The Last Apartment

we hope...but you never know what twists and turns life will throw at you!

I've shown a couple pictures about our Manhattan apartment, but here's the full shabang.  Pictures, details, etc...only because living in NYC is a very unique experience and requires a lot of ingenuity to make living comfortable, practical, but still fantastic.

I call this post 'The Last Apartment" because the Guptas are moving!  I could go in detail and overshare, but I'll spare you.  Basically we've decided (and I love saying "we" because it truly was a joint decision that we've been talking over and over for months) to stay in the NY/NJ area with our jobs because we are happy in them, they are stable, and they provide very good perks and benefits that are good for our life right now.  Ultimately we'd like to buy a house down south, so we're staying non-committal to the NY/NJ area for the long term.  SO we're renting a townhouse in West NJ...yup, moving to the dirty jers. We found a great town called Bedminster with rolling hills and lots of suburban amenities like shopping centers and a big YMCA we're going to join.  It's 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a garage, patio (great for grilling), and best of all....a dishwasher, washer, dryer, and garbage disposal!!! Lelelelemme upgrade ya!  ha.

We are making a big change from the city, but we are ready...and we're not sick of the city yet which is the best time to leave.  We're only going to be 40 mins from New York on 1 major highway so we hope to come in a lot!  Before we move out...I figure I'd do a little Manhattan apartment tribute post.

Great things about our apartment:
1. Top floor and end of the hallway which means we never hear any neighbors!
2. 2 skylights and sliding doors allowing TONS of natural light which is very uncommon in nyc apartments that have few windows and are surrounded by buildings!
3. a balcony!!  incredibly rare in ny and gives us outdoor access which we love, cole loves, and has created for some nice evenings sitting with a glass of wine and where my pink begonias have bloomed all spring, summer and now fall!  interesting article on ny outdoor space
4. an elevator building, a rare thing in the west village where buildings are low and most are walkups
5. 2 big closets and 1 doorway we turned into a closet...we somehow have all our clothes for every season in this apartment
6. exposed brick...love the old city feel it creates
7. laundry in our building...still $1.50 a load but that's cheaper than dropping it off and paying by the lb.
8. the most important thing of all...LOCATION. it's basically why our rent is so expensive....b/c it's one of the best blocks in the best neighborhood in the best city in the best country in the world. subjective opinon, yes.  our block is quiet, tree lined, with friendly neighbors, and a delicious cafe.

Not so great things about our apartment:
1. it's 350 square feet, enough said.
2. no dishwasher
3. no AC...we've had to jimmy rig a small atm sized portable ac unit to pump air through our sliding glass doors
4. a non-existant landlord
5. disgusting washer and dryer in a disgusting dungeon basement
6. gross building that never gets cleaned...which means lots of dust and dirt in the hallways and doors

It's been incredible to experience serious city living, making our apartment work for us, and exploring New York to see the major sights and many nooks and crannies.  One thing is for sure...you're never done seeing New York...there's always something new.  I can honestly say that I think New York is one of the best cities in the US...it has so much to offer everyone and can be busy or slow...it's whatever you make it. I say all this by not being from New York or really obsessed with all things New York.  There are many other cities that I've been to that I love, but I still think not much tops the Big Apple.

Farewell to our little slice of Manhattan, but hello to BIGGER and better things for our life :)

Bathroom

Loft style Bedroom...the third closet is actually a door that leads to an upstairs hallway. Nick screwed in railings for hanging more clothes to create another closet! If you're wondering who sleeps on the railing side...it's me and not by choice!  I lost the negotiating on that issue...but haven't fallen yet, knock on wood.

Kitchen...notice the pots on top of the cabinets and kitchen tools hung on the wall. You may also be able to see a railing on the left wall...nick screwed that in so that we can lay a countertop board across that railing ledge and the actual countertop to have SOME countertop.

pots and spice rack are kinda unreachable for me so we have a step stool...and i keep magazines on top of the fridge :)

see the cute flower box??  Also the back right corner is kinda my nightmare...we just keep shoving sh** back there...whether it's golf clubs, skis, work boxes, whatever!

dog food is kept under the stairs next to the wine rack...haha.

notice the blank wall on the left...I waited to put wedding photos up there and then never got around to it. I promised Nick our next place will be fully decorated! p.s. that wooden baker's rack next to the tv is our bar...glasses hang from the underside of each shelf and there are two glass containers that hold our silverware.

Love from the City!!  (I promise that my posts from NJ won't be boring and I will be in NYC often, so hopefully I'll be able to keep the same blogging vibe!)