All About the Move

Before I share photos of the new space, I should explain a little about the old space and what led to the move. The last time I spent a night in my old apartment was in March… I had my Rifle Paper Company calendar up on the desk as a constant reminder every time I walked into my place. Chicago went under Shelter in Place early March and I knew that it was best for me not to be in my high rise apartment. I packed up one overnight Longchamp bag with as much as I could fit and left. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I entered with gloves and a mask and another empty Longchamp bag to fill up. I moved my personal belongings little by little and as the weather changed and I needed different clothes. I checked my mail/packages about once a week.

This may explain why the “new place” looks familiar.

I am extremely lucky that I had another place to go to during Shelter in Place that had more room than my apartment and a little outdoor space that eventually turned into my herb garden. My lease was set to expire at the end of July and I didn’t see myself going back to the old space.

There are two things I will miss most about the old place. The view! See the picture above. I woke up to the sunrise in the morning (I am a morning person) and I had a view of the sunset at night. There were a lot of days, I would be at my computer for sunrise and then again still at sunset. The sunsets were magical. As I was packing up on the last night, I noticed the light starting to change. It had been at least four months since my last sunset and I almost forgot. I decided to stay a little longer to catch the last light. Around 8 pm, I Facetimed my family to share the view. My niece chimed in pretty quick that I should stay there forever so I could always have that view.

The other thing I will miss about my old place is my doorman, Ralph. He always greeted me with a smile and in the Winter, he always reminded me to wear gloves. He was so sweet and caring towards me the whole time I lived in my apartment. He was the first person I saw after I had a bad breakup a few years ago and he did his best to cheer me up when he saw me crying. From then on, he always looked out for me. Whenever I had a date pick me up or drop me off, you could see him observing the guy. My dad would be very happy knowing Ralph was looking out for me. If you watched the first episode of Modern Love you will understand Ralph, or you can read this article in the NYT.

I never expected to get so emotional about packing, moving, and closing the door but there I was crying. While the place was never my “dream apartment” it was my home.