May 21, 2009

A good day with good weather, a good run & good news.

Subletting in a co-op building is just about as difficult as applying to the CIA. After literally weeks of back-&-forth, it's done. We received final, absolute approval today & we move in next week. I can breathe again - not to mention finally arrange for cable/internet, sign the contract for our movers, change our renters insurance, schedule furniture to be delivered, etc. We're excited. Cute neighborhood (UES 70's), close to the subway, tree-lined street, lots of shops & restaurants, an easy walk to church & a lovely little apartment with soon-to-be-documented doorknobs. 

Friends, thank you for sending happy thoughts my way. I felt them, & I'm pretty sure they sealed the deal.

Today's Mileage: 8 1/2 miles. I took walk breaks. I'm not ashamed.
Weather: 81 degrees. Sunny.
Thoughts regarding weather: Loved the shade. The sun just about killed me (& I have the tan lines to prove it).
Lesson learned: Running in the middle of the day is just a really bad idea.
Thought regarding Central Park: More drinking fountains, please.
What I saw: At the north end of the park - cyclists & runners, all obeying the rules of the road. The forrest (I need to go exploring again up there). Nature. Waterfalls. Fresh air. It was beautiful. At the south end of the park - crowds & tourists. Walking all over the road, oblivious to any sort of rules or common courtesies. Horse-drawn-carriages (think the smell of warm horse poo). Throughout - lots of people sunbathing. Far too many Euro swimsuits. Nannies pushing strollers. Ice cream. Groups of women eating yogurt (Mormons? Quite possible). Dogs. Lots of dogs (I saw one dog walker who probably had 20 friends). An old man playing the guitar under the tree. A young man rapping, all by himself to what I assume was imaginary music. A very, very large man on a bicycle (I was scared for the bicycle). The Met - the construction on the stairs is finally finished - it was an eyesore.

I think running all around Central Park is a perfect introduction to New York City. Every tourist should do it.

10 comments:

Lindsey said...

hooray for your new place! i can't wait to see it. and apartment/flat swap sometime!

Erin said...

congrats on the new place! How fun!

And wow on the run. I'm just not motivated enough to run that far... Dang it! :) But I have to tell you a story. Or maybe I shouldn't. But I will anyway because its kind of funny, and you made me think about it with the central park drinking fountains comment.

So one time I was in Central Park by the castle and turtle pond. I was sitting right across from the drinking fountains. Just as I was about to get up to get a nice refreshing drink from the fountain, a runner with a HUGE dog ran up. He proceeded to turn the fountain on and hold it for his dog, while his dog licked and slobbered, and slurped all over the spout. Now I'm not a dog person so maybe I am the only one who gets grossed out by this story, but I haven't ever been able to look at a drinking fountain the same again. It was a pretty funny sight though...

Ya, I don't know why I just told you that... :)

Kellie said...

So glad the apartment worked out! I want details. We're on vacation until June 1. I'll call you when I'm home.

Meg said...

I very much enjoy your running updates..It inspires me to do the same! I'm so glad your apartment is final! YAY.. we can just walk across the park and meet each other since we both are jobless :-)

Tara Edwards said...

I can't wait to come visit and stay in this one! I've loved them all, but each one more than the last.

erin said...

really?? yay!! sweet relief!! now let the fun begin.

Louise said...

So happy you have a new home! Can I ask, what does it mean to sub-let in a co-op building, and why is it a tough thing to do? I don't know that we have such a thing here. Oh, and completely inspired by your running - not inspired enough to take it up myself sadly, but inspired nonetheless! You're doing great!

Missy said...

Hooray for you and Mike Kathryn! that is so exciting...can't wait to see it all.

Abbie said...

i needed some cheering up today (i'm having serious freak out issues about our move to the city) and i just wanted to say thank you for blogging about good things in nyc. i'm excited again. that's all.

k. said...

So, Louise: A co-op just means that it's a building of apartments that are owned/typically lived in by individual owners - instead of, say, the kind of large buildings we've lived in in the past that are owned/run by large management companies that own all of the units. When you rent from a co-op, you have to sign a sub-lease from the tenant, but you also typically always have to get approval from the housing board. Co-op buildings also typically always have these boards - made up of owners of apartments in the building. They look at everything from your tax returns and financial statements to employment references, personal references, etc - basically to protect the "integrity" of their building. So we had to go through that process, but not before the actual LANDLORD (i.e. owner of the apartment) approved us. He lives in London, is a busy attorney, and the process was SLOW. We are happy it is over.