheap, but you can get a lot more for the money there than in NYC for sure. And from what I gather, the cost of living is cheaper too.
In any case, I haven't been posting all that much lately since I'm so busy with the move, but that will probably change shortly. And I can even blog from Amsterdam--how cool is that?
In the meantime, I'd love to hear any advice, ideas, tips, etc from any of you who've been there. Thanks, guys!
31 Comments:
Posts like this are why I like reading blogs! I cannot fathom such a life, and it takes me away from things, drifting into a daydream. I can't imagine just up and doing something like that, myself having worked 40 hours a week since I turned of age, and planning on doing that 'til death. It's just so wild to imagine. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds great! Hope it all works out for you!
Where I live you could buy a mansion with 450K. However, there isn't much to do here.
Have fun in Amsterdam! I will be following along here at Shithouse Rat. You can be our eyes and ears.
Just a thought, but same-sex marriage is legal in the Netherlands. Also, I remember the story of Duke Pishposh of Pash which was set in Delft. Maybe you'll actually meet someone named Tyl Uilenspiegel.
Congrats on all the great things going on and good luck with it all. Enjoy your trip. I've never been to Amsterdam but it sounds like a good time.
Thats great news about unloading the ball and chain umm the coop that is LOL
I almost moved to another country and still will I think.
I love Canada and I am a proud Canadian but the weather is really messing me up.
I was thinking about Costa Rica.
I have a friend who says I could get a house on the beach for a song and a dance about 50 grand.
I an selling all the land in Greece though, I have no desire to move there.
Great post as always
Congrats on your new digs! I came across your blog looking for Poe Park information. We're actually moving up the block on Valentine Ave.
You mentioned if they will have a Starbucks. I heard that they had one in 1999 on Fordham Road, off Kingsbridge Road. It got replaced my T-mobile in 2003.
The area is getting better. They're cleaning up the sidewalks and grafittis on the buildings. The building used to be a drug-fested place - but it got new owners now. Everything is renovated. I love the Bronx. All the apts are huge and dirt cheap!
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Ms. Dafarm:
Hey, save up your pesos if you can and live a little! You can get cheaper accommodations and airfares if you look online.
Timothy:
Thanks! I know you had a ball in Jamaica, and I plan to do the same in Amsterdam! Can't wait!
Paula:
Tell me about it. Clyde's place is about 300 square feet at the most. Mine will be 750, which means you could fit two and a half of his places inside mine. Furthermore, you could probably fit Clyde's place, my place, and half the neighborhood into your house. Go figure...
I have a neat little camera cell phone I just bought, so we'll be taking pix, blogging and posting while we're over there, for sure!
Ice:
Amsterdam is supposed to be very gay friendly. I think I saw the Pishposh story in my "Lonely Planet" guide to Amsterdam. I'll check it out.
g:
Thanks--it's strange but so far all the folks I've met online--even those who are well-travelled--apparently have never been...
Thanks Walker:
That sounds like a super plan. As I think I mentioned, I really don't feel safe here anymore, and the crime rate in Amsterdam is very low--virtually no violent crime at all. As long as you don't walk around like a gawking tourist with your wallet falling out of your back pocket or smoke your joints in the street, you'll be fine, or so they say. The biggest hazard seems to be prodigious amounts of dog shit--guess they're not into the pooper scooper laws over there.
So yeah, moving abroad is definitely something I'm thinking about as a possibility down the line.
capriwmn:
Small world, isn't it?
The Starbucks is long gone...didn't fit the demographics of the 'hood at all.
BG's building is also under new ownership and is improving as well. I think the Bronx is the best kept secret in the city!
"Happy Days Are Here Again" was composed by Milton Ager (1893-1979) & Jack Yellen (1892-1991) in 1929, and introduced in October, just prior to the stock market crash which heralded the start of the Great Depression.sportsbook It became a song that was extraordinarily popular in the first half of the twentieth century. Like "Ain't She Sweet" (1927), it became a Tin Pan Alley standard.
http://www.enterbet.com
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This remind me the day, when last time I visit country side to enjoy sometimes with life partner and missed another moment.
- John Devis
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@ Megent, that is great, you should have enjoyed it a lot.
- Tanya
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Yes surely the season of spring is just around the corner..... Life's going to turn in quite happy once again.....
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just love spring season im wating anxiously for it to come
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Can i know as to why your happy days are back again... Any one can make every day a happy one, all what all depends upon is his or her mood....
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Can i ask as to why you think happy days of life are back once again, did you find a new girl friend....
lolz....
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Happy days like what, being able to get incentives over daily wages... :)
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ello Elvira
Can you please help me
Google have punished a few of our sites for having so many links with same title
There are 5 links showing up from your site, can you either remove them or change link to www.amsterdamescape.com . ( i know there is only 1 link) it is just the way blogs are indexed.
The current link you have on pages is a broken link
http://elvirablack.blogspot.co.uk/2007/02/happy-days-are-here-again.html take a peek:
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Thanks a million
Emmett
AmsterdamEscape
Awe!!
Good to hear. Happiness is something that last long cause we enjoy it very much. There is shining sun behind the black cloud. We should ready for the sadness. :)
Best luck for you!
Be happy always. ;)
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Keep moving bro. Nice post!
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