A Place To Lay My Hat
[ 15 May 2008 ]
My sweet nonpareils!
I am writing to ask you a favour. I feel weird about doing this, so please bear with me!
I am on the search for a temporary home in Manhattan, NYC. I’m currently staying with friends but I am going to be here until the 28th of July (!!!), & need somewhere more permanent. I have had lots of incredibly wonderful offers to stay with people for a weekend here or there, but I am really looking for a place of my own. A sanctuary, oui, where I can settle in, do lots of writing & properly fall in love with the city!
If you have an apartment that will be vacant from now until August, you know of someone who would like a house-sitter or you’re trying to sublet your place, please let me know! I am super-responsible, clean & tidy, good with plants & dogs & very respectful of people’s property & possessions.
All I require is that it’s in Manhattan & has a good internet connection. Hee!
You can either leave a comment here or email me (gala at galadarling dot com). Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
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Sorry, I can’t offer you a place, but check out Craigslist!
Craigslist & the Village Voice listings will be my first port of call if nothing else eventuates :>
Yea, it’s a bit tricky in this city.
Craigslist was how I found my past two apartments, here (and how I plan on finding my next).
But, my boyfriend, before we moved in together, did things a little differently. He would go to a neighborhood he liked (and knew he could afford… another tricky thing in this city ;D) and walk into a local brokers office and tell them what he was looking for (price, size, etc). He could usually find something very quickly. I also have an acquaintance that is in the apartment-finding business… if you would like her number?
Cheers and best of luck!
P.S. Have you been to Bonobos, across Madison Sq Park? Great, great raw organic place!
Jules — Would I be right in thinking that most of those traditional rental places would want references & all that guff? That’s a bit difficult for me because I have no American history! That’s why I am more keen to go the subletting or house-sitting route. & no, I haven’t been to Bonobos… yet! Thank you for the recommendation!
I’ll gather up some details for you, but my boy doesn’t have the best of histories or references (although, American). He moved here on a whim from Cali, with no job or anything, and the places he found were normally sublets and weekly room rentals from families. (That just means he was paying every week, instead of every month… not that he was having to find a new place to live every week, hehe!) I will sit him down tonight and get specifics. This is a city that’s very used to imports!
You got any recommendations you’ve found, thus far? We’re trying out the whole raw thing and all always up for new places to eat!
Pure Food & Wine is absolutely amazing, but it’s the only real raw place I’ve been in NYC so far. I know some other raw foodies so I’m sure I’ll get to check out a whole lot of others! If you like, I’ll let you know the next time I’m going out for a raw meal, perhaps you can come with!
Thanks so much for your help, by the way :> Mwah!
Good luck with the search. I’m sure there are lots of people who’d be willing to help you out. I would if I lived in NYC but alas.
Are you taking pictures of the city? I know it might be a bit irrelevant but maybe you could post your favorites from time to time. A lot of people have never been to NYC or haven’t lived there for long. It would be nice to see the city.
Can’t help you out, only because I’m subletting in Queens until August and I was REEEEALLY lucky to find that listing. But, I found it on craigslist, it’s air conditioned, in a nice neighborhood, and the girls are cool…bottom line being that you CAN find something non-sketchy on craigslist lol.
Gala, you may want to search for places in Brooklyn as well.
It is quite hip these days and a bit less expensive than the city, while still being close enough that you are a short subway ride away.
The nice areas are: Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg, Prospect Park/Heights, Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo – but of check the exact address of the location before going to look because sometimes the listing will claim to be in a nicer area that it in fact is… and say no no no to broker’s fees- you can for sure find a place without paying that sillyness. Just go with what you feel, and don’t let anyone force you to make a decision on the spot or one that you don’t feel 100% comfortable with. New York brokers can be quite dreadful, so if there is any nonsense going on don’t stand for it miss Gala! Remember you have the power!
Also the Murakami retrospective is going on at Brooklyn Museum, don’t you just love love him?!
Good luck miss gala!
i want that wallpaper
Hi,
I am a fan of your website! I live on 99th street and Lexington in Manhattan, and am actually looking for someone to stay in my one super cute 1 bedroom apartment from June 29th to July 12th. No charge. I will be traveling and need someone to walk my super sweer doggie Luna Bagatella. My place is on a beautiful street with the 6 train and crosstown bus 3 blocks away.
I can email you pics and details. Let me know!
S
aziza x — I am taking as many photos as I can! After I got your comment I went for a huge walk & took lots of pictures, including videos of me walking through Central Park & stuff like that. I am a bit weird about posting them here, just because it's not my personal journal or anything, but most of what is happening is being recorded at my Livejournal -- http://galadarling.livejournal.com !
fran — Thanks for the tips :> Also, I am totally going to the Murakami exhibition! ...Just as soon as I have somewhere to live! It's kind of taking priority right now, haha.
Silvia — I’d love more details! Kisses!
how fantastic that you are staying so long! you must be so excited!
however, i am sad to say that Melbourne will be a little less colourful without you!
Like everyone else said, Craigslist is the place to start:
newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sub…
newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sub…
newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sub…
The last one looks most promising in terms of location as it’s near Gramercy and being shown tomorrow night, if everything goes as planned.
Good luck.
Craig
that’s AWESOME you’ll be here for so long! i know a handful of people who live in the city, and i’ll ask around on your behalf. good luck!
nessbow — Maybe you’ll need to pick up my slack! Hee!
altamiranyc — You are a champ. I emailed that Gramercy Park place :>
nerdyspice — Thanks gorgeous, I appreciate it!
I’ll check around for you too. I know of one place in the East Village with some lovely girls but I’m not sure if it’s going to be filled in June or July…I’ll let you know!
oh gosh i really wish i knew you were coming much earlier… i just rented out my spare room. :(
if you look through craigslist, there are places that are just for sublets and temporary. i could go with you to have a look and i could also tell you something like,“no you REALLY don’t wanna live here”, etc.
let me know if there’s any way i can help! :) you know my number!
ooh and i went to the murakami exhibit (and i took sneaky photos, oops! heh heh) and it was so fantabulous. i wish they brought more of his bigger works though. let me know if you want company when going coz i also want to go again! wheee!!
www.rdny.com advertises short term apartment rentals and they’re pretty efficient! it’s a shame you’re probably not gonna be in NYC towards the end of the summer because you could have crashed at the place I’m renting as it’s a 2 bedroom, the second bedroom being a temporary recording studio/guest room… grrr… we must sort our timings out! xoxo
Come to London, Gala, you can camp in my room :) I can offer brownies and a staggering array of DVDs.
Okay, so this is how my boy found his places:
“Ya we just walked around. We saw that they (the brokers) were in the neighborhoods on craigslist. So we had an idea of ‘what’ they were. We just kept heading uptown along broadway, until we found one where the $ matched.”
Sorry it’s not as near as helpful as being able to say “O! I have the perfect place for you!” I can still get you my friend’s number if you’d like it. I think she specializes in the Upper (Upper) West Side.
And I would love to meet up for a raw meal with ya! Also, something you might find fun (in case you hadn’t already heard about it): Improv Everywhere tonight down on the Lower East Side. I’m not going to be able to attend, but I thought I would pass the fun along. (I do love sharing the fun of this city!) Drop me a line (jewelcardinal@gmail.com) if you wanna hang out or you’d like details about Improv Everywhere.
gala,
let’s hangout and go shopping!
email me sometime.
k8knitz@tmail.com
hello gala, after asking around, i am sad to report that i’ve had no luck in finding a sublet for you! lots of luck, may you find something awesome!
nerdyspice — Thank you so much darling, but I have great news! I found a place today (!!!) & I move in tomorrow! I’m so happy… it was the first place I saw, & it’s really, really lovely. Eeeeeee!
I really appreciate everyone’s offers of help… & hopefully we can all hang out together SOON!
congrats on finding a place so quickly! hope you are settled in nicely by now :)