Living Large

As a thirty-something living in Manhattan, success is measured not by your actual salary, but by how much money you have left to spend on entertainment AFTER you pay your rent or apartment mortgage. The range is wide, from those living paycheck to paycheck just hoping to make rent for the month, to the other folks who make a ton of money and could pay their annual rent in one lump sum if they desired and still have money to spend on the best restaurants in the city.

Regardless of where you fall, there comes a time in your life, most likely (based on statistics), when you will need more living space. It's common knowledge that NYC apartments do not look like the one depicted on Friends, but more like the one that Seinfeld inhabited. More space means more money. So what do you do when you are considering upgrading to a two-bedroom and are part of the group of people who has little money left after paying rent on a pretty decently-priced one-bedroom? You consider, GULP, moving out of the city! Maybe not that far out... one of the outer boroughs, perhaps. Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx (not Staten Island, though) - - but there are also the other options... Long Island, Westchester, Upstate. When Jersey is no longer a dirty word, you know a line has been crossed.

I guess you know you're a grown-up when you visit your friend who is temporarily housed in a Brooklyn two-bedroom (HUGE 2BR with many closets!) and you immediately can see yourself there, planning on baby #1, making the god-awful commute into work every morning and night. And when not just you are feeling this way, but your significant other, as well!!!! God damn it... I'm not ready for the mini-van and mom jeans and play dates and organic foods... but I sure am ready for a walk-in closet!