Dear friends: Our daughter graduated earlier this month from University of Chicago with honors and a writing award. That proved to be the perfect school for her, and hope these four years were good for your sons and daughters also. She’ll be working for a nonprofit for a year starting in August at a high school in the Bronx, living in an apartment in Upper Manhattan - she will get paid, but not much. Any suggestions you may have on living in NYC, especially very upper Manhattan (159th Street), and doing so cheaply, as well as working in the Bronx (near Fordham) will be gratefully appreciated.
Isn’t it amazing how fast the time has gone since we were all frantically researching schools, applying, applying for financial aid and helping our children make a good choice?
My d is renting an apartment in Midtown East. To make the rent within their budget 3 of them are sharing a 2 bed apartment. Some apartments they looked at had 4 sharing a 2 bed. Manhattan is expensive. No way to avoid that.
Been very quiet on this thread. D moved to Atlanta and started her new job last week. Thus far, everything going well. She even was invited to a get-together at a colleague’s house this weekend and spent the other day with an old friend. Keeping herself busy with crafting projects. It feels a little weird to have her off alone in Atlanta - without a school support system of sorts. But thus far, she’s managing ok.
Great to hear things are going well for your D so far.
S was home for the first time since he graduated as he needed to clean out his closet/bureau and take what he wants to keep to Boston and what needed to be thrown out/donated so I can finally start converting his bedroom into the guest room - which is currently in the basement.
Loves his job and the company. Says training program has been very, very intense - but from the sounds of it - he really understand the company and how it operates. He has 4 more weeks but it winds down so less hours spent in classroom as each week goes by. He has been assigned to a division and a dept. within that division and likes his team. He will probably be in that dept. for a year - then will be rotated to another division/dept. They move people around frequently so they get experience throughout the whole company.
The company also does a lot to foster camaraderie and had a get together for all the new hirees at a restaurant in Boston (where most of the younger employees live.) I thought it was telling they had it there and not in the suburb were the company headquarters are.
So many of his friends from college are in Boston he has an instant network of friends and more seem to be moving there every day.
We haven’t been up for a visit yet. Will likely go the weekend after he moves into his permanent apt and bring the stuff he boxed up this weekend and whatever else he might need/want. Looking forward to exploring Boston, because even though it is only a few hours away, and equidistant from here to NYC, when we go to the city we go to NYC.
@arisamp I have been thinking about your d. Where did she end up renting an apartment? Please keep me in mind if she needs anything in an emergency. I am sure I am not too far from her.
D1 started her job today in NYC. She moved up 2 weeks ago and has spent this time getting used to her neighborhood and settling in. We went up for the weekend and helped her. I will never go to the Ikea in Brooklyn again. I have never seen lines like it ad we have been in IKEA all over Europe. Didn’t help that we were there at the biggest apartment switch weekend in NY. Apparently a lot of leases switch July 1. Who knew?
I feel like she just started middle school and I am waiting to hear from her as she gets off the bus how her day went.
Joining you all at the end of next week. D’11’s appointment to get her keys is 12:15 on August 1st. She starts her year-long residency program Aug 10th. She’s got a week to open bank accounts, switch insurance agents, find a pharmacy, yadda, yadda, yadda. I, too, wonder how it works out in a new city with absolutely no support system. Who knew the kid was that brave? Guess it’s time.
@ordinarylives - yep, it’s time for these kids to venture out on their own. Scary for us and I am sure, a bit scary for them too. But I think they are more than capable!
@sally22 - thanks for the offer. I’ll pm you - she does seem to be settling down ok so far. I completely understand your feeling about the middle school bus This past weekend was D’s first weekend alone and she had that get-together Sat night. She wasn’t sure she was going and I hadn’t heard from her all afternoon/evening. Pinged her late that night just to make sure she was ok - she was out partying with her co-workers Guess she was indeed ok!
Well today DS announced, guess what? I’m a quarter of the way from 20 to 30. It’s my half birthday. DW and I just looked at each other. This Friday we leave for a week of vacation with both of the kids. This will most likely be our last family summer vacation as DS’s future summers will entail law firm summer internships/summer associate positions which do not include vacation. The week after vacation we move DS to North Carolina and into his new apartment. And the week after that we move DD back to her sophomore dorm at her college. And then we are empty nesters again for a couple of months. Just us and the cat.
Loaded DS’s car as he and AvonMom are heading south to get apartment set-up as he starts his LS orientation on the 18th. I will follow later in the week with the remaining items that we couldn’t get into his car. Where did the summer go?
On when we stop helping with the moves? ShawSon (who was college class of '13 instead of '15) is moving from one grad school dorm to another. We need to go out to CA for other reasons and offered to come and help and he was very eager, but his new GF has a car and has offered to help and so the urge is much less. ShawWife was, as always, going to make the place look a little nicer, but she did the same when she met me so it is possible that the new GF will also do so. So, the need for parental involvement has gone way down over two years.
When we moved DD’11 out of her dorm apt, she was 5% packed. If I help pack again I have to see boxes piled up before I leave the house. And i realllly do not want to drive a Uhaul van around NYC again.
What fun bopper! I drove a UHaul trailer from the upper east side to return it in queens last year. Hoping if S moves from one place to another in NYC he will hire help and do it without us. Our D in DC has moved twice without our help.
This past weekend was D’s first weekend alone and she had that get-together Sat night. She wasn’t sure she was going and I hadn’t heard from her all afternoon/evening. Pinged her late that night just to make sure she was ok - she was out partying with her co-workers 