There is a Rose in Spanish Harlem

I'm finally off the couch! Have my own bed and apartment in Spanish Harlem (101st and 3rd Avenue) as of November 5 with Bryan Lynch.

It was kind of strange sleeping on a bed for the first time in 3 weeks.

A few good things are that there is no more bottomless pit of nothingness, a living room and bedroom are now two separate entities and I'm free to juggle q-tips on my nose or blow bubbles out of my ears on either side of my sleeping pad.

Surprisingly, there were also some bad things about making the switch from couch to mattress. After sleeping on a couch for 3 weeks, my body was not used to the ample surface area and softness a bed provides. As a result, I was incredibly sore my first week sleeping on the mattress. The comfort was simply too much for my body to bear.

Also, I didn't have a TV to fall asleep in front of any longer. In fact, we didn't have cable at all in our apartment until about a week ago. For the first couple weeks, we would sit indian-style around the radio listening to football games, Rick Ds and the Weekly Top 40 or Mike'd Up. We were even able to find lost episodes of Lone Ranger late at night. People came over for a party and we played drinking games to a War of the Worlds recording.

My roommate Bryan discovered a newfound love for the archaic entertainment device. He was constantly listening, reciting lines from Boomer and Carton and singing the latest top 40 hit in the shower. One night I came home and found Lynch at the ultimate breaking point:

Now, we finally have cable and haven't said a word to each other in about a week. With classic films like Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood and Superhero Movie, why waste our breaths?

We've also been on a search for the "Rose in Spanish Harlem" that Ben E. King sang about so many years ago. I don't think there are actually roses anywhere in Spanish Harlem. In fact, I don't think I've seen a blade of grass since moving into the building. The only green comes from the liquor store sign down the street.

Perhaps, it was a metaphorical rose. What about the "Church of Holy Agony" across the way? (Seriously, that's what it's called). Instead of serving as a refuge, the priest screams and makes fun of his audience, causing even more pain and suffering. Everyone comes running out in tears. Is this the said "Rose" in Spanish Harlem?

Maybe it's the concrete playground further down on 3rd Avenue? The place where players wanna play and ballers wanna ball? The court where teenagers skip school to play ball, slang yayo or holla' at a skeeza-beeza.

Honestly, I believe the rose to be The Emmerson Home. Our building on 101st and 3rd Ave. It includes a rooftop, ample lounging areas and a free gym (still haven't seen the inside). I like to think that this is what Ben E. King was talking about. If you want to see the place for yourself or even live here for a couple months, we do have an extra room at an incredible $900/month! And if you see the 2nd half of this post as an advertisement for a 3rd roommate, you would be correct.

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This song plays on a continuous loop in our lobby.