Welcome to Jersey City

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Welcome to the exciting world of Jersey City, NJ!

Food: any food that’s in the house please eat. Drink any liquor or beer you find. Please. Oh, and feel free to fill up the Britta and make the water hot or cold as to your desire. Throw away anything that’s gone bad ;-).

A/C and heat: you’ll never be cold in the wintertime. Feel free to use the A/C and fans all you like if you’re overheated! Open some windows.

Electricity: Whatever you do don’t use the A/C and the microwave at the same time! Nor should you use a hair dryer and the microwave at the same time. If you do you’ll blow a fuse somewhere deep in the bowels of the building and you’ll have to get the superintendent to turn the power back on. The super is really nice, his name is Nick. But you really don’t want to wake him up at 2am now do you?

No. I’d rather not have to wake Nick.
See? It’s all good.

How do I get a hold of you?
The easiest way is by email.

What’s up with the telephone?
If you get cell service here, you’re a better man than me. There is a Skype phone in the computer. The headset is already plugged in. Phone calls to the continental US and Canada are free so knock yourself out.

How about the intercom?
Someone at the door can buzz #201 but they won’t be able to hear you talk and you won’t be able to hear them speak. You can, however, open the door from the intercom. There’s a matter of trust here.

So if I’m expecting someone and they buzz, I should just let them in.
That’s pretty much the deal.

How do I turn on the computer?
Just turn it on. It’s probably best to use Internet Explorer to check your email etc. just because my passwords are on the other browsers. But if you want to use Chrome or Firefox go ahead.

I want to use Wi-Fi with my laptop.
To get the password for the network, go look at the bottom of the router/modem (it’s by the television.) The “WEP” is the key/password. It’s printed on the modem. I don't remember it otherwise

I wanna do laundry!
Easy-peasy. The building’s rule is that you can’t do laundry after 10pm. The other important thing you want to know is don’t do laundry on this (the 2nd) floor! The washing machine on this floor just won’t spin your clothes dry. The first floor has a good washer that will take a big load of laundry -- wash is $1.25 in quarters, drying is $1.25 in quarters. The washer on the 5th floor is widely regarded by your neighbors as the best washer and it only costs $1.00 in quarters but it’s not quite as big as the washer on the 1st floor.

It’s 2am and I’m soooo hungry.
Dunkin Donuts is open 24 hours. The pharmacy inside the train station is also open 24 hours. Oh, and the deli inside the train station is also open. I have heard there is a decent diner about half a mile away but I’ve never been to it.

Can I play your guitars?
Feel free to play any and all instruments. Just after 10pm I try to be relatively quiet so as to enhappify the neighbors.

What is the deal with the train?
You are on the PATH line. Note that this is SEPARATE from the MTA (subway) system. The stop is “Journal Square” or “JSQ”.
Note that if you have a dollar amount MTA card you may use it on the PATH. But an unlimited MTA card won’t work.
Also, you can get a separate PATH card.
The PATH is (as of this writing) $2.25 a ride.

How late do trains go?
They go all night long. But after 11pm things get a little weird.

Weird... how?
The exit that’s really close to this apartment is closed shortly before 11pm. So you have to go all the way around the station. And, depending on which line you’re coming in on, you might make a stop in Hoboken first.

That seems really complicated.
You get used to it fast. http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html

How can I see the World Trade Center from here?
Go up to the 4th or 5th floors, look out the stairwell window (the stairwell which is to the right as you go out of the door to the apartment).

Your shower is... amazing. Can I take it home with me?
No.

Trash and recyclables -- where do I put them?
Use the trash can in the kitchenette. We have (apparently) single-stream recycling here so we intermingle everything. Eventually trash (and garbage, and everything) go down to the basement.

That can’t be.
I don’t make the rules.

What’s up with the TV?
I don’t have cable. The TV is hooked up to a region-free DVD player.

Parking?
Parking on the street in this neighborhood is difficult. There’s no parking for more than 2 hours without a special resident permit and I don’t have one.
Now there is a parking lot next door. The parking is either $8 or $10 a day (it seems to vary.) If you want to experience a deeply vague business transaction with someone who may or may not be in charge of the parking lot, you will not be disappointed. That being said, I do park there frequently and feel my car’s been pretty safe there overnight. So don’t fret.

I heard that sleeping in your bed was an adventure with being poked by feathers.
I took the down comforter off the bottom of the bed. No more blood-drawing injuries.Sleep tight.

Advil? Shampoo?
Imbibe, construe! Please, use what you like. 

Me casa es su casa!