Moving When You Live in a City

[skyblue17]

I am moving in two weeks, for the first time in years, and I can't get over how many seemingly simple tasks are harder because I'm in a city with no car.

Things like, I have a bunch of extra bedding that isn't good enough to move but would make a great donation to a pet rescue or homeless shelter, but there is no way to get these items to these places even if they take them without either lugging bags of heavy items on the subway or spending money on cabs or ride shares (most are not close by).

I found a can of paint in my bedroom from when I painted a piece of furniture. I can't simply throw it away, but there are only a handful of "special waste" disposal areas in the city and they are not near anything.

I've hired a mover but I am not moving all of my furniture (I live in a shared apartment and have very little furniture of my own). I spent a week figuring out how to dispose of an old free-standing closet that is falling apart (do i take it apart? call a junk disposal company and pay out the nose? put it on Craiglist for free and hope someone comes to collect it?) before realizing I could just ask my movers to dispose of it (for an additional fee, of course).

Trying to figure out how I'm going to vacuum/clean this room after I move (the day before Thanksgiving) since coming back to it after I move all my stuff is going to be a real pain in the neck, but it will be too full of stuff beforehand to do it and once the movers leave, I need to leave with them!

Eyeing this spot in my recently painted ceiling that I didn't notice until last night. It looks like a line but I can't tell if the depth is into the ceiling or coming out of it. Did the painters patch something and paint over it and I never noticed? Or is it a new crack that will get worse before I move and need to be repaired?

Anyway, mostly just sharing/ranting. Moving is not easy or fun anywhere, but there are some pretty random challenges here. I'm still looking forward to it.

 

[ronandannette]

Maybe this is too simple, but if you know how to drive, rent a car for the day you move and either the day before or the day after. That should give you ample time to conveniently run the errands you need to, and if you get an SUV-type vehicle you can likely break the wardrobe down enough to get it in there and take it to a disposal site.

 

[skyblue17]

Maybe this is too simple, but if you know how to drive, rent a car for the day you move and either the day before or the day after. That should give you ample time to conveniently run the errands you need to, and if you get an SUV-type vehicle you can likely break the wardrobe down enough to get it in there and take it to a disposal site.

Renting a car two days before Thanksgiving in NYC is really not ideal at all, unfortunately, or else I would have tried to just move myself rather than hire a mover. Nor is driving in the city (something I could technically do but have only done once or twice and did not enjoy at all).

 

[NYCgrrl]

I am moving in two weeks, for the first time in years, and I can't get over how many seemingly simple tasks are harder because I'm in a city with no car.

Things like, I have a bunch of extra bedding that isn't good enough to move but would make a great donation to a pet rescue or homeless shelter, but there is no way to get these items to these places even if they take them without either lugging bags of heavy items on the subway or spending money on cabs or ride shares (most are not close by).

I found a can of paint in my bedroom from when I painted a piece of furniture. I can't simply throw it away, but there are only a handful of "special waste" disposal areas in the city and they are not near anything.

I've hired a mover but I am not moving all of my furniture (I live in a shared apartment and have very little furniture of my own). I spent a week figuring out how to dispose of an old free-standing closet that is falling apart (do i take it apart? call a junk disposal company and pay out the nose? put it on Craiglist for free and hope someone comes to collect it?) before realizing I could just ask my movers to dispose of it (for an additional fee, of course).

Trying to figure out how I'm going to vacuum/clean this room after I move (the day before Thanksgiving) since coming back to it after I move all my stuff is going to be a real pain in the neck, but it will be too full of stuff beforehand to do it and once the movers leave, I need to leave with them!

Eyeing this spot in my recently painted ceiling that I didn't notice until last night. It looks like a line but I can't tell if the depth is into the ceiling or coming out of it. Did the painters patch something and paint over it and I never noticed? Or is it a new crack that will get worse before I move and need to be repaired?

Anyway, mostly just sharing/ranting. Moving is not easy or fun anywhere, but there are some pretty random challenges here. I'm still looking forward to it.

I also live in an area where being car-less is a norm. We recently moved from a 3 B/R, 3 bthrm, full D/R apt to a studio which required a lot of getting rid of stuff. I set up one room where I put all the things that was not being kept or sold. First I invited various family members to take what they wanted whether kitchenware, books, clothing or furniture. They had exactly a week to get their picks off premises. Then I put a notice in the mail room inviting building residents to take the remnants which still included furniture, books and light fixtures. Finally, I called local charity thrift shops to take the remainder which eventually included working kitchen appliances. I sold certain items online. All my tools, leftover paint, and other hardware goods became a gift to the building's staff who knew my DIY addiction and were happy to accept the trash w/ the treasures, LOL. . I still have some items that I put in storage via a moving company but the less I have them to use, the less I want to keep them. Only one cab ride was needed to move into our new abode: the parrot, D/R chandelier, and I shared the ride. After cleaning the empty space I threw almost all the cleaning products away since it already exisited in my mother's apartment which is where we moved.

 

[tvguy]

All I can say is good luck.

So different from my world, 62 years of living in the suburbs. I've only lived 4 places my entire life, all within 6 miles of where I am now, and my last move was 36 years ago. Did consider moving 6 years ago......for about 30 seconds. Too much work. Oh, and I have 4 cars.

 

[siren0119]

It's funny because I see transplants from the city in my suburban town having the OPPOSITE problems - the FB town group is FULL of people complaining (everything from "why isn't there a supermarket within walking distance of my apartment" to "what do you mean there is no <insert ethnic food that's not mexican/chinese/pizza here> restaurant less than 20 minutes from my house now" to "you mean I have to DRIVE a distance to find the very specific things that used to be in my city neighborhood?!?"). Like I get that it's appealing to move out of the city and take advantage of lower housing costs, more open space and such.....but did you really expect that life in the 'burbs wouldn't require some tradeoffs in convenience?

I totally get what you are saying though. My brother and his family used to live on the upper east side, and always had trouble when they wanted to get rid of stuff, or move stuff, or anything that couldn't be done on foot.

One thing about the paint - if it's latex or water based paint, you can throw that away with the regular trash as long as it's dried up (if there's a lot of paint in there, get some kitty litter and fill the bucket with it - that will absorb the moisture). You only need to do a hazardous waste drop if it's oil based paint or varnish.

 

[skyblue17]

I also live in an area where being car-less is a norm. We recently moved from a 3 B/R, 3 bthrm, full D/R apt to a studio which required a lot of getting rid of stuff.

I am going to a bedroom in a shared apartment to a bedroom in a shared apartment, but I've lived where I do for so long that I am getting rid of a LOT of stuff. It's amazing how quickly stuff piles up and you just stash it to be dealt with later! BUT, I am super glad I opted to hire a mover. At first I thought I'd get it down to so little stuff that I'd be able to get stuff over there myself in a few Lyft rides. I'm so relieved I don't have to figure that out now!

One thing about the paint - if it's latex or water based paint, you can throw that away with the regular trash as long as it's dried up (if there's a lot of paint in there, get some kitty litter and fill the bucket with it - that will absorb the moisture). You only need to do a hazardous waste drop if it's oil based paint or varnish.

Thanks for this! It's pretty old, so maybe it dried up on its own? I'll have to see if I can pry the lid off and take a look.

 

[bigredbeta]

Moved 3 times in 3 years when I lived in Chicago. Watched a lot of friends move without cars too

Asking a friend to borrow their car or using zipcar were the most frequent options.

 

[skyblue17]

Moved 3 times in 3 years when I lived in Chicago. Watched a lot of friends move without cars too

Asking a friend to borrow their car or using zipcar were the most frequent options.

None of my city friends have cars. I also wouldn't feel comfortable driving someone else's car in the city!

I used to have a ZipCar membership but I let it lapse because it really isn't a great deal for me or the amount I would use it.

 

[MillauFr]

Oh, and I have 4 cars.

What happened to your 1927 Suburban with 1,300,000 miles on it? Do you still have it?

 

[tvguy]

What happened to your 1927 Suburban with 1,300,000 miles on it? Do you still have it?

1987. Had it 31 years. Only 160,000 miles. My "family car" Traded it in last year on a 2018 Ford Flex, our retirement car. Now I get 25 mpg on the freeway instead of 9 mpg. I hope to get 31 years out of the Flex. Actually, I hope I am still around 31 years from now when I am 92

 

[skyblue17]

One other thing, that might be considered other places more than I think but seems NYC-specific to me, ha.

There have been times where small mice have taken up residence in our apartment. And we've dealt with them, as you do. But from time to time, I knoooow they used my radiator as a gateway into the apartment. And I'm pretty sure it's possible that they might have made a home in a small area underneath the above mentioned free-standing closet (there's about four inches of space there, and the back of it is missing a panel). I am terrified of what I might find when I move the thing.

 

[NYCgrrl]

One other thing, that might be considered other places more than I think but seems NYC-specific to me, ha.

There have been times where small mice have taken up residence in our apartment. And we've dealt with them, as you do. But from time to time, I knoooow they used my radiator as a gateway into the apartment. And I'm pretty sure it's possible that they might have made a home in a small area underneath the above mentioned free-standing closet (there's about four inches of space there, and the back of it is missing a panel). I am terrified of what I might find when I move the thing.

Yes, it's mice come home season right now, sigh. Why the heckenspeck they'd bypass all those other floors to come and visit me above the 10th floor I just can't fathom. Maybe they think I'll tell them Disney stories.....

Steadfast with your corn broom and wack away. The mice are really just as scared of you as you could be of them, LOL.

 

[skyblue17]

Well, there was no mouse or even evidence of mice in that little cozy space! I'm relieved! I was able to clean around it so there will be little to do when the movers come.

Funnily enough, though, when my room was painted a few months ago, the painters could not move the full closet and thus did not paint behind it. Oops. I'm trying to decide if that's my problem or the next person's.

I bought some ($13!) kitty litter for my paint can and will be doing that later! Why $13, well, it was only eight pounds to carry home on the subway instead of 16.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Well, there was no mouse or even evidence of mice in that little cozy space! I'm relieved! I was able to clean around it so there will be little to do when the movers come.

Funnily enough, though, when my room was painted a few months ago, the painters could not move the full closet and thus did not paint behind it. Oops. I'm trying to decide if that's my problem or the next person's.

I bought some ($13!) kitty litter for my paint can and will be doing that later! Why $13, well, it was only eight pounds to carry home on the subway instead of 16.

Glad no mouse for you! As for whether you are responsible for the need for paint behind the movable closet your lease probably addresses this. Of course if that part of the room is the only place the armoire will fit I doubt anyone will care.

 

[skyblue17]

Glad no mouse for you! As for whether you are responsible for the need for paint behind the movable closet your lease probably addresses this. Of course if that part of the room is the only place the armoire will fit I doubt anyone will care.

I am on a month to month, no lease. I had mentioned to my landlord that I didn't think the painters had gotten to it, so at least the idea is in his mind. There will be four days between my moving out and the new person moving in, so I might just remind him of it then. Since the armoire is also leaving, it's going to be pretty obvious.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I am on a month to month, no lease. I had mentioned to my landlord that I didn't think the painters had gotten to it, so at least the idea is in his mind. There will be four days between my moving out and the new person moving in, so I might just remind him of it then. Since the armoire is also leaving, it's going to be pretty obvious.

I've never done a month to month w/o also having a starting lease which would still rule in the NYC counties' jurisdiction, so can only speak in a common sense manner instead of from personal or professional experience.

If you've the time remaining consider buying a quart of paint ($20.00 - $30.00) and doing it yourself or offer to leave it for the next tenant/landlord. It'll probably cost less "agra" and keep your security deposit whole. If a a painter/handyperson has to do this it would probably cost $50.00-$75.00. Given how busy contractors are this time of year wouldn't be surprised if they charged more if you or the landlord can even secure someone who will come on short notice.

Sorry as I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear and hope I'm wrong.
PS- I think you are on the right track reminding the landlord and getting it all straightened out before you leave.

 

[kaytieeldr]

None of my city friends have cars. I also wouldn't feel comfortable driving someone else's car in the city!

I used to have a ZipCar membership but I let it lapse because it really isn't a great deal for me or the amount I would use it.

It looks like a great value for what you need: $25 membership fee, $7.95/month, 30 day money (membership fee) guarantee.