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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Jenna in the City

This past April, I left the beautiful house I had called home for the past two years (endearingly nicknamed the Probasco Palace) and moved downtown.

To my bachelorette pad.

Whenever I imagined my life in the city, I naturally thought of this:

Source
You know, grabbing cosmos with the girls after work. Always stumbling around my apartment (perpetually, glamorously late!) in a pair of Louboutins as Adam waited outside in his town car for our fabulous date. My desk (with an early 2000s MacBook perched atop) in front of a window that overlooked a tree-lined street. An unexplainable gigantic walk-in closet ready to burst from all of my designer clothes.

But as it turns out? City life is quite different.

If I drink after work, it's normally wine on my couch while watching Netflix. I get ready for dates at a reasonable hour as I am painfully punctual, and I am generally wearing Tory Burch flats. Adam doesn't wait for me in a town car outside. We usually grab an Uber. I actually did initially situate my desk in front of a window...only to realize that the window faced out into a dark alley. And that gigantic walk-in closet with designer clothes? Nada.

In all seriousness, I do enjoy living downtown, but it really is very different than I expected. I had a rough transition going from three roommates to living by myself (the apartment felt so quiet and lonely!), and for a long while, I would get pretty scared going outside by myself at night.

Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of my life in the city.

PROS

  • I can walk to work! This is probably my most favorite part about living downtown. I am even able to come home at lunch and walk Clementine. It's an awesome break in the middle of my day.
  • I am within walking distance to dozens of incredible restaurants, shops, theaters, stadiums, parks...the list goes on and on! I love how free I feel living downtown. There is something very liberating about the knowledge that you can walk to everything you need. 
  • I've been able to meet and interact with all kinds of different people, including the man who owns the spa next door (where I got one stellar facial), a very big guy who walks a very tiny Chihuahua in the morning, and various City Hall employees who are out and about during the lunch hour.
  • I can hear the Cathedral bells.
  • I have exposed brick. And it's gorgeous. 
  • My apartment is old and charming (see point above, and see home tour below). 
  • I never really feel alone. 
CONS
  • NOISY NEIGHBORS. I had to type that one in all caps because it felt appropriate. I have one neighbor who vacuums at 10pm. And I have another neighbor who is way too loud doing his personal business (if you catch my drift) and appears to be up all hours of the day. Adam tells me to go and speak to these people like a mature adult, but since I hate confrontation, I prefer to sit alone in my apartment and angrily stew about it.
  • I sometimes don't feel as safe as I'd like, especially when taking Clementine outside after dark.
  • Speaking of letting Clementine out, it's definitely not as convenient living downtown and having to put her on a leash each and every time rather than simply opening up a door to a backyard.
  • I can't sleep with the windows open. 
Now that we're through that, allow me to give you a home tour of my humble bachelorette pad!
The living room where I proudly display my Charley Harper piece and fairy lights. Also, Adam built me that TV hutch! Isn't he dreamy?
One of my bookcases. The doors are uneven because my dad assembled it, but I like keeping them that way as it reminds me of him.
My dining room table...I love the bench!


My pride and joy: the Jacuzzi tub. This is why my electricity bill is so high.
My bedroom! With more fairy lights, of course! 
Adam surprised me with this dresser one afternoon after I had been complaining about needing more storage. He claims this Ikea piece took him longer to assemble than the time he spent building my TV hutch from scratch. 
I also have this super long hallway! Clementine loves chasing me as I run up and down it.
While city life may not be all cosmos and Chanel, I do get to live in a neat Brownstone on a tree-lined street. 

I may just be Jenna Bradshaw after all.

5 comments:

  1. Ummm, when can we meet in real life since I think we have half of the same pieces like the Target lamp in your living room and I have the same Ikea dresser before they changed the hardware on it! You place is so cute! I don't think I could live in the city, I am such a suburbs person!

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  2. Such a cute place!! I' love the brick hallway! I think it would be fun to live in the city and walking to work sounds like a dream!

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  3. HEY!!!!! So good to see that you're back!

    I love your new place and I'm loving that brick hallway! Exposed brick is my favorite.

    Welcome back!

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  4. Commenting as myself finally! Oh, Jenna Bradshaw, I am SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK! I feel almost as excited as I do about Bridget Jones! I love love love your exposed brick and that you get to walk to work - how magical! I too struggle with city life, but I find that when I'm elsewhere and it's super quiet, I can't sleep! Turns out I really cannot get to sleep without the help of sirens, car stereos blasting by, the sound of cars pulling up to the stop sign, gunshots, you know, the reg. I figure I'll enjoy city life while I can because one day I'll be in the 'burbs! Cheers, darling!

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  5. Oh, I love this!!! I LOVED living downtown, even though we don't have large city, it was still so much fun! I am enjoying your new blog. I cannot believe your tub!? That is crazy awesome. Good for you girl, enjoy that bachelorette pad!!

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