Leaving the Chocolate Room and starting out

For now, let us consider that our episode in the Chocolate Room is over. We moved out of it a week ago and have been staying in Washington Heights. The apartment we were at was beautiful and had a lovely view of New Jersey. That may seem like an oxymoron, but there is a certain splendour to the skyline and the sight of the sun setting on the buildings.

And now a new chapter in our adventure begins. As I write, I am looking out on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Skyline. I'll send a picture of the view as soon as we find a way to take pictures again.

We have mostly moved our belongings into the apartment. My friend, Rockstar, is still storing several boxes of winter clothes for us. The fall is starting here and the overwhelming heat of summer that was with us when we arrived has broken. The days are cool and refreshing. The apartment is in an old building that was built to house the workers at the Brooklyn Navy Shipyards. Almost immediately after the housing was built, the yard closed down and soon after that, this became a co-op. Break out your maps, kids! For those of you with NYC Subway maps, we are at the Clinton/Washington stop on the G-train. We are also a short walk from the A and C Trains, which are slightly more useful. Some might say that we live in Ft. Greene. Some might say Clinton Hill. What you call it directly depends on your tax bracket and how much you hope you will get for your apartment.

Though my wife will never say it herself, she is doing exceedingly well with her job interviews. With 8 million people in this city, you might be surprised at the profound need for Occupational Therapists. Jobs seem plentiful and interviews keep popping up. Not only that, she is batting 1,000 for job offers.

As for me, I'm doing a temp interview tomorrow morning. I'm also in contact with Barnard College, my employer when I lived in NYC in 1997/8 and I've placed applications at Columbia University. The locations are far from where I am, but a little commute doesn't hurt anyone.

I can hear kids yelling on the playground right below our window. Looking away from the skyline, there are trees all over our neighborhood. There are brownstones and churches and it reminds me of parts of Cherry Creek or Seattle, only perhaps a few decibels louder.

As we explore more parts of our neighborhood, we will let you know about the state of nightlife, dining, shopping and some of the more mundane aspects of life in Brooklyn.