1:45AM January 28, 2006
Zap! With a snap of the fingers, my 15-month stint in New York is over. I can hardly believe that my life in Manhattan is a memory. When my favorite movers showed up at my apartment today, Tommy and I both said we couldn’t believe that a year had gone by since they’d moved me in. I hired the same core crew that moved me last year – Arty, Tommy, and Vinny. Best movers I've ever had. This job was déjà vu for all of us.
Zap! With a snap of the fingers, my 15-month stint in New York is over. I can hardly believe that my life in Manhattan is a memory. When my favorite movers showed up at my apartment today, Tommy and I both said we couldn’t believe that a year had gone by since they’d moved me in. I hired the same core crew that moved me last year – Arty, Tommy, and Vinny. Best movers I've ever had. This job was déjà vu for all of us.
Poor Martin. He hates moving. I can't stand having to lock him up in a room while the movers work, and I hate putting him in his carry bag (a.k.a. “kitty prison”) for a long car drive. He cried all day long. 
He cried at me even more when the apartment was empty. He kept looking up at me, meowing his little head off, with that look that clearly indicated, “What – again?!”
Alas, his terror was brief. Since we arrived at our temporary apartment in Maryland earlier this evening, he’s been in kitty heaven. First he sniffed out every corner of the place. Then he checked out all the furniture. Next he was peering through the blinds out onto the balcony, opening up all the cabinet doors, sneaking into the closets, and the one that makes me laugh the most – burrowing into each of the two big sofas. He’s always gotta see what’s under those cushions. He even jumped into one of the bathtubs just to check that out. You know what they say about curiosity....
It’s 2:00AM now, but no Martin on my pillow. Normally Martin is in bed with me within a couple minutes of my turning out the light (if not sooner). Tonight – nothing doing. He’s too busy exploring!
So we made it. I’m too dead tired to sleep. Insomnia has kicked in. Moving is a lot of long, hard work. Tommy and Vinny couldn’t believe how much packing I’d done in the week since they'd stopped by with boxes galore. Even so, I still wasn’t done by the time they arrived at 9:00AM today. I’d run out of boxes – and time. By 1:00PM we were done. I finished my end at the same time the guys finished loading the truck. I had a hunger headache.
Then it was on to the storage unit in Queens. A re-run of our trip there one year and seven days ago, I sat in the truck between Tommy and Art. Same truck. Same everything - except the crack in the windshield had grown. That, and we didn’t have a map. I figured those
guys would remember how to get to the storage place. Nope. And I thought the address was on 19th Street because that was the way I'd mis-typed it into my Outlook contacts. Turns out it was 29th Street! We drove around lost for a bit before finally finding it. Last year it took what seemed like hours to fill that 5x8 storage unit. That's because everything barely fit and it took tremendous skill (on Arty's part) to pack everything in and shut the door. This year, we undid all that work in under an hour. I could not believe how much Art had managed to pack in there – every square inch of that room was used. When I opened the door, a green and red Christmas bin almost fell out.
After the truck was loaded there, the guys dropped me off on 49th, and I went home and finished up the remaining details. I’d parked my car at the Gershwin Theater parking right across the street. I’d already taken one load of stuff to it the day before. It cost me $31 to get the car out of parking. $31 for 24 hours! After that, Rudy the Doorman and I managed to pack everything else in the car that I needed for temp housing. Two kisses and a big hug from Rudy, and I was gone.
He cried at me even more when the apartment was empty. He kept looking up at me, meowing his little head off, with that look that clearly indicated, “What – again?!”Alas, his terror was brief. Since we arrived at our temporary apartment in Maryland earlier this evening, he’s been in kitty heaven. First he sniffed out every corner of the place. Then he checked out all the furniture. Next he was peering through the blinds out onto the balcony, opening up all the cabinet doors, sneaking into the closets, and the one that makes me laugh the most – burrowing into each of the two big sofas. He’s always gotta see what’s under those cushions. He even jumped into one of the bathtubs just to check that out. You know what they say about curiosity....
It’s 2:00AM now, but no Martin on my pillow. Normally Martin is in bed with me within a couple minutes of my turning out the light (if not sooner). Tonight – nothing doing. He’s too busy exploring!
So we made it. I’m too dead tired to sleep. Insomnia has kicked in. Moving is a lot of long, hard work. Tommy and Vinny couldn’t believe how much packing I’d done in the week since they'd stopped by with boxes galore. Even so, I still wasn’t done by the time they arrived at 9:00AM today. I’d run out of boxes – and time. By 1:00PM we were done. I finished my end at the same time the guys finished loading the truck. I had a hunger headache.
Then it was on to the storage unit in Queens. A re-run of our trip there one year and seven days ago, I sat in the truck between Tommy and Art. Same truck. Same everything - except the crack in the windshield had grown. That, and we didn’t have a map. I figured those
guys would remember how to get to the storage place. Nope. And I thought the address was on 19th Street because that was the way I'd mis-typed it into my Outlook contacts. Turns out it was 29th Street! We drove around lost for a bit before finally finding it. Last year it took what seemed like hours to fill that 5x8 storage unit. That's because everything barely fit and it took tremendous skill (on Arty's part) to pack everything in and shut the door. This year, we undid all that work in under an hour. I could not believe how much Art had managed to pack in there – every square inch of that room was used. When I opened the door, a green and red Christmas bin almost fell out.After the truck was loaded there, the guys dropped me off on 49th, and I went home and finished up the remaining details. I’d parked my car at the Gershwin Theater parking right across the street. I’d already taken one load of stuff to it the day before. It cost me $31 to get the car out of parking. $31 for 24 hours! After that, Rudy the Doorman and I managed to pack everything else in the car that I needed for temp housing. Two kisses and a big hug from Rudy, and I was gone.
It was 5:00PM, and I was leaving NYC at rush hour. Another first for me. 
I went straight to the Lincoln Tunnel, but from there it was slow going. Took me 45 minutes to get out of the congestion and get moving south on the Jersey Turnpike.
200 miles and 3.75 hours later, I pulled right into the apartment complex where we’ll be living the next 4-6 weeks. It was easy to find, and it’s only 1.4 miles from my new job. Thank goodness I am facing a week off after this move. I need a vacation after spending the past eight weeks house-hunting, working, dealing with mortgage lenders, packing, filling out paperwork, and a billion other move-related tasks. I’m weary of it all.
But, one more chore to do. Tommy and Art are going to show up at my new 10x20 storage unit off the beltway outside of Baltimore about 6-7 hours from now. We’ll unload, and then I can get some groceries and finally just rest. I'm taking 8 days off after that. I don't even want to answer my phone unless it's friends or family.
I went straight to the Lincoln Tunnel, but from there it was slow going. Took me 45 minutes to get out of the congestion and get moving south on the Jersey Turnpike.200 miles and 3.75 hours later, I pulled right into the apartment complex where we’ll be living the next 4-6 weeks. It was easy to find, and it’s only 1.4 miles from my new job. Thank goodness I am facing a week off after this move. I need a vacation after spending the past eight weeks house-hunting, working, dealing with mortgage lenders, packing, filling out paperwork, and a billion other move-related tasks. I’m weary of it all.
But, one more chore to do. Tommy and Art are going to show up at my new 10x20 storage unit off the beltway outside of Baltimore about 6-7 hours from now. We’ll unload, and then I can get some groceries and finally just rest. I'm taking 8 days off after that. I don't even want to answer my phone unless it's friends or family.
I have one set of home-related paperwork to sign tomorrow afternoon at Winchester homes, but after that I’m not talking to any more home builders, real estate agents, landlords, new employers, movers, insurance agents, car dealers, DMVs, or mortgage lenders for at least a week. I swear, if I have to fill out one more form or application my hand is going to fall off. Enough! 
Leaving the City was tough. Usually when I move I don't look back. But New York is an unforgettable city that, once you've lived in it, becomes a part of you - like a second heart beating away.
As I drove away the sun was setting; the skyline was breath-taking as always. I kept looking back at the Empire State Building - the symbol that made me feel I was "home" whenever I saw it. On every train ride, every cab or bus ride from the airport, every car ride into the City - I'd smile and feel very much at home as soon as I laid eyes on the 1,250-foot icon. I’m really going to miss New York. If I was rich, I’d have me a penthouse with a balcony overlooking Central Park.
Good-bye to the greatest city in the world! I’m going to miss it. I’ll be back to visit, you can count on it.
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