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Friday, September 30, 2011

Where Did You Live Before You Got Hitched?

A few weeks ago I had post-work cocktails with a friend of mine. She had moved to Tudor City, a funny little neighborhood east of Grand Central Station. I hadn’t been to her apartment before, nor had I ventured into this area of New York so I was excited to visit.

Tudor City is a pretty charming neighborhood. The buildings all feature tudor-style architecture and the whole place has a cozy feel to it. It looks like really important people live there. I was psyched.


 I walked into her building and was pleased to find that it featured pretty oak fixtures and stone walls draped with dark tapestries. It kind of looked like a castle. When I got upstairs I was not surprised at all to find that my friend had decorated her new pad like a champ. She’s a teacher, so she had framed artwork from her class on the wall. There were vintage posters, framed records and a super pink striped couch.


 The best part was the view. From her living room you could see the Chrysler Building. It was so pretty to peek through her windows at such a sight. I love the New York skyline so a view of it from my house would never get old.

  As we sipped wine and caught up, I think I told her a million times how much I loved her place. And was maybe a little envious. Now, I’m not a jealous person. But sometimes—like when said friend is your former roommate who you used to live in a dump apartment with—well, then it’s ok. (Where was this place when we were apartment hunting four years ago?) When I said we lived in a dump, I mean we lived in a dump. Sure, we fixed it up and were somewhat lucky that it had been renovated right before we moved in. But the roof leaked every time it rained, mold was growing on the ceiling and on more than one occasion we came home to broken pipes and no running water. Now, my friend lives in a castle. A real one. Like Rapunzel might be her neighbor.

 We had a Mad Men party and everyone had to (had to) drink Manhattans. 

 Seeing her in her great new apartment made me nostalgic for my old life in New York. Not in a bad way. I truly love living in Connecticut and taking advantage of all the space and trees and opportunities to drive cars that it offers. (Well, maybe I’m lying about that last bit.) Plus, like I said already, I lived in a dump. But it reminded me of my past life before I became an engaged lady. Those days are almost 100 percent different from today:
  • I didn’t eat a single meal at a table.
  • I didn’t eat a single meal that was actually a real meal. (Grilled cheese was my staple.) 
  • I could watch as much Housewives of Whatever County as I wanted. 
  • I had to make up self-defense strategies in case the homeless person who sometimes slept in our lobby ever attacked, or worse, found her way into our place through the fire escape that was so unnecessarily located right next to my bed. 
  • I could walk to the grocery store to buy supplies for the above mentioned grilled cheese. And while walking home from the grocery store royally stinks, it was never that bad when all I bought was cheese, bread and butter. 
  • I could buy the New York Times on a Sunday and walk to Central Park to read it. I really miss that.
  • I had to lug my dirty clothes to the laundromat and back every other week. I really don’t miss that.

Now that I’m the wife part of this whole Mr. & Mrs. equation home life has changed.
  • We now eat dinner at the dining room table, with the TV turned off. 
  • A real meal consists of at least one protein.
  • I hoard Housewives episodes for when my husband travels for work. This is really the only thing I can watch while he's away since I’m a good wife and I’d never watch one of “our shows” without him.
  • I can drive to the grocery store, but, WTF why are there none closer than 20 minutes away? 
  • Umm, I don’t think I can get away with a pink couch anymore.
It’s insane how much your life changes when you move in with your husband/boyfriend/fiancĂ©. I was worried the most about gaining lots of weight due to my husband’s tendency to cook lots of “real meals” but I think I’m healthier. (That actually may have more to do with the lack of New Jersey Housewife drama that was slowly killing my brain cells before.) But it all works. And we’re still learning new stuff each day.

Tell me about where you lived before you were married/engaged? What did you fear the most about co-habitation? What are you doing next weekend? Want to visit my friend in Tudor City? I do. GAL invite me back!

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