ANDREW.MERELIS.COM ----DECEMBER 2004-----> BACK TO MAIN MENU

12/20/04 Peter and Rich at Gurilla; IKEA moving day with Peter; M.... Sushi +w/Elana & Erica & David: 

Today was the final day of the multi-day move into the new apartment. Today, Peter and I were tasked with renting a van, driving to an IKEA, picking up all of the furniture that we need, and bringing it up the four stories to our apartment. It was to be an exhausing day, but I was also very much looking forward to the novelty of it all. Renting a van is somewhat exciting, but driving a big cargo van around the congested streets of New York City.... that would be awesome. I am sort of like the opposite of Robert Moses. He was a man who was very powerful in building much of the roads and parkways of New York City and State as he was a huge proponent of the car, even though he literally never drove one. I, on the other hand, having now power to build much of anything in New York, am a huge proponent of Mass Transit... but I still get a special thrill from driving... the bigger the vehicle, the better. Driving a cross-town artriculated bus... definately on my dream wish-lit of things to do before I die.

Anyway, this morning, Peter, Rich and I walked along the snow-covered streets of Brooklyn to get some neighborhood coffee at Gorilla Coffee. It was so pretty out!

This computer shell reminded me of my unfinished move... after a short inspection for possibly useful spare parts.






At the coffee shoppe.



Peter and I made our way over to 44th street and 10th avenue, to a lot near the Lincoln Tunnel ramps that had a bunch of rental vehicles. The place is called C. C. Rentals, and although they are intended for use by the film and television industries, which have many offices and facilities in the neighborhood, they actually have better deals than the consumer rental brands, like U-Haul. They don't mind renting to less than 25-year-olds, and they are open 24 hours so you can enjoy the full "day" that you are paying for. You must retun the van with over 3/4 of a tank of gas, and that's what you get when you leave the lot. Their rates are good and they have no hidden fees. They are a blessing. I am now a spokesperson. Too bad they are only in NYC.


So, here is Peter, totally exhausted, with the keys to his NEW CAR!!!!


The interior was spacious.... hopefully spacious enough. We have A LOT of furniture to buy. These two scrawney Jewish boys are planning to get 2 queen beds, 2 queen mattresses, 4 night tables, 2 dressers, 2 wall units, 1 weirdo Ikea wall unit thing, and some other odds and ends.


Wooo!


Wooo!!!!!


WOOOOO!!!! (Just talking to Mom.)


Crossing town in light traffic. We headed to the Ikea in Hicksville.


After shopping away much of the afternoon, it was almost evening by the time we were ready to load. Thank goodness it was a weekday, otherwise, I don't know how we would have gotten the van right next to the exit. We tag-teamed, pulling one of our 6 CARTS at a time from the checkout to the exit, while the other kept an eye on the other carts.


Keep in mind. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE BOXES WAS HEAVY.


And we got ALL of it in the van. The scary moment came when we realized that our foam mattresses were slightly larger than the van's largest dimension. And somehow, we stuffed them onto the top of everything else, filling the rest of the van's compartment to the ceiling. I sat in the van, pusing it over my head, while Peter pushed in from the back.


The real trouble was that the back doors didn't open any wider, creating a space significantly smaller than the mattresses' width. We literally spent 20 minutes, stuffing


Once again, Erica came over to help move the ridiculously heavy chunks of non-assembled furniture up the 4 flights. And again, without her help, it literally might not have gotten done. Ever. So, we all went out for Sushi afterwards to celebrate, and David and Natalie came too!!



We went to a place in the village near NYU that Peter and David have been craving since going to London.









The food was so-so, I thought, but we all had a great time.

We came back home from dinner completely exhausted, and so it was decided that we would spend one more night sleeping in our pre-bedroom-furniture arrangements.




Peter and David, one more night, were down on the couch in the living room.




I think David must have convinced himself that he would build the bed tonight... before falling asleep on the floor, amidst the boxes.




Richard slept soundly in his room, as his bed came from his parent's house, and he assembled it a few days before I moved,


The mattress lived in the hall tonight.


While Natalie and I camped out in our future bedroom on an air mattress.