when the floods come

Had absolute tears this afternoon. I've made the mistake of reading the Hotel Chelsea book of late-it came out of a blog that was written by one of the long term tenants. He moved in the mid 90s and narrates the hotel residents through until recent years, the contrast between the transients and the tenants. He also touches on what the hotel represents, how the tourists subsidised the tenants, who all had artistic ambitions, and how many of the tenants weren't successful artists, or successful enough, to escape the brooding atmosphere of the place. Their failed ambitions simmer, the hotel has a dark atmosphere, there was the legacy of junkies and suicides in the building.

The reason it was a mistake, is that the author is narrating the likely future, when the neighbourhood gets so gentrified and the real estate boom means that old tenants are evicted. This is what happened to the Chelsea, former long term tenants are being kicked out so that it is just for tourists, many of whom are drawn to the place by the history no longer being made. And artistic pursuits in the city are no longer being subsidised. It was also intriguing to read about someone who has lived out of one room long term. Obviously they don't cook, and they use a bathroom, but the idea of living out of a hotel room is staggering. Some rooms aren't even big, but the tenants hold on there as long as possible, trying to sublet if they have to leave, because they know it's never possible to return. He describes tenants that leave, but no find anything better, tenants who suicide, tenants who are trying to capture some of the bohemian glamour (Ethan Hawke, Ryan Adams).

Anyway, it had all too much resonance with the rising rents phenonomen that I keep facing each time I move (and not always moving by choice) where you can't recognise what is affordable because everything has got so expensive. Hard hard lesson to learn, and I was a bit slow to snap up a few rentals because I was out of the loop. Same for house buying, you can miss the rise if you're not in the habit of looking. But you have to just live with it. Certainly do get jealous of people like my sister who have lived with the same house mortgage for years. Moving is stressful, it sucks.

Anyway, I found a place, it's okay, the building is bit run down looking outside, only has carports etc, but the flat is top floor, overlooks the ocean, is all white, light, nice furniture. Kitchen dated but has separate laundry, and the kitchen has a dining area with nice table and chairs. I could move in on Friday and resume my normal work.