by Gordon Davidescu wrote this article.
Sometime around the middle of last August, I realized that I had to move away from Seattle and get back to New York City. I could hear the words of none other than David W. Boles from a few years ago; this is more curious because I have never heard his voice. He wrote me then, when I was first moving out here, to tell me that it was just going to be a matter of time before I came back. Well I am certainly glad that we didn’t make a money wager on that because it was only a couple of years later when those words began to come true.
Prior to my moving to Seattle, I had done an obscene amount of moving around – more moving in the span of a couple of years than some people do in one lifetime.
Let us review, shall we?
I started out at Rutgers at the very end of 2001 and moved to Israel for all of three months.
I then moved to New York from around April of 2002 until September.
For about a week or so I lived in the city of Adelaide, in Australia.
That went so well that I transitioned into living in Highland Park, New Jersey for about two weeks until I couldn’t take that anymore and moved back to New York – the same apartment where I lived the previous time.
I stayed in New York from November until February 17, when I moved to Monsey to be in a full time Jewish school.
I stayed in Monsey until July 30, 2003 – my birthday – and then moved to New York where I had a friend that was letting me stay with him until I found my own place.
I found my own place and stayed there all of about a week or so before I realized it was the wrong place and it was back to living with my friend.
I finally found an apartment where I could live a couple of months later.
You’d think that by this point I would be sick of moving and would have settled down, right?
Of course not. I was only getting started!
I had to make the move to Seattle in November of 2004 – or so I thought.
I’m glad that I moved out here, even if I stayed in one apartment for less than half of a year because I have been in my apartment where I am now for nearly three years – it will be more than three years when I finally leave, G-d willing, at the end of August.
How did this all happen, and why am I still here if I already came to the conclusion that it would be a prudent decision to move back to New York?
Quite simply, it is down to friendship. I have a friend here who decided to move to New Jersey and I am helping the friend make arrangements to end their twenty-six year relationship with the state of Washington so that they can live on the east coast as has been their life long desire.
Who wouldn’t want to live within spitting distance of places like the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and close to one hundred kosher pizza places – if not more? Evidently, a lot of people; I happen not to be one of them.
In the last several months I have been selling, sending, giving, and trashing. What could this possibly mean? Quite simply, it just doesn’t make sense to transport everything one has accumulated over the course of three years from one coast to another unless one happens to be disgustingly wealthy – even then it sometimes doesn’t make sense.
Some things are a lot easier to sell and replace. For example, it’s a lot easier to sell books and get them again – especially if you happen to have a Kindle from Amazon as I finally now do.
Not only that, but I have realized that I don’t even want to replace a lot of the books that I have sold. Ever since I have gotten into the habit of borrowing books from the library, I have realized that there are so many books out there that I will read once and be done with for life that it now takes a lot for me to actually want to spend money on a book.
(One notable exception happens to be when an author puts down his or her signature and I am quite fond of the author – I just recently bought a book by John Waters on his history of making films that could only be described as John Waters films, and it was definitely worth the purchase.)
There are other things that are easier to send than to sell and replace. A lot of the religious texts that I have, which do not depreciate in value quite so easily – I have some books that, since I no longer wanted, have managed to sell for just as much as I originally paid. The books that I did want all fit in two boxes, and just one of them cost me about $17 to send by Media Mail – a lot less than what it would take to replace them all, not to speak of the time to list each book.
I have a good number of friends out here, thank G-d – and since they’re almost all going to continue living here, I am giving away plenty of things to them. Not only could they derive benefit from the things but some of the things were given to me when I moved here so it seems appropriate.
Then we have the last category – outright trash. Papers and magazines and even some books – and clothing upon clothing upon clothing. I am going to have a fairly limited amount of space when I move – yes, right back in with my friend who let me stay with him five years ago.
This time I have agreed to help cook and clean in the apartment so I will be doing my part to contribute. The clothing – there is just too much of it here and there are so many people in the world that wear trash bags that I can’t help but donate my excess clothing whenever I can; now is an especially good time to give away a large amount of clothing.
These last 85 or so days will prove the toughest because I have to send about a box or so every week as well as start looking for people who might be interested in my furniture. Then we have the wonderful world of changing my address with every single last organization that really believes that they need it.
Believe me, there are some that I wish didn’t know where I lived.
As this moving process continues I will be sure to let you know all of the fantastically fun updates in this world of coast to coast relocation. I can only hope to eventually find somewhere that I will be able to call home for more than a few years at a time.
Well done, Gordon! This is quite a moving story about moving!
I’m still unclear why you moved to Seattle in the first place. Did it have something to do with your Starbucks obsession and wanting to work for the main office?
You’ve also been spending A LOT of time in Portland, Oregon — and I am highly suspicious your NYC pitstop will last as long as your ability to be filled everyday by Kosher pizza and then, when you tire of all that goodness, you’ll be hightailing it back West in a split second!
The reasons I came here had to do with perceived lower costs of living and a misperception as to how things would turn out Jewishly.
The chief reason I have been going to PDX as much as I have is because I won’t be able to see my brother as often when I live in NY so I want to get as much time as I can now.
There are actually three things that I think are going to keep me in New York – not in any particular order.
The first thing is the strong Jewish community. They just don’t have what I need here. I am a man who likes choice – 500 kosher restaurants, not 3. 200 places to “get my prayer on”, not just the one.
The second thing is my family – namely, my mother and father. I miss them terribly and ever since my grandmother died I want to be close to them.
The final thing, believe it or not, is NPR. I think I could do the best work for NPR in New York. I have no idea what I will be doing yet but I can see it happening in my mind and that usually means it inevitably will.
Gordon!
Who told you Seattle was cheaper than NJ?!! Seattle is a money pit! SMILE!
Oh… it’s your bro in PDX. Got it! Now I feel better that you won’t abandon the center of the world again. So soon. …
Those are great reasons all, Gordon, for leaping away — and I’m sure they’re all good to have you back in their clutches of love!
NPR is good. Divine. Excellent spirit of the place.
It started off innocently. It was supposed to be cheaper – $535 per month for a full one bedroom versus the $640 I was paying for a small room. Then I found out my apartment had mold and the landlord didn’t want to do anything to fix it. Suddenly I was paying $895 which is now $930. Things like needing a car to go anywhere and the fact that I had absolutely no furniture and so many other factors added up and suddenly it was costing me a lot more to live here. Money pit is right.
I heart NPR. I am hooked on listening to This American Life as you well know. I’d like to even write an article encouraging people to donate to WBEZ Chicago – they spend $150,000+ per year to make This American Life a free podcast – but I have a feeling you wouldn’t approve of any article asking for money for anyone 🙂
Gordon —
Right! We celebrate, but we don’t grovel or push money into specific places. Hmmm… that didn’t come out quite right…. SMILE!
Yes, That Is a Money Pit!
NOT having a car is such a blessing. No road aggravation. No insurance. No parking worries. No licensing. No inspection stickers. No neighborhood parking permits. No gas. No upkeep. No driving everywhere on a whim. No loan/lease payments.
Four years later (I just checked) the price of a monthly metro card is not even $10 more than I used to pay for it.
Compare driving even 10 miles a day (20 miles round trip) to using a monthly metro card.
My Volvo needs to be filled every 200 miles or so. That’s two fill-ups a month at 10 gallons per fillup. In 2004 gas was about 1.89 per gallon, so one fillup was 18.90, and two was 37.80. Considering all of the non-work related driving a person does it is more like three or four fillings – about 55 and 74, respectively. In 2004, if I am not mistaken, a monthly metro card was increased to $76.
Cut to today. A gallon of gas is $4.24. Just filling the car twice a month costs 84.80. Filling it up just one more time ups it to over 136. The metro card is now $89. That’s an increase of $47 or $81 versus an increase of $13 for a service you can use once a day or ten times a day at no added cost. Wow.
Hey Gordon!
Wow!
You turn out to be quite a globe trotter – lucky you!!!
I hope these experiences have enriched you and you will cherish them later in your life…
A friend of mine told me that when she was in India recently, everyone wanted to talk with her because she was very pale. Made me curious to maybe travel to India – not just to record my own dance numbers but to meet people that would love to see Vampire Bear in person 🙂
The experiences certainly have enriched me even if I didn’t accomplish what I wanted 🙂
Hi Gordon,
Accomplishment is subjective as far as experience goes!
Travel to India – of course…but in WINTER – unless you want to melt to your bone – truly.
I understand our hankering for “pale skin”…we are yet to overcome the colonial hangover I guess…and I admit it becomes very annoying after certain point for the “person of desire”.
“Vampire Bear” in person was a good one! 🙂
As far as the dance number goes – Go Youtube!!!
What are the recent movies have you watched?
Oh yes, lovely image!!!
Katha,
Afraid I can’t take any credit for the image – David is brilliant at finding them whereas I am not so much.
I haven’t seen any movies since Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna because the closest cinema is way far out. That will change once I’m back in NY. 🙂
Thanks for the great India advice. 🙂
Hats off!
I couldn’t bear KANK for more than half an hour – such a melodrama!!!
If you are a member of Netflix – watch “Cheeni Kam” – it’s pure fun!!!
I watched American Gangster last month – fell head over heels for Denzel Washington again.
Hi Gordon!
You’re a well-travelled one! Would love to hear how each place affected you and helped you grow.
Hope you make the trip to India soon!
WOW. It costs $1,500 for one round trip ticket. How do people do it?
Gordon —
There are some who don’t worry about the trip back! 😀