Jackson Heights

A few days ago I was going through my old pictures. I came across a bunch of pictures I took of my apartment in Jackson Heights right before I moved out last year. I realized that I really missed coming home and hanging out in my apartment. Especially watching movies on my plasma TV and laying on my couch.

Today I went to my apartment to sign the lease with my tenants (they are going to stay another year). It's the first time I'd been in the area in a year I think. It felt strange going to my apartment knowing that it's not really mine for the time being. As I walked from the subway stop to the apartment, I realized that the area seems more lively and energetic than I remembered it. Like there's more people out and about, which I really liked. Then I saw it from a distance, what I'd been waiting for since I first moved to Jackson Heights ..... yes, STARBUCKS! It's literally two blocks away from my apartment, and it's brand new, with nice couches and everything! And right next door, there is this restaurant called Novo. When I used to live there, Novo was always either closed or there was no one in there. But tonight, the doors were opened, there were lots of people in there for Happy Hour. I was like, what is going on?! I felt like how people feel when *after* they graduate the school builds new dorms, gymnasiums, grocery stores, movie theaters, you get the point.

I got to the front door of my building, and the super's wife was sitting outside with a few of the tenants in the building. She was surprised to see me, and I ended up chatting with them for a few minutes. In the two years I've lived there, I've never seen people just sitting outside chatting. After ringing the bell and my tenants buzzed me in (which felt really weird), I smiled as I took the familiar elevator up to my floor. My tenants did a great job decorating the apartment, and they kept everything in good condition, at least from what I could see. They're really happy with the apartment and are enjoying the space and having guests stay over. I'm glad they're making good use of the apartment and taking advantage of the area. They're from Canada and know they won't be here forever, so in this past year, they've gone to a lot of summer events, musicals, things that you can only really do in NYC. Sometimes we take for granted the fact that we live here, and forget that we should take the time to enjoy what we have!

I am so excited that Jackson Heights is becoming more popular; I mean, Starbucks opened a store there! I didn't realize how many things I missed about it until I went back today. All the great memories!