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Date:         Sat, 12 Sep 1998 01:40:15 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: moving to brooklyn or elsewhere in the city...
Comments: To: JLucca8410@aol.com
Comments: cc: Vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

In a message dated 98-09-10 11:45:59 EDT, you write:

> move to in the city

Joe--

I live in NYC, Manhattan to be exact. And for better or worse it's home. My rent is $1119 a month for a small (about 400 square-foot) one bedroom in a walk up on the upper East Side. It's a little bit of a drag to get up to this part of town and I live all the way over past York Ave. so that adds to the distance from mid-town and especially from downtown. My bike makes getting around easier during the warmer months. But sometimes I'd like be able to drive.

I had a great Honda Civic 4-door sedan I parked on the street for a few years. (before that I parked it in a garage for $300 a month. I worked so much to make that extra money I never used the car.) When I parked it on the street, I rarely went anywhere with it because finding another spot was such a pain in the neck. And I had to move it at 11 a.m. every morning during the week for the street sweeper. I work evenings. So the 11 thing was OK unless I had classes that day or an audition ( I'm a would-be or sometimes actor). Then I had to get up at 8 a.m. to move my car. And I ususally worked till midnight and got home at one and in bed by three. Then there are no spots to be found till 11 a.m. when the street sweeper has passed. That meant three hours sitting in the car.

Also, I drilled out the trunk lock so any screwdriver or butter knife would open it. I wanted to save the body from being dented by someone hammering the lock into the vehicle to gain access. That worked for a while until someone puched the lock in anyway causing body damage.

If I were willing to deal with the hassle of moving the car every day again here in NY I would get a hatch back, this time. They seem to get broken into less frequently because the theif can see there is nothing in the car. BTW, my Honda had a removeable radio and nothing in the trunk or glove box. (What's wrong with these guys? I even had a sign in the window that said "NO RADIO NOTHING IN TRUNK.") I also left the glovebox open when I parked.

As a result, now, I keep my Westfalia at my mom's house in NJ. That's about an hour bus ride west of here. And it's an hour to get to the bus station by subway. So to get the bus is a four hour investment there and back. So it's a drag when I want to get it. But I am not comfortable parking it on the street, here. I've taken some great trips. But the distance between me and my bus keeps me from those quick one-night get aways I thought I might be able to work into my schedule.

Honestly, my advice would be move to Boulder, Co. There's lots of Westys. But more importanly there are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. It's a hip town. Theres a great energy there. A college which I'm guessing brings in interesting speakers from time to time. If I didn't need to be in NY to train as an actor and to find work as the same, I think I'd be looking for alternatives. It's just so darn expensive here. And as near as I can tell the quality of life suffers as a result.

I think if you can afford a grand apartment, dinners on the town, have a car in a garage and a house in the Hamptons, this is probably a fun town. In fact I'm sure it is. Sometimes I use my credit card to pretend I have money. And it's great. But for me, a guy with a Westy, it's a hard row to hoe.

I'm not down on life. And I've got great friends here and all. But most of us are struggling financially. And that's not from a lack of working. Most are working a minimum of two jobs and asome classes to boot.

Maybe, BTW, life is easier out in Brooklyn?

I'd be curious what city you live in now.

Good Luck Jeff 83.5 Westy


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