Beacon New-timers
Jean and I bought our place in Beacon last January and moved in February, a year ago this Friday.
The weeks between we spent emptying the house of a few decades' worth of bad decorating. We tore out drop ceilings, veneer paneling, an entire plaster wall, carpeting, carpet nails, vinyl tile. You name it, we demoed it -- all in all probably 40 large contractor bags worth of material. That was on weekends in January, since we had jobs. We also hired a guy named Hector -- Columbian, great carpenter, great human being -- to widen a doorframe, repair the plaster and put color on the walls during the week. We would've painted ourselves given the time, but we were paying rent in the city on top of the mortgage and wanted to move fast.
Then it was done. We moved in one cold night and went straight to bed. Small-town people. Amazingly easy really, despite the few dozen backaches, hand injuries, marital disputes. The hardest part was settling on the house. Then the closing. Intimidating presence of lawyers and numb wrist from signing name 40, 50 times. What does this one say? I don't know. Just sign it and get me out of here. The physical pain and strain of demolition actually felt good after that, catharsis after the mental anguish of life-altering paperwork.
Most people seem to be driven here by the material and financial pressure of having kids in the city. Tripping over babies in a 40x40 foot room. Reaching for a pot and knocking over a lamp. Navigating three doors, two flights of stairs and a metal gate with twin infants and a double stroller. The cost of day care and babysitters. Riding the subway for chrissake. Most of our friends in Beacon were in NYC's outer boroughs before, like us, and had the same struggles.
In a town without much history of urban refugeea, we're plentiful enough now the real estate agents and life-long Beaconites have a name for us. NoBros. North Brooklynites. To which I say, hey, we're not all from Brooklyn. I know at least one guy who moved here from Queens. Natch.
Anyway, looking forward to many more trips around the sun from the vantage of this house and this Hudson town.
The weeks between we spent emptying the house of a few decades' worth of bad decorating. We tore out drop ceilings, veneer paneling, an entire plaster wall, carpeting, carpet nails, vinyl tile. You name it, we demoed it -- all in all probably 40 large contractor bags worth of material. That was on weekends in January, since we had jobs. We also hired a guy named Hector -- Columbian, great carpenter, great human being -- to widen a doorframe, repair the plaster and put color on the walls during the week. We would've painted ourselves given the time, but we were paying rent in the city on top of the mortgage and wanted to move fast.
Then it was done. We moved in one cold night and went straight to bed. Small-town people. Amazingly easy really, despite the few dozen backaches, hand injuries, marital disputes. The hardest part was settling on the house. Then the closing. Intimidating presence of lawyers and numb wrist from signing name 40, 50 times. What does this one say? I don't know. Just sign it and get me out of here. The physical pain and strain of demolition actually felt good after that, catharsis after the mental anguish of life-altering paperwork.
Most people seem to be driven here by the material and financial pressure of having kids in the city. Tripping over babies in a 40x40 foot room. Reaching for a pot and knocking over a lamp. Navigating three doors, two flights of stairs and a metal gate with twin infants and a double stroller. The cost of day care and babysitters. Riding the subway for chrissake. Most of our friends in Beacon were in NYC's outer boroughs before, like us, and had the same struggles.
In a town without much history of urban refugeea, we're plentiful enough now the real estate agents and life-long Beaconites have a name for us. NoBros. North Brooklynites. To which I say, hey, we're not all from Brooklyn. I know at least one guy who moved here from Queens. Natch.
Anyway, looking forward to many more trips around the sun from the vantage of this house and this Hudson town.
posted by Zach Rodgers at 1:20 PM
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