We're here!
Well, we arrived at the Close (the common name for the General Seminary campus) at about 11:20 a.m. yesterday, after an almost stress-free drive onto the island of Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel. It was remarkably simple--all our fears about driving into New York traffic seem to have been unfounded.
I got the keys, and, while Partner stayed with the truck, I carried the first load up to the apartment. I tingled with excitement as I put the key in the door, and..it wouldn't open! After many tries, I finally figured out that one must turn the key hard to the left. I entered into the apartment's long hallway and found it to be charming, and bigger than anticipated.
Don't get me wrong -- the bedrooom is still only big enough for the bed and one nightstand (and at that, a person sleeping on the side away from the door must crawl into bed from the foot), and the kitchen is tiny, really only big enough for one person at a time. But it has been freshly painted, the appliances are brand-new, and the parquet floor is warm and beautiful.
Our moving help arrived promptly at noon and (with help from Partner and me) had the truck completely unloaded in 45 minutes. We then returned the truck to U-Haul (no problems worth repeating) and were back in the apartment by 12:30.
We began the work of unpacking by putting up the bed--partner says that he learned this important first step in moving from my mother. I am glad he took in this practical advice. It makes perfect sense, and I'm not sure I would have remembered. We assembled the bed, put on freshly-laundered sheets, and then topped it all off with the quilt that my grandmother made for me almost 10 years ago. It had not been taken out of the box since she gave it to me. I didn't know why I wasn't using it--until now. I feel certain that it was made for this place, and this time. And now I will always have the warmth of her love enveloping me as I sleep in this strange, wonderful new place.
We then started unpacking boxes. I found myself a bit obsessed with getting it all done. I didn't want to stop, even though we had eaten no lunch, nor even drunk a glass of water, and we were still running on fumes from the long days preceeding. Partner finally made it clear that he was about to have a head-on collision with a meltdown unless we got something to eat. I insisted we shower, and by 5:10 we were out the door to find a bite to eat.
It is so intoxicating to be back in the City, part of the bustle and energy that is a crowded New York sidewalk. We walked about 22 blocks to Ollie's, one of our favorite Chinese food restaurants, just off Times Square. After filling our stomachs we found the energy to walk some more, braving the thousands -- always thousands these days -- of tourists that jam the sidewalks of this part of the City, and ended up at a Starbucks at something like Broadway and 50th Street.
A jolt of caffeine and some great people-watching had us ready for our 8:00 curtain -- yes, as incredible as it sounds, we went to the theatre only eight hours after we first arrived in the Big Apple. Of course, if you know me, that might not be so surprising...
Anyway, it was a remarkable show. More in the next post.
I got the keys, and, while Partner stayed with the truck, I carried the first load up to the apartment. I tingled with excitement as I put the key in the door, and..it wouldn't open! After many tries, I finally figured out that one must turn the key hard to the left. I entered into the apartment's long hallway and found it to be charming, and bigger than anticipated.
Don't get me wrong -- the bedrooom is still only big enough for the bed and one nightstand (and at that, a person sleeping on the side away from the door must crawl into bed from the foot), and the kitchen is tiny, really only big enough for one person at a time. But it has been freshly painted, the appliances are brand-new, and the parquet floor is warm and beautiful.
Our moving help arrived promptly at noon and (with help from Partner and me) had the truck completely unloaded in 45 minutes. We then returned the truck to U-Haul (no problems worth repeating) and were back in the apartment by 12:30.
We began the work of unpacking by putting up the bed--partner says that he learned this important first step in moving from my mother. I am glad he took in this practical advice. It makes perfect sense, and I'm not sure I would have remembered. We assembled the bed, put on freshly-laundered sheets, and then topped it all off with the quilt that my grandmother made for me almost 10 years ago. It had not been taken out of the box since she gave it to me. I didn't know why I wasn't using it--until now. I feel certain that it was made for this place, and this time. And now I will always have the warmth of her love enveloping me as I sleep in this strange, wonderful new place.
We then started unpacking boxes. I found myself a bit obsessed with getting it all done. I didn't want to stop, even though we had eaten no lunch, nor even drunk a glass of water, and we were still running on fumes from the long days preceeding. Partner finally made it clear that he was about to have a head-on collision with a meltdown unless we got something to eat. I insisted we shower, and by 5:10 we were out the door to find a bite to eat.
It is so intoxicating to be back in the City, part of the bustle and energy that is a crowded New York sidewalk. We walked about 22 blocks to Ollie's, one of our favorite Chinese food restaurants, just off Times Square. After filling our stomachs we found the energy to walk some more, braving the thousands -- always thousands these days -- of tourists that jam the sidewalks of this part of the City, and ended up at a Starbucks at something like Broadway and 50th Street.
A jolt of caffeine and some great people-watching had us ready for our 8:00 curtain -- yes, as incredible as it sounds, we went to the theatre only eight hours after we first arrived in the Big Apple. Of course, if you know me, that might not be so surprising...
Anyway, it was a remarkable show. More in the next post.
posted by Sam | 9:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home