So when I learned about the chance of living in NY, I was flabbergasted. It was never really a possibility, but then things changed and the offer was on the table. From there, it was a whirlwind. Call realtors, get their opinion of what we can sell for, determine if we could sell and not loose everything, scour CL for apartments, look for childcare.
The Realtors we met with were all super positive about our place and not loosing all the money we had put into it. Great, we thought, we'll be able to sell with no problems! We then decided to go to NY and check it out for a weekend. I had heard that Park Slope ala Brooklyn, was a great place for kids and for making a transition from SF. Great, Park Slope it is. I found a broker on CL and lined up a few places to view. We flew in on a Wednesday night red eye (Max slept the whole flight, phew!) and were so tired when we got into JFK. But we were short on time and needed to squeeze in as much apartment hunting as possible. So, we checked into the hotel, fed Max and then headed over to Brooklyn to see a number of places. Before meeting with the broker, I was very clear in the types of place that we were looking for - not more than a 2 flight walk up(hello, lugging a stroller and baby!), Washer/Dryer (Max creates lots of laundry) and 2 bedrooms. Maybe a little too precise. He took us to a few ok places and a few shitholes. Honestly, if the place has no drywall up and we have to walk across a ladder to get into the apartment - I don't want to see it. I've only read about brokers trying to rent out dumps as the ones we saw, so it was interesting to see it in action - however time consuming it was. Seeing the shitholes, gave us a better perspective of WHAT we were looking for. I found another Broker on CL, who had a great posting and a wonderful price for an apartment that sounded right up our alley - prime Park Slope, W/D in unit, 2 bedrooms, 2nd floor. The Broker was so rude on the phone but I thought we'd give it a shot. She agreed to meet us on a corner near the apartment. She was late and had her dog with her. At first sight, I thought "this person can not possibly be the broker - she's so unkempt." Red jacket, pink shirt and furry boots. She looked liked the hairball a polar bear would cough up after eating Cotton Candy and Hot Tamales. Honestly, I was afraid of what the apartment was going to be like. The apartment was nice and we agreed to put a deposit down on. The Broker was a rude bitch (apparently most brokers are) and I should have known then that we were going to have problems with her incompetency. There was a lot of back and forth, but needless to say we got the apartment, after the owner of the apartment called me to clarify a few things the broker had said. Anyhow, it and she were a disaster.
So we have the apartment all lined up. Our trip to NY was a success - in light of the fact that I didn't get to go shopping AT ALL. Uniqlo was a block from our hotel. I'm crying inside still. I also did get a clogged milk duct bordering Mastitis (Yes, TMI) the first day, which was no fun at all. I was hurting bad and feeling worse.
We get back to the Mission and have follow up meetings with Realtors. Things have taken a dive - the market in SF has been bombarded with properties for sale. People are cutting deals left and right. Our heart melts. But, I still have a smile on the outside. The Madre was so sad to think about leaving this life we've carved out. Also, having family(mi madre) nearby made me ill when I thought loosing that in moving to NY. So all and all, it was a stressful few weeks, but I think we made the right decision by staying put.
Ok, I'm a little rusty at this blahhging, as its been a month. But I think it will be like learning to ride a bike again. I just got to get back on it and give it my best shot.
Here's the one pic we took of Max in NY - so sad, as its in the hotel! I hope to go back soon and get some real good touristy shots of him :) Yay for bathtime in the world's smallest sink - welcome to NY!
MM Out (be back soon, I promise xx)
