--- 
canonical: 'https://mwop.net/blog/77-Moving-into-City-Living.html'
title: 'Moving into City Living'
author: "[Matthew Weier O'Phinney](https://mwop.net)"
created: '2005-06-05T13:00:00-05:00'
updated: '2005-06-05T13:01:03-05:00'
tags:
  - personal

---
We did it… we moved, again.

However, unlike our previous two moves, which were interstate, this time we
stayed in the same state. The same county, even. What made (makes; we're still
finishing up as I write this) this one so jarring is the fact that we're going
from the rural mountainside to the fourth floor of a new apartment/condo
building adjoining an interstate spur.

Why would we do this?





First, some history. In case you haven't been reading the blog, Jen and I are
having another baby. And our one-and-only car died a few months ago (which we've
since replaced). And we were living in West Bolton, a good half-hour by car to
Burlington, where we work and often play — which means that we've been having a
long commute each day (50 minutes, minimum, each way). And we've been spending
far more on our rent and utilities than we'd like; we haven't been able to save
at all.

We got to thinking that this was not an ideal situation for us. We cannot afford
another car (either the initial purchase or the ongoing expense of one), so we
decided it was time to look for something closer to town. And then, as we did,
we discovered that places were either not close enough to change the commute
significantly, or we were going to be spending the same amount of money (or
more) to live closer as we were to live up in the mountains — and sometimes this
was with less space.

We finally found several places we liked and which were in the price range we
were targetting, and it came down to how we felt about our potential landlords,
and they us. And the one that was cheapest, most convenient to our workplaces,
and still somewhat reasonably sized… is the
[brand-new apartment on the city's edge](http://www.citysedgevt.com/) we're
currently occupying.

Our landlord is very nice, and a mortgage broker for a local bank; yet, this is
actually his first rental property. He and his wife breed some sort of dog, and
he was quite happy to have Cuervo move in. Additionally, when we came to visit
the location, Maeve had her tiger, Talula, with her, and he liked the name so
much that he suggested it to his wife for a puppy name. It just felt like a good
fit.

Now, as I mentioned above, we've moved from the rural mountainside to the city:
we've gone from complete quiet (apart from the peepers singing) and complete
darkness (other than the blanket of stars in the sky) to a constant hum of
traffic and lights that never shut off. But in the mountains, all we could see
was the sky above and trees surrounding us; we couldn't even see the mountain on
which we lived. The new apartment is on the top floor, looking west… which gives
us an excellent view of the Adirondacks and a portion of Lake Champlain, as well
as beautiful sunsets.

The new location poses some challenges. The place is significantly smaller than
our place in West Bolton, and doesn't have a full basement for storage
(obviously). Plus, we're *adding* to our family, yet we're reducing the number
of rooms by one. And, for pete's sake, we're on the fourth floor — what about
when Cuervo needs to pee?

Well, now that we're mostly moved in, I can answer some of these questions. The
move has been difficult, but a good experience. We've taken it as an opportunity
to simplify. Which, in a nutshell, means, "throw out unnecessary shit." I
discovered that I had four file cabinet drawers full of old papers that I had
absolutely no use for, nor attachment to. We took several boxes of books to a
local charity, and untold numbers of clothes and toys. We've now got just about
everything over to the new place, except some stuff from the office and some
storage from the basement… and I find myself wondering why we ever felt we
needed all the things we got rid of.

Cuervo's settling in nicely, though she's having a little trouble understanding
that she can't be as vocal. As it turns out, Cuervo's getting old. She's now
seven, and in this first week of walks, I've discovered that in her little
'explores' up in West Bolton, she was likely walking for up to 10 minutes, and
then sitting on her butt or outright laying down for a while before getting up
to continue. She doesn't even pull incessantly on the leash anymore! She's
certainly very healthy and in good shape, but she simply doesn't have quite the
energy and enthusiasm I remember from walking her in years past. So, as it turns
out, the move is probably a good thing for her, too — we interact with her more,
and also can keep a better eye on her general health.

I've also discovered that I like living near more people. Every day, I run into
people, usually while walking Cuervo. I already know several people by name,
which is several people more than I met all of last year. Additionally, the
building was built on the edge of some property that contains four other
apartment buildings, some of which are Section 8 — which means that when Maeve
goes down to play at the playground, she's meeting kids of many ethnicities and
economic backgrounds. (We met a couple of girls whose family emigrated from
Rwanda, for instance!)

The move has been trying in many ways, though. The sheer amount of stuff to do
has alternately overwhelmed myself and then Jen, and we have found ourselves
getting frustrated with each other quite often. However, the common experience
of our 'simplifying' process has also drawn us together — it's a goal we both
share, and for which we must both sacrifice. Additionally, the new place has a
layout that encourages staying connected: the kitchen, dining room, and living
room all flow into each other, and the bedrooms open off this main room, meaning
we're always within hearing distance — and often sight — of each other.

So, all in all, while difficult, I feel the move has been a very good one for
the family as a whole. Now if only I could turn off the parking lot lights and
passing traffic when I go to bed…