Starting the Big Adventure

View from our Brooklyn apartment

I have heard our current endeavor referred to as 'a big adventure' more than once as if moving to Brooklyn, New York, is venturing into the heart of a deep, dark, slightly scary, exotic place.  I was actually getting a bit spooked myself about the move.  However, as is usually the case, all the fears of cramped, dirty, unsafe, and noisy have not come to pass.  The move itself went like rollerskating downhill thanks to Drake's expert planning and doggedly determined follow ups.

The move in was not without its moments.  Only in New York would the movers show up on the bus with their crated dog in tow.  They managed to borrow a dolly from the auto detailers across the street, and the rolling luggage cart from the concierge in exchange for leaving the dog in the building lobby.  They cheerfully got all the furniture and goods out of the U-Box crates and up to our apartment quickly.  The U-Boxes were gone the same day they were dropped off in front of the apartment. 

Our apartment turns out to be light, airy, quiet, (minimal street noise), with views of lush green trees.  No one lives above us, and the back of our apartment faces an elementary school.  The 'noise' is of children playing at recess during the day.  And, I've spotted four different kinds of birds including a cardinal pair flitting through the trees.   We catch the bus 200 feet from our door, and it takes us to within a block of our new workplace.  It seems weird to be talking about work after being retired for twelve years. 

So, the real adventure is not the place we've moved, but the fact we've got a JOB.  We are the nannies for our new grandson.  Thank heavens this is a job share.  All the grandparents in our family are committed to getting the new kid off to a good start.  Finding quality childcare, especially for very young children, is a constant worry for parents no matter where they live.  There's the cost which is actually secondary to the reliability, and finally the flexibility of child care.  We decided to offer our services.  We're not cheap, but we are certainly reliable, and we don't charge by the minute after 5:30 pm.

With seven out of ten women with children in the work place, what we are doing is not as unusual as you would think.  We met someone in the building's gym whose parents have been doing this same thing for not only his children but also his brother's children.  Families who live in the same town have always pitched in to help with the children.  The new twist is grandparents are moving to a new location to help out.  It's an old tradition.  The cliche, 'it takes a village' is actually still the truth even in the 21st century and especially in the United States.  It's been an uphill battle to get parental leave in the USA which is standard in the rest of the developed world.  Our son-in-law had seven months leave to be with his new baby.  What company does he work for?  A Swedish one.  We are being handed off a seven month old instead of a two month old newborn. 

If we have any energy left, we are looking forward to new restaurants, Broadway shows, the American Ballet Theater, and my favorite pastime:  New York museums - especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It's taken us a week to get settled in.  As of today, everything is unpacked and there are curtains at every window.  I bought all my curtains in Arizona.  I just had to hem them, and Drake had to figure out how to get them hung.  We have nine foot ceilings and no ladder.  I'm just about ready to have some fun before we start work.  June 16th is our start date. 

I've already found something in I absolutely LOVE in Brooklyn.  I'm having all my groceries delivered, and it's FREE.  In fact, I'm pretty much having everything delivered.  This building has an elevator, and it also has a concierge.  He accepts deliveries all day long.  There's also a recreation room with pool table, ping pong table, and foos ball.  There's a movie room and a large gym with sauna, and a laundry room.  We have a designated 'place' with a drain inside the apartment for a stack washer/dryer, but if you buy one, you have to pay an additional $100 each month for the increased water usage.  We turned that w/d space into a pantry, so we'll be using the building's laundry facilities. 

The kitchen has nice appliances, but the storage in the kitchen can charitably be called minuscule.  I have no idea how you'd be able to store food as well as dishes and pots and pans.  However, there's granite, a nice big stainless sink, and a good work area.

Other than the kitchen, the storage in the apartment is good.  The water pressure is good, and we like the shower.  All the furniture I brought with me 'fits', so we are both pleased with our sight unseen apartment choice.  Oh, and it's air conditioned.  I learned my lesson several years ago after spending the summer in an apartment in New Haven, Connecticut which didn't have air conditioning.

Tomorrow, we are harking back to our Texas roots and having a family taco day to kick off summer.  I wonder if Cedric wants onions on his......