When I went to Poughkeepsie (was it only a couple of weeks ago?), I was not optimistic about finding a place. For good luck, I brought along a stuffed pink pig that had arrived in the mail a few days earlier. “I couldn’t resist,” wrote the friend who sent it to me. The pig is named Maybe. Or maybe that’s the name of the book in which it stars. According to the blurb, “it’s a story for everything you will do and everything you can be.” My friend didn’t know I was thinking of moving when she sent it but I knew this pig had to come along for the ride.

I managed to find a realtor who was actually willing to work with someone looking for a rental. Nice young woman. There’s very little on the market, she told me. And what there is gets snapped up quickly. All the links she shared with me were to townhomes. I am not the ideal age for an upstairs-downstairs setup.

I checked out the two over-55 independent living complexes in the area and quickly concluded that neither of them was for me. I’m living in such a building now which made sense when I moved here from Minneapolis. I’ve learned a lot—about myself and about how things work—in the months I’ve been here and it no longer feels like what I should be doing.

So I sat in parking lots scrolling my phone and reached a property manager with an apartment to rent on the Hudson. “You’ll want this one,” another nice woman assured me (I guess you have to be nice if you’re in the rental business, though, come to think of it, I spoke to a couple of men who were rather, shall I say, brusque. So, maybe not.). “I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.” 

Had I been forty, I would have taken the apartment. It had the kind of funky vibe that always appealed to me and jaw dropping views of the river. But, fortunately, though I was tempted, I quickly recognized that funky doesn’t have the same allure at this age. I like my comforts. I like new windows and central air. I no longer yearn for Old World charm but for new fixtures and reliable wiring. I bring the Old World charm along with me in the shape of my antique furniture (all thanks to my parents) and objets. I have learned that they soften the hard-edged contours of modernity while taking nothing away from the conveniences that a newer building offers. 

While I sat in parking lots eating leftovers and feeling overwhelmed, my oldest friend googled “Poughkeepsie rentals” and came up with a few places for me to check out. One of them, also right on the river, is a huge development that didn’t look at all like “me.” Too large. Too many uses of the word “luxury.” I added it to my list but kept crossing it off.

The last afternoon I was down there, my friend texted again. “Did you check that place out?” she asked. “The one on the river.” I had just left a sprawling mid-century development in the middle of nowhere that had looked good at first glance but the second and third ones revealed neglected roofs and siding. “Okay,” I wrote back. “I’ll go.”

I resisted up to the last minute. I didn’t even want to drive onto the property. It just didn’t look like my kind of place. Too many buildings clumped together with a swimming pool in the middle. Not enough green. I couldn’t find the entrance.

I’m not sure what got me to move through my negativity. Perhaps it was the group of silver-haired women in the clubhouse, all of whom looked like potential friends. Or maybe it was the other woman going out while I was going in who said, unprompted, “This is a fabulous place to live.” The partial view of the river didn’t hurt, nor does the fact that the rent is $75 more than what my new lease at my present home would be. And it’s a seven-minute walk to the train station where I can get on MetroNorth and be taken to Grand Central for a pittance, compared to what it costs to go from Albany to Penn Station via Amtrak.

I put in an application the next day. The apartment is mine on August 18. I can’t wait to move there. And I trust it will have stopped raining by then.

Photos by Ruth Neuwald Falcon

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20 Comments

  1. Mazel tov on the new apartment. May it bring you the peace and sense of place you seek — along with new friends, age-appropriate adventures, and lots of laughter.

    Allan

    Don’t believe everything you think.

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  7. Wonderful. I’m sure the kosher pig helped. Blessings in your new home. I admire your adventures! I moved to Edmonds in September, said goodbye to Seattle, not a far away, move, and still a move. My condo has a guest bedroom, if you want to visit the great Pacific Northwest sometime.

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  8. Mazel Tov Ruth!!! thanks to Maybe (a word I learned in many languages…). And to your persistent oldest friend. And to you for the well told story with a happy ending/beginning! Ken yehi ratzon.
    Enjoy Poughkeepsie and new discoveries.
    warm wishes, Carol near Astoria OR

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  11. Love the pig along for the ride. I guess “when pigs fly” is out and “when pigs ride” is in when one is looking for the next opportunity!

    Jen

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  12. Dear Ruth,

    Thrilled you have found a place nearer the city. I lived in Poughkeepsie and environs for 26 years before following my children to Seattle area. I have my former hairdresser for you. Debra M. Salon – Debbie McGarvey, 43 Vassar Road, 845-430-8272. We would talk about the area if you like. I have moved to Senior Residential Housing in Mill Creek. Miss you and am grateful for our time together.

    Lois Simon

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  13. Maybe, the pink pig, is absolutely adorable and very good of you to take her with you to find a new home. Wonderful of your friend to send her to you. I have to think Maybe brought you good luck. I love the photos of her, too. And thank you for sharing your salad with Maybe…or was that all hers?…….grin. I think you made an excellent choice for new home. Look forward to hearing more from you and Maybe.

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  14. So excited to read this from you! A beautiful place with the river, safe wiring, great for friends and travel to the big City and all you wrote is such a blessing!

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  19. I follow you… every step of the way knowing in many ways the way you speak of your journey informs my own… and I suspect that of many.

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  20. Yay, Ruth! I love the comment above…”Don’t believe everything you think…” I am starting to realize that questioning my thoughts (especially when they’re negative!) can open up worlds…I’m trying to replace reflexive no’s with a more curious, “What if..?” Sending you hugs!

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