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.