No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn (or OtR)

In less than 24 hours, all of my worldly goods should be moved in to my new digs.

While my neon anticipation far outweighs any other emotion, I must say I am a bit wistful to leave Oakley.

The little berg was a charming community that I discovered after agreeing to take a job at Channel 12 over five years ago. Employees there tried their best to get me to move to Anderson, but I was hell bent on living in the city of Cincinnati.

There's something about actually living in the city limits - and I was going to have no part of the suburbs.

About two years later, I started getting a hankering for a home even closer to the heart of my beloved Cincinnati. I dreamed of spaces with a mix of industrial and antique accents, complete with hardwood floors and exposed ductwork.

After many, many moons, I am finally getting what I've always wanted.

Still, I'm going to miss the pulse of Annie Oakley's namesake.

Things I'm going to miss:

• Throwing on my shoes for a quick walk to Habit's/Dewey's/Kona/Subway/Oakley Pub/Aglamesis/Fresh Market.
• Grabbing my computer and heading to the shady strip of grass on the Esplanade, complete with complimentary wi-fi.
• The beautiful, tree lined streets and quaint homes - perfect for family life.
• The proximity to Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout.
• The beautiful, antique built-in china cupboard in my apartment.

Things I won't miss:

• The wall-to-wall carpet, or the massive, moldy hole in the ceiling above my bathroom toilet.
• Washing dishes by hand.
• The epic construction project happening on Madison Rd.
• The redneck neighbors who have since moved in to this apartment building.
• The dungeon basement laundry facility that looks like it was made for Norman Bates.
• The three-count 'em-three feet of counter space in the kitchen.
• My peeping tom.
• The eight-minute AM commute and the 15-45 minute PM commute (depending on traffic and weather conditions).

What I'm looking forward to while living in OtR:

• Growing stronger bonds with current friends, and making new friends, too.
• Glossy hardwood everywhere!
• A washer, dryer and dishwasher in my unit!
• The view I have of Downtown Cincinnati's magnificent skyline - in every season, in every evening, and every twilight.
• Real container gardening on my fire escape.
• A big kitchen island
• A fancy shower head
• Close proximity to forkheartknife/Neon's/The Iris/Grammer's/Findlay Market and a variety of other establishments.
• The variety of people and lifestyles co-existing in an urban setting.
• My 1.5 mile commute to work. No interstate - no problem.

So far, I have absolutely no reservations or qualms about living in OtR. That might be rose-colored, but I am optimistic and going in without any hesitations.

Here's to closing one chapter of my life, and tearing through the pages of a new one.

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Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.