Downtown Girl

I had a request from the New Lara for a post on accommodation. So here goes.

I live in a shoebox. Not because I have so many shoes that my apartment is mostly just acting as a shoe storage zone...ok maybe a little bit because of that...And not because I consider shoes an integral part of interior decoration....ok maybe a little bit because of that...

What I am trying to say is that I live in a rectangular studio apartment. Bed. Galley kitchen. Table. Ironing board. Pile of clothes. I should have put the ironing board and pile of clothes away before I started describing the place...

But I love it anyway. It's cute and easy to clean. Helps that they send a cleaner over once a fortnight! There is a television that I rarely use (except for Gossip Girl and My Life as Liz). I have decorated a little. After my MOMA adventures I was inspired to buy some prints off the side of the road. I picked up 9 for $35 from two different place.

My apartment is Downtown. It's technically the Financial District... but the words Financial District make it sound quiet and boring... so let's stick with Downtown. (Actually I discovered today that Downtown isn't a place on Yelp.com, have to go with Financial District. How dull.)

American: Where do you live?

Me: Downtown

American: Where Downtown?

Me: Er in the Financial District

American: You can live there?

Me: Umm yeah...

Can you tell I'm becoming a bit of a New York snob? Next thing you know I'll be saying "I wouldn't live anywhere but the Upper East Side"

One of the advantages to living Downtown is that my apartment is only two blocks away from work. Two blocks! That means I can wake up half an hour before I'm working. Of course the biggest disadvantage is that its only two blocks away from work. That means work is only ever ten minutes away.

My building is newly constructed... Quite frankly, it is still being constructed. The 30 something guests share the 25 floors with construction workers (who do strange things... like start drilling outside my door at 8am on a Saturday morning. Got to love the neighbours.) However because there are only 30 something guests the door people are our BFFs. Last week E and I were asked if we had made any friends outside of work and E said "Oh yes, the doorman."

Our building is only new because it is on the doorstep on Ground Zero. We are literally across the road from the site. Its strange watching tourists gather outside trying to catch a small glimpse of the sight when I can see it everyday looking out of the window.

On the other side of the building there are views of the Statue of Liberty - defiantly something to keep me amused while waiting up to 10 minutes for the elevator. The elevators are a force to be reckoned with. There are two options:

• Elevator One: Still in construction. Gives an extreme electric shock when you press the button. I'm not exaggerating, I once saw a six foot tall seven foot wide construction worker scream when he was shocked. You can actually see the spark. The walls are falling down and people have graffittied them with phrases like "I love Taby"
• Elevator Two: The "guest" elevator. You can only use it when elevator one is busy. It is a mirrored room with dance music blasting so loud you cannot talk over it. I keep suggesting it as an option for a Friday night party...

But for all the special quirks to the place - overall it is very special. I have been for a month and it is my home. And lets be honest, even if it was a cardboard box it would still be in NYC!!



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