A guest post & Hotel Indigo Rahway-Newark Report & update from reader Nina!

My friend Nina, who you may remember from a post about her home being wiped out by Sandy, is still not yet in her home. I wanted to give her a weekend away so booked a room for her at the Hotel Indigo Rahway-Newark in NJ. Here is her report about the stay.

There are MANY hotels along a strip on the way to the Indigo, however the Indigo is a step above and apart from all the others being directly across from the charming NJ train station.

Wonderful clean wooden floors. Not yucky carpets what joy! Entry into room is spacious and well planned soothing colors & I love this sink!!!!!

Amenities are very limited with no robes to be had, but still nice. Fab double showers.

The hotel doesn’t have a parking lot however, there is a public lot close by which costs $12.50 per 24 hours and seemed safe enough.

The closet to the side of the bed is closed by a curtain not a door, interesting. The bed was great & the room also had a comfy chair, nice work space area and free internet.

The hotel is also close to a small sweet “main street” with a choice of restaurants. I ate at a Cuban restaurant and it was yummy! It feels good to be away anywhere as I have lately said “travel” is my sanity at this time and probably always. Thank you for treating me to a weekend away in a pretty room, sleeping in a comfortable bed and an opportunity for “adventure” across three bridges!

Thanks for the report Nina; I really appreciate it. Looks like a nice location worth a visit and happy to share some points for you to get away for some fun! I also asked her to give us some updates on how things are going at home. Brian Williams on the news this week had this little piece on the boardwalk progress followed by an update from Nina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOIOsSu5syQ

My condo is STILL uninhabitable 🙁 Now without floors main level. As you can see I have lost EVERYTHING I don’t own a pot, a stick of furniture, a bed, all appliances which I personally will have to re-purchase. All window coverings, towels, just imagine having NOTHING. It is difficult to imagine and it rears its ugly head daily though I try to minimize what I have ahead of me 🙁

Some people say look at it as an adventure to find a silver lining. I list ALL sentimental items, photos of my parents, my parents’ furniture, photos and baby books from my children’s infancy and up. Numerous inconceivable sentimental losses. The other “stuff” can be replaced: clothing, dishes, appliances, but I shiver in my boots and now respect the enormity of the elements and their power over our tiny lives. We are all so fragile and vulnerable despite feelings of security. I now feel it is a false sense and try to eat a bite of something sweet before my meals as a reminder of our frailties, so getting away is my salvation and sanity.

There used to be a boardwalk, and part of it ended up crashed through and into my condo. My daughter took this picture of inside my condo before it was deconstructed. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this catastrophic event with you. My heart goes out to others who have suffered this kind of loss. Life returns rapidly to status quo for most, but along with others in my shoes it is going on 5+ months and counting of displacement. Still, I try to find joys and am thankful for the kindness of people who understand how such dramatic upheaval can impact one’s life.

I am thankful for good friends and my children. I am thankful for having my health and my job and the kindness of people I encounter along this path. – Nina

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Thank you so much Nina for the update. I think of you often and smile each time I see you comment in your own bubbly way on the blog. Keep smiling, keep flying and I look forward to seeing you again this year at the Chicago Seminars! – René

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