Son Moved into Coral Tower, Hallelujah!

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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<p>Parents and Students,</p>

<p>Be prepared for Move In Day. The suggestion put forth in a previous thread about moving into your dorm with a couple of suitcases and then buying the rest of what you need in NYC is a good one. THAT IS, FOR FRESHMEN who have not yet accumulated a bunch of stuff (no make it "a mountain of stuff").</p>

<p>My, we moved in on Saturday, 8/20, and Sunday, 8/21 and it was a major hassle due to the very high traffic area where Coral Tower is located. It is an incredibly wonderful location to be living. Right at 3rd Ave. and 14th St. with TJ diagonally across from the dorm, the L train right at the corner not far from the Coral Tower entrance. A fruit stand at the corner. Duane Reade right downstairs. A great number of eating options all nearby.</p>

<p>However, there is NO STANDING on the street where the entrance to Coral Tower is located on Third Ave. Which means your car is parked illegally when you have to drop your stuff off at Coral Tower. The real pain is that the Coral Tower entrance is right next to a super busy bus stop. I got hollered at by a bus driver who insisted he had no place to allow a handicapped rider off with my car where it was (not true, he had enough clearance, but anyway I backed the car to the hydrant farther away from the Coral Tower entrance). Then a bicyclist tried to bike between my "parked" car and the stopped bus in front of my car. She cursed me out for standing where I was. Now mind you, I was almost having a heart attack and urging S to hurry as fast as possible. Unfortunately, he had acquired a lot of stuff living in NYC for over a year, especially with musical instruments and amplifiers, microwave, cookware, clothes, bathroom stuff, blankets, pillows, etc. This did not even include his winter clothes and comforter and other kitchen stuff I got him for cooking.</p>

<p>So, beware. The security guard let me know that the neighborhood people are really not that friendly towards NYU (heard this one before though never experienced it first hand until this move in). He said they call the cops on NYU people who park their cars in front of Coral Tower while moving stuff in. I stated that NYU should really cultivate better relationships with the cops to allow for move in. I was told the only concession by the cops is a 6 hour window on the official Move In Day (this year, Sunday, 8/28/11). I am not sure what that specific window of time is. Also, the guard recommended finding parking in the streets around Coral Tower, but who wants to lug stuff around for blocks to move in?</p>

<p>So, this applies mainly or exclusively to the sophomores moving into Coral Towers (I think it is a dorm for sophomores only?).</p>

<p>The good thing is other dorms may not be as difficult as Coral Tower in regards to move in. I found that Founders on a side street always had at least one spot for standing while moving stuff in and out of the dorm. So, this year was a very unpleasant experience in regards to move in. And we moved in on a Sunday (and Sat.) and we were the only ones moving into Coral at the time (since S is starting the year early as a student leader for Project Outreach). </p>

<p>Anyway, just wanted to share and vent (ha). Hope you all are prepared with move in. Try to find out what the time frame is for "permitted standing" of your car when moving into Coral Tower on 8/28 (I think that is the day, even this I am not quite sure of since upperclassmen can move in anytime starting 8/28).</p>

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<p>Eeek… sorry that you had a bad move-in day. When I was searching for apartments, I specifically told my broker that I didn’t want to be in hostile areas towards NYU students and she immediately understood. lol At least the move-in is over and now that the son is gone… PARTAY! :p</p>

<p>I really don’t envy people who have to drive in Manhattan because it’s so crazy. Even though I’m from Los Angeles, it really doesn’t compare. LA has more congestion but NYC has more insanity with cars weaving in and out and the need for bumper guards (which isn’t needed in LA).</p>

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<p>Evolving: Wow! What a terrible experience you and your son had! Last year when we moved my daughter into Weinstein it was seamless and downright easy. In fact, the policemen we encountered were pleasant and helpful that day, as were all the volunteers along the sidewalk outside the dorm. We will move my daughter into Palladium this coming Sunday (8/28) and now I’m concerned that things won’t run as smoothly with the traffic the way you’ve described it. Of course there is the weather forecast of rain that day to liven things up. Looks like we’ll have to cover all her belongings in hefty bags and try to maintain our sense of humor! </p>

<p>On the bright side, at least your son is all moved in and you can now catch your breath! Here’s hoping the rest of us have an easier experience than you did. Pat yourself on the back for getting through the two days of moving in without losing your mind!</p>

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<p>Evolving - what a horror story! Glad it’s done! D moves in to Carlyle Friday via cab obit should not be bad. Only possible issue is she can’t check in until 9am and her boxes are scheduled for delivery 9-12 so we are hoping they don’t get there before she does! Glad your S is settled in!</p>

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<p>So it, not obit!</p>

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<p>Vihzel,</p>

<p>You continue to amaze me with your smarts in how you chose your apt. :slight_smile: I am very, very happy S is basically moved in for the year except for his winter stuff and some cooking items. However, there is no partaying for me yet. BECAUSE IT IS NOW OUR TURN TO MOVE! Uughh! Ours will be/ is horrific because we have hoarded things for over 13 years in the house we are moving out of. (Shameful look!)</p>

<p>OHS, You and your D are lucky since Palladum has the back entrance on 13th St., which is residential and does not have the horrific 14th St. traffic. So, so lucky. That should make a big difference. Also, on official Move in Day, the cops tend to turn the other way as a concession to NYU (probably the only days are Move In and Move Out for certain dorms). Congrats on your D’s good pick of Palladium in this regard. :)</p>

<p>I want to pat myself on the back, but not quite yet. Because I just did a no-no. Oops, I saw a great ebay deal I could not pass up. A beautiful dining set (not too large but can be expanded for more people). So I bought the set with 8 black leather seats for $150. The set looked practically brand new. BIN price was $850. No one else was bidding. I am telling S he has to get it into his dorm (I saw his new place with the spacious living room/ dining area). Ha, they could do with a nice dining set, especially with next year in mind when S will be moving into an off campus apt. Right now, I 'm still not sure what will happen. Either my S will kill me or my hubby will kill me (if I end up storing the furniture in our house for a year if S cannot get the set into his suite) :frowning: . Either way I might be dead soon and the readers here will no longer have to hear my complaints, ha.</p>

<p>And, oh, no, When I first heard about the expected rain, I had no idea a pretty bad hurricane is expected to land on shore in N. Carolina and affect the entire eastern seaboard. So, the chances of getting away from rain have diminished. So, OHS, do be ready. Yes, plastic bags to cover the items while in transit from car to dorm is a great idea. That is what I did in May. It was pouring constantly during our move. Miserable.
Just try to get there early like 7 AM when most people will still be trying to reach NYC (most likely). Really, Palladium on Move In day should be much better than Coral. You have to deal primarily with the weather. Let us hope the weather people are really off with this hurricane action and movements.</p>

<p>Writestuff, Carlyle should be a better location for moving in. I do not think there can be any other dorm as bad as Coral. That accursed bus stop! Friday is not a bad day at all for move in. Hopefully before the bad weather and no one else will be moving in. Your D is with a special program for moving in early? The timing is not too bad. Just call ahead to the Carlyle to let them know you are expecting some boxes. You expect to be there before the boxes, but just in case, ask them to please hold the boxes for your D with her room # in your message. Contact one of the following staff before hand, just to be on the safe side (I am not sure what the front desk phone no. is, but I have found all the main staff to be helpful in all the dorms I have contacted):</p>

<p>[Staff</a> and Offices](<a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/life/living-at-nyu/on-campus-living/explore-the-residencehalls/Carlyle-Court/Staff-and-Offices.html]Staff”>http://www.nyu.edu/life/living-at-nyu/on-campus-living/explore-the-residencehalls/Carlyle-Court/Staff-and-Offices.html)</p>

<p>Everyone, you are right, I am going to partay, pat myself on the back, and I am gald my S is settled in (mostly). Until the next challenge hits me in the face. :)</p>

<p>Anyway, GL to the rest of you still having to make the big move. May the force be with you all!</p>

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<p>By the way, the one thing I am really proud of is I got S to drive a couple of the trips around NYC (after getting him on the LIE, our notoriously crazy highway; Vihzel, you are so right about the NYC driving being really challenging). I really wanted S to have the practice and he did superbly with the driving. Ha, the only thing was he ended up with a major migraine headache (from the move, the driving, and everything, I guess). So, I fared better. No migraines. Just agonizing while I was waiting by the car for S to do most of the moving. Hubby lucked out. Our car could not hold him and all S’s items, so he was spared the move in trauma.</p>

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<p>Vihzel, So you are from L.A. I lived there for 8 years. All the crazy action is in the freeways. The speed cars go at is alarming for out of towners. Also, all the merging at the different highway intersections throw even experienced drivers like my hubby off. He tells me it is scary driving on L.A. freeways. I guess I was more used to L.A. driving since it was where I first learned to drive and where I passed my road test. Happy Day! :)</p>

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<p>I just made sure that I had a trustworthy broker who was knowledgable about the different neighborhoods. It’s a must for anyone moving to NYC who has never lived there before. </p>

<p>Whenever your son moves and needs new furniture, I recommend going to the IKEA in Elizabeth, NJ. It’s 3.5% sales tax vs. 8.875% at Brooklyn. I got a nice dining set there for 4 that fit in my small dining alcove. No matter how much furniture you get, it can all be delivered for $79-$99 depending on if they a delivery promotion going on or not. It’s also incredibly easy to get to since you just have to take a bus at the NY Port Authority and it stops in front of IKEA. I then got everything else for my apartment at Bed Bath and Beyond that I couldn’t find at IKEA or couldn’t find a good enough one and used a lot of 20% off coupons. </p>

<p>A tip for FedEx purchases that are to be shipped to locations in Manhattan: BE AT THE APARTMENT or have it redirected to the closest FedEx office. All shipments are held at a FedEx in the Bronx and it’s a pain in the ass to get there. I had to do it last week and it was such a hassle and a bit uncomfortable since I screamed “I’m not from around here!” I had a friendly govt worker though come up to me and instruct me on how to get to FedEx since I was in the general area and looked lost. It’s in the middle of an semi-empty, boarded up, industrial area that takes a long time to walk to (you can only walk to it since no taxis are around there and nearest subway stop is several long blocks away). I missed another package for Saturday and had it redirected to my nearest FedEx office and it was so much easier to deal with since I knew that I wasn’t going to be at the apartment. </p>

<p>I hope your husband doesn’t kill you because you’re a huge contributor to this sub forum. It would be a lot quieter without you and tad less welcoming. </p>

<p>I never knew that you lived in L.A.! I grew up and learned how to drive on the freeways and busy streets of L.A., so I got really used to the freeways early. The freeway interchanges can get annoying though since it always causes traffic jams, especially if the freeway that people are trying to merge onto has a lot of traffic. There are certain freeways in the metro area that I’ve learned to avoid during rush hours since they ALWAYS have horrible traffic. I’ve driven all over the country and in a very wide variety of weather as well so my skill has increased greatly since then. NYC though… that’s like the ultimate driving test for normal conditions. I once drove my car during a “wintry mix” and that was a bit of a shock.</p>

<p>I love the beautiful LA weather. I’m going to miss it so much… I even miss it now with the high humidity here.</p>

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<p>Vihzel,</p>

<p>Sorry about the weather. Yep, can’t beat that gorgeous weather in L.A. Even the smog was not enough to detract from the positives of that beautiful weather. I did not even mind the hot weather in the summer because it was dry heat and there was air conditioning most everywhere you go. Shudder (for you). I hope the winter will not be as brutal as it was last year. It will be quite an adjustment. Though it must have been bad in Indiana (where you were last year, no?) Regardless, remember to layer and layer for the cold and wet weather. Try to look into some good buys at Sierra Trading Post for winter clothing, boots and thermal underwear.</p>

<p>Actually, the most challenging place for me to drive had to be San Francisco (where I lived for a year) with all the urban traffic and the steep hilly streets. The hills were downright scary as a relatively new driver, until I realized my car was not going to slide backwards!</p>

<p>Thanks for the tip on fedex deliveries. I will keep that info for next year for S when he moves out of NYU housing. Ikea is a good place for students to get furniture and other houseware. However, my S really has stuff from our house. I just have to store them long enough until he moves. It might just work out since our house will likely take a good year or more to get into order and put up for sale. I have twin beds, mattresses, couches, etc. for S already. I even have a more fancy dining set but it would not suit a college student. The set I just won through eBay was a tremendous deal, used but in excellent condition. I figured it retailed for around $2000-2400 originally and I got it for $150 (and no tax). Also, I just heard from S that he approves! He really likes the set. So, whew, I am safe!</p>

<p>Haha, thanks also for your kind remarks about my participation in this forum. I have to say it is nice to have someone like you (and others) who actually talk back to me. :)</p>

<p>I hope everything is coming along well for you. Are you enjoying life in the big apple? You must have thought you were back in L.A. Tuesday afternoon with the rumbling from the 5.9 earthquake that struck VA. and reverberated for hundreds of miles along the east coast!</p>

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<p>Evolving - yes D is a move-in helper. No way for desk to hold the boxes as the big one we stored is huge and she could not carry it. It is professional moving size. So she will be on site before 9 and cross her fingers!</p>

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<p>Oh, Yes, definitely have her get into town early. Interesting, my S is sharing a temporary room in Coral with a guy who is also a move-in helper. The fellow moved in Sunday, 8/21/11. I met him when I was with my S in the room. Maybe your D can even ask nicely to get into her room (or a temporary one) the evening before Friday, 8/26? I guess they stagger the check-ins for the move-in helpers?</p>

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<p>I am enjoying life in the Big Apple, yes. It was a big adjustment period aka… I miss my car. lol I am liking the fact though that I can have groceries delivered and taxis were cheaper than I had originally anticipated. I like big cities so NYC was a very nice change to Bloomington (where IU is located). There’s so much to do and I still have yet to visit one of my favorite museums (natural history one in UWS). I’m glad that the weather is cooling off and am thankful for having a nice, big umbrella. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I, unfortunately (or fortunately?), never felt even a shudder from the earthquake. I feel so left out! :frowning: lol I just think of it as I’ve become immune to earthquake trembles. :stuck_out_tongue: I was in the big '94 Northridge Earthquake (aka L.A. Earthquake) that was a violent 6.8. I lived in Northridge at the time and the epicenter was later corrected to Reseda, which is still only about 1 mile from where my house was. I still have clear images of that evening and morning. That was a huge shock to me since I was 4 at the time and they don’t teach you about earthquakes in preschool. :p</p>

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<p>Well, my daughter is 90% packed up–we have wrapped everything except the dog in large black Hefty bags! From what I hear, it’s going to be a really nasty day on Sunday! </p>

<p>Today my daughter called housing to see if they would let her move into the dorm on Saturday instead of Sunday and was told “NO”. When she called back to find out what time she could move in Sunday morning, she mentioned that her roommate has permission to move in on Saturday, since she is helping with the freshman orientation. The woman from the housing office said that if her roommate signs her in on Saturday, my daughter could move her things into the room, but would not be issued a key or be officially moved in until after 9:00am on Sunday. We are hoping this turns out to be true and that we can at least get the electronic things and other large items moved in Saturday, even if we can’t move everything in. Wish us luck!</p>

<p>Evolving: If we park on the 13th Street side of the building, can we enter on that side, or do we have to shlepp everything to the 14th street entrance?</p>

<p>I have learned so much on this forum over the past year. Thanks to everyone for their help!</p>

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<p>OHS,</p>

<p>Wow, first for getting so much done by this time. Those plastic bags do mean that you are now as prepared as you can be for the weather. Wow again, I think the roommate can use her checked in status to get some if not all your D’s stuff in, if the roommate is cooperative. That would be tremendous, though I am not sure what the latest is in terms of when the rain and wind effects of Hurricane Irene will be felt in the NYC area.</p>

<p>My S was saying that he could bring some of his suite-mates’ stuff in earlier than 8/28, if necessary, since he is now checked in as a Coral resident. Given the weather situation and the crowds on Sunday, I recommend that your D do whatever is in her power to persuade her roommate to help out. Saturday move in (for the bulk of the items, if not all items) can make a big, big difference! GL. And safe driving down from Mass. Hope you will be ahead of the storm system.</p>

<p>I think that your D only has to check in and get her key/ moving cart from the 14th St. entrance. Once she has the key and cart, I am fairly certain the back entrance can lead you to the rest of the building, including elevators to the suites. I cannot say for sure because I used the back entrance to get to the dining area with my S twice (did not look for elevators to the residences). However, my talk with Palladium staff led me to conclude that moving in from 13th St. entrance is definitely an option once the student has checked in at the 14th St. entrance.</p>

<p>By the way, I was told by the same staff that Move In starts at 7 AM on Sunday, 8/28. Was that what your D was told?</p>

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<p>Vihzel,</p>

<p>I love all your faces in the last post. Sorry you missed the big earthquake here. (Not really because it is something that is better to have missed.) People were apparently really terrified who had not experienced the shaking that others in the west coast have grown up with, like yourself. Wow, the big Northridge one and you were so close to the epicenter. That had to be frightening. I was fortunate to be out of the area by that time. But the devastation was awful to witness via the media reports.</p>

<p>You are right. Once you have lived in L.A. not having a car is like not having a limb. I love to go into NYC to do things, but I love my car and I generally drive my car in the city and park in garages (since I have heard of repeated reports of stolen cars and car break-ins). However, garage parking is expensive and parking in the streets is nerve-wracking for me. Even without the thieves on the street, I got robbed by the administration of the Big Apple. One time when I was in NYC for lunch with S, I paid the municipal parking (gosh, $.50 for every 10 minutes, so $3.00 for one hour parking). Supposedly got a ticket anyway because the traffic agent claimed there was no receipt displayed (not true, I had S go to the restaurant to get a table first while I fed the meter, got the receipt and displayed it in my dashboard). I never saw any ticket when I got back to my car. Neither did my S. Two months later, I get a notice that I failed to pay the fine for failure to display a receipt at the metered parking. Now, I had just thrown out the receipt maybe a week or so before I received the notice of non-payment. So I had to cough up $43 for the ticket since I really did not have my receipt any longer as proof (knocked down from $75 because I protested the alleged parking violation). I always pay for my parking, normally paying for garage parking at a cost of $12- 35 (the latter for 24 hour parking). I would never try to save $3 to risk a fine of $75. But I still got zapped. That is the stressful part of driving in NYC - the PARKING when you do not want to park in a garage for short stop-overs or if the garage is too far away from a particular restaurant. </p>

<p>So, a lot of minutiae from me but the moral of the story is, always pay for your parking at legal parking spots and keep those receipts for your records for at least a couple of months! And, if you do not have to drive in NYC, DON’T!</p>

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<p>Wow that would really **** me off if someone pulled something like that on me. I’m so glad that I don’t have my car here because it would be very costly and a hassle to park it places. I don’t know how those people who have cars in the garages can deal with it. Having a car here would definitely have its benefits at times but the cons greatly outweigh them. Now it would be a different story if I lived somewhere in Brooklyn or Queens where there is more space but I still wouldn’t like it with all the unfamiliar streets. My car would also become immobile during the winter months because I only have summer tires on them since its made for the track. Getting equivalent winter tires or all season would be too much since each tire alone costs about $350.</p>

<p>Segue segue segue…</p>

<p>I realized that I have the health immunization requirements to still do. Eeeek! At least ill still be able to get them in and not be de-enrolled. I really despise shots so that’s something that I’m not looking forward to.</p>

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<p>Union Square is just one of the worst areas to try to move into. It’s got arguably the highest concentration of (native New Yorker) foot traffic, public (bus, train) and private (personal car, taxi, livery service) transportation, and combined residential/commercial real estate crammed in one space.</p>

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<p>Evolving: Well, the best laid plans… We’ll be moving her in on Monday instead, now that she won’t be able to get her own key until then. We had been willing to head down on Saturday to get her moved in ahead of the storm, but if she won’t be able to get a key until Monday, we decided to scrap Plan A and move on to Plan B. Sigh. </p>

<p>She was told move-in starts at 9:00am even though we remember freshman move-in starting at 7:00am. Who knows? Now we’ll be doing a 400 mile round trip on Monday. This will be tiring, but what can you do?</p>

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<p>OHS,</p>

<p>So sorry to hear about the extra hassle of having to change all the well laid out plans. You are a better person than I to do that round trip (with a move and dealing with NYC traffic in between the two way trips). Wow, what energy pills do you take?</p>

<p>Just a word of caution. The storm system was forecasted to head into the Boston area on Monday (hits NYC on Sunday, then moves up to Mass on Monday). So, you are potentially looking at the additional stress of driving in hurricane driven weather conditions. Why don’t you take a hotel Monday night in NYC or somewhere outside of the city if hotels are too expensive in NYC last minute? That is what I would do, but, of course, I have a hubby who would never consent to the kind of trip you are planning to do. </p>

<p>Also, please watch or listen to reports about the timing and direction of the hurricane because your timing sounds not too good right now. So, a Plan C might be in order. :(</p>

<p>GL and the best to you and your family.</p>