Beautiful Brooklyn

I live in Williamsburg but haven't spent a ton of time doing anything else in Brooklyn. That changed this weekend when I visited Prospect Park, Botanic Garden (free admission Saturdays between 10-12), and Brooklyn Museum (free first Saturdays). Granted, all of these things are right next to each other, but it was still BKLYN intensive. I also explored my neighborhood more and am currently enjoying the view of the water and Manhattan from the East River State Park. One of my dear friends is visiting and he requested a Brooklyn adventure so I figured I had better bone up on my borough.

I was first disappointed that I didn't get to live in Manhattan. Most cultural references show that as the quintessential NYC experience. Now, however, I'm glad I'm in Brooklyn and look forward to exploring more of it. Besides, when you live in Manhattan you don't get these views.

Williamsburg

Hey world! Been a while. I found an apartment. Yay! I can afford it! Yay! And it has a view of the city with a balcony! Super yay! I live in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, to be precise. I thought I had to be in Manhattan, but found this really great place in a pretty happening neighborhood. Work is good. Life is good. More later. Or not who knows. Blogging is hard.

Here are some pictures.

Bye

That's work!

My first full week of work is under my belt. It was a snap - great people with great ideas.

The real challenge this week has been the apartment search. It is insane. Beyond. Buying my condo in St Paul was a piece of cake in comparison. Would some smart financial wizard please invent a product that streamlines this process? I have gathered financial records I didn't even know existed before. First month, last month, security deposit, and the always fun broker's fee (10-15% of the annual rent) congeal into a mass of cash required to RENT an apartment that far exceeds the downpayment to OWN my condo. I'm looking at lots of different places that all have different fee and paperwork requirements. A few select gems have no broker's fee. I hope very soon to have identified a place of my own.

This weekend I'm spending a lot of my time in Brooklyn. Lots of people have told me how much they like this place, but so far I am not dazzled. Maybe it's because Manhattan is what comes to mind when I think of New York. I'm sure there are lovely and fun parts of this outer borough, and I'll be delighted to find them.

Getting around

I've been taking the subway everywhere, like others in New York. Before I lived here I had a Saab I loved very much. I do miss the instant mobility of driving but recognize the complete impracticality of it. I actually tried an experiment a few years ago to see if I could go Carless but Metro Transit in the twin cities has a long way to go to catch up to MTA and I couldn't make it work for me. Though I think everyone could do better at making smarter transportation choices. I was on the board of a great nonprofit that helped with that called St Paul Smart Trips. (I would put a link but the blogger app doesn't seem to have an easy way todo that and I'm not banging out any HTML on the iPhone. JFGI)

This picture is of a parking garage (in MN we call them parking ramps) near my office. Note that a monthly parking contract is $600. Also note that an unlimited ride MetroCard is only $104. You do the math.

Today I helped a man get on the right subway line to get to where he needed to go. I did employ the assistance of my trusty iPhone app. How did people get along in this city before smartphones?

I'm going to be spending a lot of time in Brooklyn the next few days as I continue the quest for the right-for-me-right-now apartment. So far what I've seen hasn't dazzled me. We will see how sharp my subway planning skills are as I try to get to unfamiliar and no longer logically numbered places. I might break down and hail my first cab. But I hope not.

Stream of consciousness complete.

A new day!

Today was my first day at my new job. I'm so excited about taking on a new challenge with that will have a national impact. The first day was filled with forms and manuals. And staring out the window at this amazing view from my desk.

Work it!

I've spent most of my emotional processing time on moving to New York, I haven't even talked about my job on this blog. This is the whole reason I'm moving here, after all! I start work on Monday morning and I'm super excited about it. I think I haven't spent a bunch of time dwelling on this because I feel so good about the position and the organization. People have been asking me if I'm nervous. I can honestly say I'm not. Today I got to see the movie about Charles and Ray Eames that is in prerelease. I used to be jealous of New Yorkers (and LAers I suppose) since they get to see movies early. I'm a big fan of mid century modern and own some fabulous fiberglass shell chairs by this dynamic husband and wife team. The movie shows how both fully lived and embraced their occupations, blending personal and professional into their passionate vocation. It was fascinating to see how Ray (Mrs. Eames) was quietly kept in the background - a sad reality for so many talented women of her era. When her husband died she was able to showcase her vision I start work at the Girl Scouts of the USA, an organization dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. I have to wonder if Ray was ever a Girl Scout. She sure made the world a better place.

Meer

Oh hi, Harlem Meer in Central Park! Nice to meet you!