Check out my new place! That pink thing is supposed to be me (I WISH I was so skinny) waving to you from my balcony. Yes, I have a balcony now - which overlooks the Virgin Mary shrine my across-the-street neighbor meticulously maintains.
My building is 3 floors - the first floor is a doctor's office, the second floor belongs to the building owner's daughter (and her young family), and the 3rd floor is our 3-bedroom apartment. Most of the buildings in the neighborhood look similar to mine - VERY different from Manhattan.
My roommate Tim is really nice, straight, and is never home. And he was able to put my loft bed together in no time flat AND he likes my kitties. However, Tim is practically young enough to be my son. And when I say "practically", I mean "totally".
As far as the neighborhood goes, I think I'm falling in love with it. Astoria has traditionally been the Greek neighborhood of NYC (our landlord is Greek), but my section of Astoria is very Latin. OK - so maybe I'm not falling in love with my NEIGHBORHOOD, as much as I'm falling in love with every other Papi I pass on the street. Seriously - it's distracting.
There is one problem with my neighborhood, however. It is filled with all the Dollar and Discount stores I VOWED to stay out of once I moved. I can already tell that this one store will be a problem for me ...
El Mundo Discount Department Store - despite what this old Google Street View image says - is still VERY much in business. And I must pass it every day to get on the Subway. It is three levels of dirt cheap cleaning supplies, socks & underwear, Virgin Mary Shrines, and all-around fabulousness. In other words - Heaven.
I purchased a short-sleeve polo shirt there yesterday. It cost me $3.20 ...
