Urban Anthropology
Oct 10th, 2007 at 10:28 pm by Susie
Hey, guess what? I’m moving again. It’s a wonderful little place in another part of the city with a LOT more storage than my present apartment. (Three big closets!) Although I love this place and my neighborhood, I’ve never been able to make the tight space work for me. Because I do a lot of things, I have a lot of stuff: guitars, art supplies, books, CDs. I’ve thrown out everything I’m going to get rid of, and I still don’t have enough space.
Plus, I really don’t feel safe walking around here at night anymore. I don’t mean I worry getting out of my car, because I don’t - but I can’t go for a walk at night. In the past several weeks, there have been several gunpoint robberies in the neighborhood. In one of them, the robber shot and killed a guy’s dog. Yeah, the People’s Republic of Mt. Airy has lots of groovy stores and restaurants, but I want to feel safe walking or riding my bike. I need the exercise, as my physical therapist likes to remind me.
(Oh, and I hate driving on these fucking cobblestones. They were fine in the days when we had stagecoaches. Now? Not so much. You can carry this historical restoration thing too far.)
I wasn’t planning to look until after Christmas, but one of my friends emailed me yesterday to ask if I was interested in looking at the vacant apartment over his family’s business. I stopped by after work, and immediately fell in love with the place.
Not only does it have closets, it has a washer and dryer - and a dishwasher! (Be still, my heart.) It’s got off-street parking - and it’s not within earshot of a firehouse. (Anyone who ever talks to me on the phone at my present abode knows that sirens are a regular part of the soundtrack. This is next to a cemetery, which is a lot quieter - but it’s only a short drive to Fishtown, the hippest part of the city.)
It reminds me very much of the neighborhood where I grew up. The streets are immaculate, and the row houses are all decorated for Halloween. Oh, and it’s a Polish neighborhood. I suppose if it looks like anything, it looks like parts of Brooklyn. (I’m hoping it’s not as racist as the place where I grew up.)
Oh, and it’s 15 minutes away from work. That saves me 90 minutes a day that I’m now spending on a commute.
Nothing’s perfect, however. As Dr. S. pointed out to me, it’s right near a huge chemical plant. But let’s face it, living in a big city has all kinds of environmental risks. I could stay where I am and breathe diesel fumes from the buses and trucks that pass under my window - or go deaf from the friggin’ sirens.
I told my landlady this morning when I returned home from physical therapy. “I want you to know: I wasn’t looking to cheat on you,” I said. “It just happened. One of those things! I got swept off my feet! Seduced!”
And I was, by a washer/dryer and some closets. Just six more weeks….
And the dishwasher…..
Congrats, Suze. I have to start showing some cashflow before I can get the dishwasher replaced, at which point the water heater or dryer will crap out. Sigh. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.
>>I’m hoping it’s not as racist as the place where I grew up.
In the interest of full disclosure–we have our moments, but I’d say it’s not the issue it was even 10 years ago:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E4DD1039F932A15756C0A960958260
Also, ignoring the potential suspect name of the website, this site looks interesting:
http://www.pridesburg.com/forums/index.php?
Oh, and two chemical plants…but neither has blown up in a long time!
That settles it. I’m going to register at i.Goldberg’s for housewarming gifts and ask for a gas mask.
I live in the suburbs and still manage to be near an ink factory, a brick factory, and not too far from those two giant nuclear smokestacks. Gas masks are IN, baby!
I hope your new place isn’t on Orthodox Street.
No, but it’s right near it.
what’s up with orthodox street?
Is that Mt. Airy in Cincinnati?
It’s in Philadelphia.