Thursday, January 25, 2007

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem . . .

And that'd be me.

I did the deed today and signed an apartment lease. Finally. Couldn't afford to stay in pricey Carnegie Hill area of Upper East Side, so I moved to the Upper Upper East side, known as East Harlem/Spanish Harlem. Yep. El Barrio. But I have a Park Avenue address, I'm still in Manhattan, and I'll be paying $300 less than where I am now. Plus, it's a one bedroom. Yea! Three nice size closets, to boot. Subway just around the corner.

I found - on my own, no broker fee! - a beautiful, newly-renovated pre-war building (marble hallways, elevator, high ceilings, hardwood floors, arched windows, new stainless steel kitchen). I'm on the 5th floor so I'm above the fray, as it were. Perseverance, my friends, pays off in the end.

Better brush up on my Spanish, though. I have exactly one week . . .

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Good for you. I've randomly come acorss your site, live in Central Harlem, and am hereby the official one-man welcome wagon!

No broker fee? Good gracious, that's like pulling a rabbit out of your hat, quite a tall order, you're clearly a magician.

Anyway....good luck in your new digs.

MaryB said...

Hey, thanks for the Harlem welcome wagon, Lance! Yup, I really lucked out.

Anonymous said...

Hey, hey, hey... Congrats on ya! Got room for some of your stuff from ATL? And the pooch? And most importantly for you, is it safe? And Chevy Chase knows all the Spanish you will need: Tierra del Fuego.

Happy for you, kiddo...

jomoore said...

Fantastic! Congratulations, Mary.

Elsie said...

Congrats! I just saw a show on HGTV saying that Harlem is the up-and-coming place to be in NYC. Good for you. If you want company, just let me know.

Clare said...

yay! I hope you are very happy in your new home! x

Liz Hinds said...

Sounds brillo! Post photos soon, please. Living in Spanish Harlem like a orse. Or maybe a rose.

Chris said...

Ole! fantastico! fiesta! tapas!

Well done, Mary. Look forward to visiting some time.

Joy Des Jardins said...

It sounds pretty great Mary. Kudos to you for handling it all on your own. CONGRATULATIONS!