Last Monday, we posted a video musical tour of our latest apartment, the Cool Duplex. Unlike our guided tour of the Cool Studio, this one had plenty of vocals, but no words. We’re sure that the video left plenty of you at a loss for words as well. We’ll explain ourselves as well as some things about the Cool Duplex that you should know.

THE SONG

As much as I would like to claim so, I did not compose nor sing the incredible the epic overture that the tour is set to. It is actually a song called “I Am Glad I’m Finally Going Home” that was performed on a 1970s Russian variety show. The song has become a viral video among mostly the internet geek community; you probably won’t see the morning shows talking about it like Losiah Whittaker’s meltdown. If you want the details, I refer you to our friend Wikipedia.

THE APARTMENT

As entertaining and disturbing as my tour was, you didn’t learn much about the apartment. Lemme break it down for ya.

The place is a duplex, meaning it has two floors. Our roommates share the large bottom floor, dividing their spaces with curtains. To commemorate Good Friday, I tore their curtains in half when they weren’t home. Just kidding.

Here, I ascend the spiral staircase from the bottom floor. We have a baby gate for the entrance; it’s just open so I don’t fumble with it while filming. CB is also too big to fit between those bars, but we will install some guards for any littler ones coming over.

I’m walking in from where the front door is. The coat closet is actually our closet where our hanging clothes are as well as CB’s strollers. The bathroom door has an organizer hanging on the inside of the door. That’s how four adults’ personal hygiene items are stored in one small bathroom. The organizer is held up by some hooks that hang over the door, which prevents the bathroom door from closing all the way. We haven’t had an embarrassing barge-in yet, though I’d bet I’ll be the first victim since Cool Baby has a habit of running through the door when I’m in there.

Our kitchen features amenities that are far from guaranteed in affordable Manhattan apartments, like a dishwasher, counter space, cabinets, and a full-size refrigerator and freezer.

Here’s our dining area along with a nice TV stand which is actually more of a junk collector as any flat surface in a Cool Fam residence eventually becomes. This actually is a junk collector because it’s where we put our garbage that needs to go out. Exposed brick is an aesthetic bonus to any apartment, but a fellow that just made a major geek of himself on YouTube is not.

Here,  I point out the spacious accommodations–much more roomy than past apartments. The vaulted ceilings add to the roominess. The sweet leather couch belongs to our roommate, who received it free from a friend. She was also given the junk collector/TV stand and the three pictures on the wall.

Most of my clothes are stored in a dresser in the living room. What, you don’t store your socks and underwear for company to go through whenever they please? My dresser is out there because Cool Mum, Cool Baby, and I share one bedroom that’s quite limited in space. The door to our room is adorned with a faux-leather curtain hung up by hooks that drape over the door. Swanky.

To maximize space, we sleep on the loft bed, while CB sleeps on a toddler bed under it. Fortunately, we’re short, so we haven’t punched holes in the ceiling with our heads when we get up. Also under the loft bed is CM’s dresser.

Another view of the Cool Tiny Bedroom. CB’s clothes and some toys are stored in the tall Ikea organizer. Not visible is a high floating shelf on the left side of the room that holds books, computer equipment, and 5 or 6 Chap Sticks that we’ve been looking for for weeks. Remember, the shelf is high, and we’re short. You’re probably thinking, “Where in brown blazers is the next Cool Baby going to go?!” We’re wondering the same thing. Here’s a room layout that CM was working with online (click to enlarge):

Since all of the floor space will be taken with dressers and beds, we will install a series of monkey bars on the ceiling to navigate around the room. It’ll be like living on a playground! Fun.

As the song reaches its epic conclusion, so does our tour: the backyard. The deck was built by previous tenants, and we are so grateful for their handiwork. We’re also thankful for the tiki torches that they left. Contrary to popular opinion, there are living plants in the concrete jungle of Manhattan.

Here’s the tree behind me just a week after we filmed the video.

And the feature of the backyard and the apartment and the Upper East Side and maybe New York City that I find the most exciting: Grill!! We have grilled a record number of times in the past month, in the cold drizzle of rain and in the warm sunshine spilling over the neighboring buildings. It’s been glorious. And we’ll just conveniently ignore the fact that we had a great Weber grill in Florida that would go unused for months at a time.

So, that’s the Cool Duplex. Cool Roommates, lots of room, counter space, a dishwasher, a small bedroom for three Cool Fam members, a backyard, deck, tiki torches, and a grill. We are blessed with a special apartment that has been a center for community with our church and neighbors. And um, where are we gonna put that baby again?

Related posts:

1. A musical tour of our new place, the Cool Duplex! (video)
2. Take a tour of the Cool Studio!
3. The Bachelor: Cool Dad style
4. Cool Dad’s Project Mom casting post
5. Check out my fabulous new home office