No longer homeless.

I started my day yesterday wandering the streets of Manhattan. I stopped in a Duane Reade drug store, which seem to be on every corner here. I requested the discount cards for my keychain and wallet and the friendly woman behind the desk gave me a quick 'application' to fill out. So, I did, but became a little confused when I reached the address section. "Um," I started, "I don't really have an address. I'm kind of homeless right now." I said with a smile. "Just fill in the last known address then." she said politely. I followed her directions and she gave me my cards and the receipt for my purchase. As I walked out of the store she yelled over to me, "Keep your head up and don't ever give up your dreams honey!" I thought this was an extremely friendly way for a drug store clerk to say what in Michigan would be, "thanks for shopping with us." or "have a nice day." About half an hour later I was sitting on a park bench cleaning junk from my pockets when I came upon the receipt she had given me. On the back she had written information for a homeless shelter. No more than three hours later I picked my apartment. It's in rough shape and is in the Bronx, which many people had warned me about, but at least I'm not homeless. Besides, I am from Detroit after all, the Bronx doesn't really phase me. (note: New Yorkers don't believe that Detroit is tougher than the Bronx.) Also, the community seems great. This particular neighborhood of the Bronx is known as Bedford Park. As my realtor and I drove through to the apartment, I saw old women sweeping their walks and children playing in their yards. It seemed pretty docile to me. When I visited the building yesterday I met two of the superintendents who introduced me to their wives and multiple other residents of the building. They were all spending the day together planting flowers in the very large courtyard. The building itself is interesting, but nothing spectacular. It's definitely nothing compared to the Fyfe. Still, the inside of my apartment has more character than all of my previous apartments combined, hands down. Like I said, it's in rough shape, but with some love over the next year I think it'll be a fantastic place to be. In the picture on the right, you can see my new apartment on the rounded corner facing us. I'll have the second floor. That’s the Botanical Square train station right across the street, which I can hop on for a quick ride to Grand Central or to White Plains. It might prove to be useful. So, I'm pretty excited. They are putting in new kitchen cabinets and appliances, so I'll likely be living in a hotel for another week or two, but I'm psyched to have taken this step. This also means you can begin planning your visits starting at the end of June. If anyone wants to come out for the 4th of July that'd be cool. I need someone to go see Transformers with.