This is a story about East Harlem, New York and to be very specific, 105 St Lexington Ave. We stayed in a 4-bed dorm at Central Park Lexington apartment the 6-7 days we were in New York. Contrary to tales that it was a danger zone and crime hotspot, the non-whites a.k.a. the South Americans, blacks and Asians, are extremely friendly and helpful. We felt like one of them living in the little neighbourhood.
The adventure happened in the apartment which looks totally different from the photos on its website. When we checked in the first night, a black lady in her blue nightgown checked us in. she had her hand on her face all the time and didn’t seem very sober, so we though she as on drugs. It turned out that she had a bad toothache. Shortly after we checked in, we met her kids including a 10-month old baby – a black kitten. It was squatting outside the common toilet and hiding in the bathroom the first few nights. On the third night, a Turkish lady checked into our room. Appalled by the condition of the place, she checked out the next day. But and 6-ish the morning before se checked out, the black lady came knocking on every door (still in the same nightgown – we suspected it to be her uniform). She was looking for her baby under the bed and all over the room. I later saw the baby hiding beside the toilet bowl and informed her. She offered to buy me breakfast and was weeping.
We didn’t see her and her baby for the next few days.
We came back one day and accidentally closed the door loudly. The lady heard us and opened her bedroom door and greeted us. She then told us as a by the way thing, that her kitten had died. It swallowed a strand of the mop. We froze cuz we couldn’t believe what we heard (the mop on top of the death). She thought we didn’t understand what she said so she took out that very mop. My friend couldn’t hold her laughter and excused herself and ran up to the room.
The adventure happened in the apartment which looks totally different from the photos on its website. When we checked in the first night, a black lady in her blue nightgown checked us in. she had her hand on her face all the time and didn’t seem very sober, so we though she as on drugs. It turned out that she had a bad toothache. Shortly after we checked in, we met her kids including a 10-month old baby – a black kitten. It was squatting outside the common toilet and hiding in the bathroom the first few nights. On the third night, a Turkish lady checked into our room. Appalled by the condition of the place, she checked out the next day. But and 6-ish the morning before se checked out, the black lady came knocking on every door (still in the same nightgown – we suspected it to be her uniform). She was looking for her baby under the bed and all over the room. I later saw the baby hiding beside the toilet bowl and informed her. She offered to buy me breakfast and was weeping.
We didn’t see her and her baby for the next few days.
We came back one day and accidentally closed the door loudly. The lady heard us and opened her bedroom door and greeted us. She then told us as a by the way thing, that her kitten had died. It swallowed a strand of the mop. We froze cuz we couldn’t believe what we heard (the mop on top of the death). She thought we didn’t understand what she said so she took out that very mop. My friend couldn’t hold her laughter and excused herself and ran up to the room.
It was a totally safe apartment in a safe area. I got all the good training in Little India. No bedbug problem that is bugging New York cuz the bunks are metallic and plastic sheets around the mattresses are still intact.
This was just one of the highlights of our trip. More to come.
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