Zoe arrived at the marina 40 minutes later and was pleased to find the marina had their own parking garage with cheap rates. The Boat Basin was located on the west side of Manhattan and its land side was covered by a park. She thought it was as pretty a place as she had seen in New York so far. Even the air was fresher here. The only problem was the rotunda and noise coming from it.

The old building was in a bad state of disrepair and being remodeled according to the helpful signs in front of the building as well as an advertisement. Another ad stated the site was the future home of an all-new Boat Basin Café and to book your reservation today. The restaurant wouldn’t be opened for another 6-9 months at the earliest. Zoe laughed as she zapped the ads. Making a reservation for an unopened restaurant when you didn’t know when it would open was stupid in her opinion. Zoe continued walking to the dock house, which was her destination.

The dock house was on stilts, which Zoe assumed was normal for a building on the river. She hadn’t really considered it before, so could be wrong. The dock house also just looked like a small metal warehouse. It was basically a metal square. As she walked closer, she noticed the bottom half was glass and surrounded by a fenced in deck. All in all, it was ugly.

“Hi, I’m Zoe and I have some data for you,” Zoe greeted the woman behind the counter as she flicked her credentials to the computer there.

“Give me a moment please. My receptionist called in sick,” the woman said. “It’s a warm spring day, so he’s probably playing hooky.”

“No problem. Take your time,” Zoe replied. She turned and gazed out at the docks.

The docks were concrete on the sides with wood or at least synthetic wood embedded on the top. They were wide enough to drive a small car or golf cart on. Each one was gated at the shore. Half the slips were filled. Zoe turned her attention to the boats themselves. She saw about 20 yachts, numerous smaller vessels, and about a hundred floating square boxes.

“Thanks for waiting. Most of you couriers are always in a rush,” the woman said. Zoe turned back to her. “I’m Tiffany Wells, the day manager here.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ve never been here before, so this is new to me. It’s quite nice,” Zoe replied.

“Yeah, it is,” Tiffany agreed. “I think we have one of the better views in the city.”

“I can see that,” Zoe said. “Well, unless you prefer views from above.”

“True. So, you brought my eviction notices and new purchase contracts?” Tiffany asked.

“I guess,” Zoe replied. “We don’t peek at the data.”

“I know,” the manager said. “Here’s the cable.”

Zoe took the offered cable and jacked in. “So, what’s those floating boxes?”

“Those are houseboats. You’ve never seen one before?” Tiffany said.

“No.”

“Want to take a closer look?” Tiffany asked. “We now own all 100 here. And data delivery confirmed.”

“Would it be alright for me to go look at them?” Zoe asked.

“Yeah. I could do with a walk, so I’ll show you the two we just bought,” Tiffany answered taking back the cable.

*

Tiffany was willowy and tall, standing right around six feet. The brunette seemed personable as they made small talk and she was attractive. Zoe thought that must come in handy for her job. Zoe sighed as she followed the marina manager and realized she was one of the shortest people she had seen except for the dwarves. But those guys deliberately chose to be short!

“As you can see, your floating box description wasn’t too far from the mark,” Tiffany said pulling Zoe from her thoughts. She gestured around them and signaled out one. “Though there are exceptions, like these floating pods.”

The houseboat she pointed out looked like metal building with an A roof sitting on platforms with little walkways running along the sides. Zoe noticed a few more of them. Each end was made from glass or plastic and there were windows along the sides of the buildings.

“How many people can live in one of these floating pods?” Zoe asked.

“Most are one-bedroom units, but take this longer gray one for example,” Tiffany said gesturing to one they were beside. “This one is a two-bedroom, one bathroom unit. Both styles have an open concept living room and kitchen.”

“Interesting. One end is the bedroom, and both ends have doors?” Zoe replied. Tiffany nodded. “I’m not sure I like the idea of a door in my bedroom.”

“Most love being able to walk out onto a small deck or balcony from their bedroom though,” Tiffany said as they continued walking. “Besides, they are fenced, have security systems, and the docks are gated. Houseboats are just as safe as an apartment.”

“Good point,” Zoe conceded.

“These are called river lodges,” Tiffany said gesturing to a different style of houseboat. In addition to the fore and aft decks, these houseboats had a roof deck that extended for a third of the boat’s length. The middle third was raised and flat. The last third of the roof was oval shaped.

“Why is part of the roof raised?” Zoe asked.

“For a sleeping loft. The loft is just big enough for a mattress or futon and for an adult to crawl onto it,” Tiffany answered. “You’re looking around a lot.”

“Like I said earlier, this is all new to me,” Zoe replied. “Besides, I didn’t expect the marina to be so clean.”

Tiffany laughed. “Yeah, the big apple isn’t the cleanest city. The city had remodeled and cleaned the marina in the 2020s. Mom and dad did the same when they bought the marina from the city a decade ago after a major hurricane trashed it.”

“The marina is a family-owned business?”

“Yeah. Mom and dad were big shots at Raven Technologies and secured some funding from Raven to buy it when they retired. Most of the money was spent on the restoration since the city wanted to wash their hands of it and sold the marina cheaply,” Tiffany answered proudly. “We’ve already paid the loan off too.”

“That’s great,” Zoe said. She pointed to three other houseboats. “What are those?”

“Those are called two stories,” Tiffany replied. The houseboats were square, and the building part extended all the way across the width of the frame. A fenced in covered deck was at each end giving the houseboat covered porches. Half the roof was flat with a roof deck on it. The other half had a slight A frame. The walls under the roof deck were glass or plastic. “One of these and one of the larger lodges are the two we just bought. Want to peek inside of them?”

“Yes, especially the two story since I don’t see two stories,” Zoe answered.

Tiffany grinned and led Zoe aboard the nearest two-story houseboat after opening the gate. She keyed the security panel to unlock it. “That’s because you can’t see below the water.”

*

“The main floor is 400 square feet. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but the lower-level state room is 200 square feet not counting the full private head or bathroom, which includes a bathtub,” Tiffany said. “On this end is 12*16 ft covered porch. The other one is 8*16. The roof deck is 16*16 and can be accessed from this porch in case you missed the spiral staircase.”

“This is more spacious looking than I thought it would be for such a tiny place,” Zoe said looking around the open concept house.

They stood in the living room area. A dirty L shaped couch sat against the left wall and faced windows on the right side. Zoe could see the Manhattan skyline and park from them. A large, broken video screen hung on a wall that extended over a third of the room. The floor was hardwood or at least synthetic hardwood.

Opposite the wall was the galley or kitchen bar and cabinets. Lights hung down over the bar which extended to the same length the wall did. It left a nice sized walkway between them. Two stools sat at the bar. The kitchen was U shaped with a large window over the sink. A large fan was over the range and stove. A refrigerator sat against the back wall completing the end of the U. A dining area and small sitting arrangement consisting of two chairs and a round table completed the room and extended past the galley. Trash was all over the floor.

“Why doesn’t the kitchen go all the way like the dining area does?” Zoe asked.

“Bathroom, which has a shower,” Tiffany answered after checking her specs for the place. “Behind the screen is the stairs leading to the stateroom.”

“Can we go down and look?” Zoe asked.

“Follow me,” Tiffany said.

The stateroom was plain. It just had a queen-sized bed. No windows but did have a nice sized screen on the left wall. On the right was a sizable closest and the head. The bathroom did have an old and dirty tub in it in addition to a nasty toilet and sink. Trash was everywhere in this level too.

“This place really needs a cleaning,” Zoe said as they walked back to the main floor.

“We’re going to gut it, clean it, and add all new furniture, electronics, and appliances,” Tiffany admitted.

“Will curtains be needed to keep people from looking in?” Zoe asked.

“No. Each window has shutters,” Tiffany replied and showed Zoe how they worked. Horizontal slats descended from the roof and then closed after Tiffany pressed another button.

“That’s neat,” Zoe said before smiling.

“Yeah, it is,” Tiffany agreed. She returned the smile.

“So, how much are you going to charge for rent for this place?”

“At least 3000 a month depending on furnishings and such,” the manager answered. “It’s one of the smallest places in the city, so we can’t go too crazy even with the location and views. Why? Are you interested?”

“Yes, I’m interested.”

“Let’s go back to the office and talk briefly while I upload the data, we want you to take to the lawyers,” Tiffany said.

“Could I help pick out the furnishings, paint, and other stuff? And how quick would I need to make a deposit?” Zoe asked. “Oh, and can I ride my bike on the dock and park it on the larger porch?”

“Like I said, let’s head back to the office,” Tiffany laughed. “I’ll let you pick out some of the stuff. I love decorating, so I’m doing at least half of that.”