The Apartment
Photo: Suzanne DeChillo, New York Times
I was unprepared for the NYC apartment search. When we moved to Atlanta, we went with the first place we saw—a one bedroom in a complex off of North Druid Hills for $700/mo. Without worrying, we had all of the amenities we’d want—central air & heat, all appliances including dishwasher and washer/dryer, fireplace, balcony, 800 sq. feet. And that was that. Though we thought about moving from time to time, we stayed here, because it was easiest. We’re on the third floor and moving is such a bitch.
I knew that moving to New York would mean doubling the rent and stepping down from the comfortable, dreamy world of huge complexes in the business of serving clients.
We were advised by everyone we met to avoid brokers if we could. After scouring Craigslist, however, it seemed almost impossible to do so. The thought of paying 12 to 15% of a year’s rent (or a month and a half’s rent) in addition to first & last month’s to the landlord was just nauseating.
We got lucky. With my July 21 work start date looming, we needed a place fast and searching for a NY apt all the way from Georgia left us at a major disadvantage.
I got excited when I saw an ad for a ground level apt in Jersey City—with central air/heat, washer/dryer connections, and a dishwasher, no less—from people who were looking for a single person or couple who could “complete their family.” I emailed and was talking to Jeff the following day.
It’s a three family home, located near the Journal Square PATH train station. Jeff and his partner Richard currently live in the ground floor space but are moving up to the recently vacated second floor. The Dominican owners, Georgina and Augusto, live on the third floor. Jeff is originally from Georgia and we instantly connected because of it. We were on the phone when Jeff was manning the grill at a family BBQ.
Later I learned that Jeff & Richard had shown the apartment to several other possible tenants and had received a handful of applications, but they were waiting till Jason could get up to New Jersey to take a look. When Jeff told me, I felt so blessed and just knew it was the right place for us. It helped that Jason loved it and knew that it would be a comfortable transition from our current place.
It’s going to be a completely different experience. There’s a lot of anonymity in living in our apartment complex in Atlanta. Jeff, Richard, Augusto and Georgina prefer to spend time together—having summer BBQs and winter family dinners. Jason met Augusto and Georgina when he was up there. Augusto gave him several shots of Mama Juana to seal the deal. Mama Juana is a drink from the Dominican Republic made of rum, red wine, tree bark, leaves and herbs. Jeff & Richard refuse to drink the stuff … but of course Jason didn’t heed their advice. Possibly through divine intervention, he survived the PATH ride back to Manhattan and then the subway to Brooklyn to have dinner with friends.
So once again we’re going with the first apartment we’ve seen. Jason cancelled his appointments with other landlords and a broker for the following week and returned home early. I’m hoping the new home treats us as well as our one bedroom off of North Druid Hills.
3 years ago