Wednesday, March 10, 2004
The very first apartment I looked at in Elizabeth today was pretty much what I wanted. Large, older, solid building; second floor; near Morris Ave. about halfway between Eliz train station & Kean University; a large room with kitchenette (about the size of my current apt) plus a bedroom, an ample hallway between, high ceilings; & lots of closet space. & refrigerator. Owner recently purchased it - he's a landlord type, OK as long he does right by heat & security - says he's fixing up laundry room, that's an extra. Neighborhood somewhat like the one I'm leaving - similar mix of people & economic levels but without "Arts District" pretensions - in a transition zone of single family, two family, apartment buildings; I saw a lot of recent & current renovating. Also saw lawn furniture & kid's play things in nearby yards, a good sign. Though I'll skip the after-dark walks until I'm settled in - a few rundown buildings & a liquor store a block south, but also a new Hispanic cafe & a corner store. Only thing better would've been second floor pad in a two or three family frame. The landlord was eager for me to take the apartment - it was "pre-screened" for me & I'm more or less "pre-screened" as an older, intelligent sober guy who won't be hosting crack parties - & I was asking specific questions about locks, door buzzers, etc. Locked apartment buildings are never really secure anywhere because you can't trust other tenants about buzzing in strangers. Happens here, too - the coin laundry machines were busted up a few weeks ago.
Do I feel sad about leaving Rahway? Yes & no. This is a comfortable city, although I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a particularly warm or tightly knit community. It was sharply divided by class, race & economic level until the Sixties, so a lot of the nostalgia felt by older white residents rings false in my ears. I certainly wanted to get out of the downtown area, off the main streets, fade back into anonymity I had when I lived across town in the early 90s. Being "known" in Rahway got me nowhere. I can have that in Elizabeth, & be close to all the services I need & use.
The Small Print: Iraq Casualties 3/2/04 - 3/8/04: 4 dead, 31 wounded
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"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
Do I feel sad about leaving Rahway? Yes & no. This is a comfortable city, although I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a particularly warm or tightly knit community. It was sharply divided by class, race & economic level until the Sixties, so a lot of the nostalgia felt by older white residents rings false in my ears. I certainly wanted to get out of the downtown area, off the main streets, fade back into anonymity I had when I lived across town in the early 90s. Being "known" in Rahway got me nowhere. I can have that in Elizabeth, & be close to all the services I need & use.
The Small Print: Iraq Casualties 3/2/04 - 3/8/04: 4 dead, 31 wounded
Add YOUR comments here
