That Tuesday was a long day. I was at work till about 5, then I went shopping for some house supplies (hangers, broom, etc), and it was raining, which is draining in itself, but especially so in New York. I finally get home about 9pm. My roommate is still out, and then it starts. The water started up slowly from the bathtub. I had no idea what to do... I have never seem water come UP from the bathroom drain before. I called my mom and boyfriend, Matt, who both told me to call my landlord. They were not home, but said they would be home in about an hour.
Kait came home soon after that, with her boyfriend, Josh. And we tried unclogging the drain, or blocking it, but nothing was helping. Finally our landlord got there, assessed, and we decided it had stopped rising, about 3 inches high. He said he was going to go check the drain in the backyard and would call the contracter who had been working on the house (they moved in a week before me), and he would come in the morning. We both went to our rooms and thought we were done for the night.
About 20 minutes later I hear a knock on our front door, and Mike (landlord) says through the door "You guys alright in there?" I walk out of my room to answer the door. As I begin opening the door I see the water. It is pouring our of the bathroom and going across the hall into Kait's room. I swing the door open and yell at Mike: "IT'S FLOODING!" I run into Kait's room (she and Josh were watching a movie, unaware of the water that had begin to creep into the room) and I yell "IT'S COMING IN YOUR ROOM!" Kait starts screaming, Josh and I swoop up all the electronics on her floor, just in time for the floor to be covered.
Everyone is freaking out by this point. Mike run downstairs to the basement and yells up that it is flooding there too. Mike and I empty our trash cans and begin to use them to scoop the water out of the bathtub and out to the street (where it is still pouring). Kait is traumatized, and Josh tries to console her, but many of her things (her mattress, luggage, shoes, etc) are beyond saving. They end up leaving soon after that so Kait can stay at a friend's house in the city.
Meanwhile, back in the apartment, Mike and I continue to use the trashcans to stay ahead of the water pouring out of the bathtub. The contractor was called at about 12, but he lives in Jersey so it would be a while before he arrives. Once we got the water line down to a manageable level, we start taking turns resting.
The contractor finally arrives at 2:30, but the rain is still going and we are still shoveling it outside. He takes a look at things, and like a contractor blames the previous owner and whoever did work before him. He says there is nothing he can do that night, but He'll start working on it tomorrow. Luckily at about 3 the rain stops. The four of us spend some post-trauma bonding time talking, because the adrenaline is running high. Finally about 3:30 I head to bed and get a very sad amount of 3-4 hours of sleep before I had to get up and get ready for my first staff meeting at work. Mark one full week of living in New York.
The week really did get better though! The interns all went to Times Square together that Friday night! Being from Vegas I wasn't shell shocked by the lights, it honestly looks like Vegas on Steroids. I loved it though, the crowds were a reminder of home, and it brought a much needed peace to me. (Current Ashley will admit that she still goes to Times Square sometimes because it feels like home). We saw Ricky Martin coming out of the night's showing of Evita - that was my first (not last) celebrity citing!! The night was particularly fun because one of the girls (Sara) wanted to find a place to dance and when we asked a host at a restaurant he motioned us to come in and led us to the back of the place, much to our protests Sara follows, so we in an attempt to protect her follow also. He takes us to a bartender in the back who gives us very detailed instructions - including a map on her iPad - to the "Meat Packing District" which is apparently where the dancing places are. We thank her for the information and leave cracking up.
The end of the week was my cousin Alix's birthday! I love getting to live in the same city as my awesome cousins, Alix, Sam and Jordan. I had gotten to see Alix once the week before (she took me to a restaurant where the walls to the bathroom were 2 way mirrors, so I could see everyone.... Luckily I didn't actually need to use the restroom). For her birthday, Sam and I went with her to brunch. It was so nice to catch up with these lovely sisters. We reminisced a lot about our many family vacations together. Then we headed to Prospect Park and walked around. It is a HUGE park in the middle of Brooklyn. We watched the cutest dogs play at the little dog pond. We also somehow got lost after accidentally turning onto a horse path! Then we ended up continuing the night right on though dinner. Can't wait to spend even more time with my family here in New York!
No comments:
Post a Comment