Today was my first day commuting to work from our new apartment. I took the C train from 110th Street to Penn Station, then New Jersey Transit to Newark. I could have left home later, because I had to wait for 10-15 minutes for the train to Newark. On a normal day, I think I’ll be able to make my commute in an hour, compared to my old commute of 45-50 minutes. Not that much longer – it’ll just be more expensive.
And now I get to ride the NYC subway during rush hour like a normal NYC commuter. My previous commute was by PATH train, in the direction opposite rush-hour traffic. Now I get to stand on a crowded subway. Not quite as comfortable – but the NJ Transit train is barely full, so I get to ride the express train to Newark in my own private seat with nobody next to me.
I didn’t sleep well last night. I fell asleep around 12:15, but I woke up around 5:00 and stayed awake for an hour and 15 minutes before falling asleep again. Right now we have a mattress without a bed, and the ambient light from street lamps pours into our bedroom window. We’ll be provided curtains, but as an interim measure last night I taped up a bedsheet against the window. It helped a little bit, but not completely. I’ll probably sleep better tonight — sometimes I just wake up too early in the morning for no reason.
We have a lot of unpacking to do, though I’m still wary of fully settling in, since we’ll have to move again by mid-May.
I was missing our old apartment a little this morning. So I looked at a bunch of photos that Matt took when we first moved into the old place. My eyes actually welled up a little as I looked at them. What a great apartment in a great location. Boy, were we spoiled.
I kinda miss my old home.
Hey,
Just thought i’d say congrats on the move and hoping your settling in well, when are you going to post some pics of the new place.
xx
You’ll get over the old place. I get attached to things and places, too.
This post made me remember how nice it is to be commuting by car now (and not a terribly long commute). Not having to sit on the LIRR and then take the subway every day is nice. I might do it again for the right job, but I’m happy for now!
I hear you.
I have some pictures on my harddrive of S and me our first night in our old apartment in Spuyten Duyvil. It makes me very, very, very sad to see them.
This was a fantastic apartment: 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a balcony overlooking the Hudson and Harlem rivers, the Palisades, the Henry Hudson bridge. It was only 23 minutes to Grand Central on Metronorth and right in the middle of Riverdale. I loved it. It was my favorite home, ever.
But no. We had to buy a house. We had to make an “investment.” It was something we could both work for and it would help bring us together (yeah right, more like chain us together). We’re up in the middle of nowhere in Westchester. I would say that I wish I were dead but it’s so much like living in a cemetery already that that would be redundant.
I would like, cheat, steal or kill to live where you do now!