The brief
Noah messaged us late on a Monday night: his new Astoria lease had started and he needed to be out of his Upper West Side studio by the end of the week. We had a Thursday morning opening. The pickup was a 9th-floor studio in a doorman building with a service elevator; the drop-off was the 2nd floor of a two-family house in Astoria. We quoted 3 to 4 hours at $165 an hour, and it came in at 3½.
What made it tricky
- The Upper West Side building needed a certificate of insurance approved before any movers came in, with three days to go.
- The only service elevator slot left that week was Thursday from 9am to noon.
- The kitchen was still unpacked on Wednesday night.
- The Astoria block had driveways on both sides and a hydrant right in front of the house.
How we did it
- Priya had the COI issued first thing Tuesday and sent it to the managing agent; the building approved it on Wednesday.
- Booked the 9am elevator slot and had the crew there at 8:45 to pad the elevator, so the slot was spent moving, not setting up.
- Brought 10 extra boxes and packing paper, and the crew packed the kitchen on the spot in about 30 minutes.
- Took 125th Street across town and the RFK Bridge into Queens, and parked legally clear of the driveways and hydrant with a 40-foot carry to the door.