How many people does it take to move in Manhattan???

The answer, I discovered this weekend, is at least 3 (2 if you do not have any furniture). Why these numbers you might ask? Well this would be because when using a moving vehicle (truck/van whatever) you cannot leave it unattended, ever. This is for two very logical reasons.

1. There is no parking in most of Manhattan so you either have to double park or park in front of a fire hydrant and therefore have someone available to move the vehicle on a moment’s notice to avoid getting a ticket or someone ramming their vehicle into your (rented) vehicle as they try to get out of a spot.

2. If you leave it unattended your stuff WILL be gone when you return.

When I moved I was fortunate that I did not have to deal with these problems. While I did have to park in front of a hydrant, I was moving to a residential street in a residential neighborhood in Queens where things are quieter and simpler. No one cared that I was parked in front of the hydrant and my windows looked out onto the street and I could see and immediately respond if anyone needed me to move. This weekend however, I helped move my friend who lives on the upper west side of Manhattan and it was most definitely a different experience.

What was most interesting to me was the number of people who approached us with offers of help. Some made it clear that they were looking for work, others were willing to ‘help out’ but made it clear in their manner they would expect some sort of compensation including two kids around 10-12 years old. It is clear that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.

Funnily, the moving part was the least difficult aspect of our day, she did not have much furniture and she was moving from the 1st floor to an elevator building. What was the worst was trying to go buy some appliances and other items for the new apartment. Because, again, THERE IS NO PARKING in Manhattan and the few parking garages that were near where we were trying to go had ceiling heights that were too small for the moving truck. So… we ended up driving out to Queens by me and going to the stores that I knew had parking lots. This was Saturday evening, and Manhattan is an island, the only way in/out is through a tunnel or over a bridge and EVERYONE else was trying to get in/out as well, add the ever present construction and you have a very interesting ride. Fortunately most of it was comical, no true tragedy ensued, except that the Landlord did not communicate with the super about when she would be moving in and the apartment was not ready and she may not have any heat or hot water for the rest of the week, but other than that all is well;-)