Halloween one of New York City’s favorite holidays, and there’s no exception here at Manhattan Mini Storage! We’ve cooked up some great costume ideas all made from Manhattan Mini Storage moving boxes.

1. New York City, the Place
The island of Manhattan is conveniently tall and rectangle-shaped, so it’s easy to create a cutout to wear. Use it as a PSA to help everyone remember: if you leave the city, you’ll have to live in America.

2. Subway Lost and Found Box
For this fearsome costume, cut a hole out of the bottom of a box big enough to fit around your waist. Then, fill the box with any of the following: a pet rat, lost socks, grocery bags, a single shoe, or broken umbrellas.

3. Taxi Cab
A New York City classic. For these cardboard box costumes, all you have to do is paint a box yellow, cut some windows, and fit it over your head. Consider embellishing with rooftop ads for Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.

Suitcase photo by Lasse C, Flickr

4. Nuts 4 Nuts Cart
Similar to a taxicab costume, but should fit lower down on your waist so you can have your hands free for selling – what else? – nuts.

5. Suitcase
Use your Halloween costume to show everyone why you moved to New York – because nobody becomes famous in Des Moines.

6. The 99%
One cardboard box can make at least 4 signs, which you can use to tell Wall Street bankers how you feel.

7. The Brooklyn Bridge
For this, you’ll need a friend. First, decide who gets to be the Manhattan side (try flipping a coin). Then, use 2 boxes for the bridge towers and some string to attach them (the “suspension”).

Visit our Packing Supplies section to get moving boxes in all shapes and sizes, perfect for any Halloween costume you dream up.

We can’t wait to see what you create! Tweet us pics of your finished costumes for inspiration, or show them off on our Facebook page!

Though NYC still seems to be in denial this week, it’s officially autumn and we’re taking the opportunity to daydream: what if you packed up your stuff into moving boxes in New York, tucked them safely into temporary storage, and took off on a leaf-peeping, harvest festival-noshing, fall foliage tour of the Northeast?

Photo by kimberlykv, Flickr

5 Breathtaking Fall Foliage Tours to Take This Season

1. Catskills Fall Foliage Tour – The Catskills bursts into life in late September and early October. Make sure to catch the Mechanics Harvest Festival, showcasing old-fashioned harvest processes.
2. Harvest Time in the Fingerlakes – See the grape harvest and the “Big Crush” first-hand through October. Bonus treat: the world’s largest blown-glass pumpkin at the Corning Museum of Glass’s Glass Harvest.
3. Adirondack Harvest Festivals – Our favorite of NY’s harvest festivals: the Adirondack Harvest Taste-Off in Lake Placid, a locavore culinary competition that appeals to our deep love of Iron Chef-style taste-offs.
4. Bear Mountain Fall Foliage Cruise – If you’d rather not get behind the wheel, opt for a chauffeured fall foliage cruise from NYC. Don’t miss the Bear Mountain Oktoberfest celebration, operating on weekends!
5. Long Island Fall Foliage Tours – Leaf-peeping Manhattanites who want to stay a little closer to home can also visit the beautiful north shore of Long Island in late October.

With Moving Boxes, New York State Is Your Playground

While you’re on that glorious NY fall foliage tour, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing your stuff is safe with us inside your snug moving boxes in New York. And at just $29/month, you might just have enough left over for your own blown-glass pumpkin! Give us a call at 212-STORAGE for special rates today.

Now that every couple in New York State has the equal right to marry, there’s been an explosion of couples getting hitched! And with the chimes of wedding bells comes the rattle of moving trucks.

Whether it’s for first time or 100th time, merging households can be a challenge for even the most organized of New York City couples. Here, we’ve created a checklist to help make the move a little easier!

Moving In Together: The Checklist of Do’s and Don’ts

✓ DO Keep Treasures. Let your new partner know what things really matter to you, so that you can agree on how to include them throughout your new home.

✓ DO Make Rules. Sometimes it can be hard to define whether something stays or goes. Agreeing on rules, like “nothing fuchsia” or “only one tie rack” helps streamline organization.

✓ DON’T Cram. Don’t try to fit two apartments into one. You don’t have to trash furniture if you have future plans for it, but consider putting extra items in storage to make everyone’s life easier.

✓ DO Design Together. Don’t leave one person out of decisions – your new home has to feel comfortable for BOTH of you. Find color schemes and decors that work with everyone’s favorite sheet sets, shower curtains, and plateware.

✓ DON’T Keep Duplicates. Evaluate duplicates of practical or functional items (think microwaves, television sets, ironing boards, etc.), and find the best of both worlds by keeping the newest or nicest versions.

New York’s latest newlyweds will soon be sorting through pairs of curling irons, subscriptions to Men’s Health, Gladiator DVDs, and an unbelievable number of scented candles. But with some space-saving organization help, it can be a breeze.

And if you just can’t fit it all, don’t fret! We’re giving away 3 months of free storage as a wedding present to all newlyweds! The extra space will help as you merge apartments, giving you a little extra breathing room to help make your new home spectacular. Give us a call at 212-STORAGE for details!

Here at Manhattan Mini Storage, our aim is to help make New Yorkers lives run as smooth as possible. Our 17 locations in Manhattan ensure your stuff is safe, secure, and conveniently nearby.  Our blog regularly offers organizational help, moving and packing tips, and even NYC neighborhood advice!

And Did You Know We Have The Boxes and Packing Supplies NYC Movers Can Use To Relocate?

That’s right! Large, small, wardrobe, artwork, mirror – we have the right variety of boxes and packing supplies in NYC to make your move as painless as possible. Even better, don’t hesitate to stock up before your move if you’re not sure what you exactly you need. With our buyback policy for unused boxes and packing supplies, NYC residents can feel comfortable purchasing from us. And wait, there’s more.

Want Free Delivery of Boxes and Packing Supplies in NYC?

Well, of course you do! And that’s why no matter what size or shape, buy $50 or more of supplies and we’ll deliver them to your Manhattan lobby for free. That’s right, no schlepping boxes on the subway or begging for the less-used packing cartons from the corner deli. If you’re planning a move in New York City, you owe it to yourself to take a look at what we offer by way of boxes and packing supplies in NYC. Oh, and did we mention we have full service movers too?

Don’t have stuff enough to fill a whole storage unit?  Renovating or subletting your place and need a temporary storage solution and fast? Not into schlepping decorations, wardrobe, and seasonal stuff to and from a storage unit every time the weather changes? Well, we have a new program designed especially for YOU.

Introducing On Wheels by Manhattan Mini Storage, our new storage delivery service where we’ll pick up or return your stuff for free to and from your place. Here’s how it works:

1. Call 212.STORAGE to schedule a free pick-up.
2. Box your stuff that you want to store. (Need boxes? We’ll deliver them for free!)
3. We pick up the boxes to store in one of our super secure facilities until you need them back.
4. Need something back? Just call and we’ll deliver it to your door. No muss, no fuss.

With On Wheels, you can store as much or as little as you want. There is also no long-term commitment required – you can rent for as little as a month. Your rate is determined on the amount of space the stuff you store takes up. And with no hassle pick up and drop off, you won’t have to lug heavy boxes on the subway or pay for a taxi just to swap your winter clothes out for summery shorts come May.

How do you get started? Call 1-800-STORAGE (786-7243) to make arrangements and we’ll take it from there (literally!). Then look around and start thinking what you could do with all that closet space!

Because Storing Your Stuff Means Never Having To Leave Your Couch!

This could be the view from your bike!

It may be getting colder here in New York, but summer’s just getting into gear on the other side of the world — New Zealand’s summer months are December-March, making it the perfect winter Store n’ Split adventure destination! Get your bike out of storage, put the rest of your possessions in, and head to Middle Earth for an epic cycle tour through one of the most gorgeous landscapes you’ll ever see.

Mindblowing New Zealand Cycling Tour Destinations

• Take in the Scenery: Bike down the South Island’s West Coast, said to be one of the top 5 scenic road rides in the world with plenty of twists and turns. Feeling a little tired? Book a tour with a support vehicle to enjoy the ride without feeling like you’re working too hard.

• You know Ewe Want To: New Zealand is famous for having lots of the wooly ones and you’re bound to pass a few sheep farms during your tour. Stop by one in January and you’ll be able to see the ewe-shearing ritual in action.

• When You Deserve a Reward: Plan an extended rest stop at a one of NZ’s wineries – home of what Wine Spectator calls the “New World’s Utopia for Sauvignon Blanc.”

• Lord of the Rings Fan? Don’t fret my precious. Themed bike tours that will take you from Peter Jackson’s Lothlorien all the way to Mt. Doom –hobbit not included!

• Live Dangerously: New Zealand is at the southern tip of the Pacific Rim of Fire, and its North Island boasts several of its own active volcanoes. Make the ride from Auckland to see them all. Take a break to soothe any aching muscles in the neighboring geothermal hot springs.

Secure Temporary Storage Solutions In Manhattan Will Keep Your Stuff Safe While You’re Gone

While you’re trekking the roads of New Zealand like Aragorn-on-wheels, you won’t have to worry about your stuff. Manhattan Mini Storage’s temporary storage solutions will offer you a safe place to stash your furniture and  your clothes while you’re on your epic adventure – for as little as $29 a month. Call 212-STORAGE to get started today!

Green Moving and Packing Tips for New Yorkers Headed to Albany in 2011

While some of New York’s 2010 midterm election results have veterans sticking around, quite a few newly elected statesman are about to head upstate for the first time. Among them of course is Andrew Cuomo, who’ll be headed back to New York Governor’s Executive Mansion in Albany not as a first kid, but as the head honcho.  Being New York moving experts, we’re here to offer Governor-elect Cuomo some timely moving and packing tips to help ease his transition into his new digs – and we’re going to help him do it the green way!

Green Moving and Packing Tips for New Governor Andrew Cuomo:

• Don’t Just Pack – Sort or Clear Out! Moving is an opportunity to cull through your belongings and see what you actually need. Instead of throwing unwanted belongings away, why not donate it to a local charity instead? Social giving AND recycling – those are two political platforms we can get behind. What you can’t part with – put in storage like ours for safekeeping.
• Think Less Stuff, Less Impact. The 154-year-old Executive Mansion is the first historic governor’s residence in the country to earn LEED Gold status. Governor Cuomo can help lower the fuel consumption of his vehicle as it makes the 3-hour drive from Mount Kisco to Albany by bringing less stuff.
• Bring Peanuts For the Move, But Not the Packing Kind. We all know that non-biodegradable Styrofoam makes great packing materials but won’t keep you on the greener side of the moving spectrum. If you have fragile things that require special packing, our storage advisors are here to help with solutions that are great for everyone – the environment. For example, can you pad that lamp with your towel collection, instead? Or, try buying starch-based biodegradable packing peanuts from among the other moving and packing supplies we offer.

If anyone has any other moving tips for Governor Cuomo, let’s hear ‘em! And remember, if you ever feel like following in his footsteps, we’ll help you pack up your stuff and store it for you too!

Ever Wondered What You Would Do if You Didn’t Have Stuff?

First up: Surfs Up!

Catch a Wave and You’re Sitting on Top of the World

If  you’ve flown to Australia and Hawaii for short trips, maybe even spent a summer a few years back catching waves of the California coast, and can quote Point Break religiously, this might be the Off the Hook adventure for you.

Follow the example of the ASP Dream Tour and blaze a trail around the world’s best surf spots. From Teahupoo, Tahiti to Santa Catarina, Brazil to Jeffrey Bay, South Africa, you can battle some of the best breaks this planet has to offer. Spend your days riding the surf and working on your tan, and fill your nights with plenty of marshmallows and beach bonfires. (Oh yeah, pack that ukele!)Finish your trip with a Big Kahuna getaway to Hawaii, and catch the best of the best compete for the ASP title from the front row.

Temporary Storage Solutions Make It Easy to Travel Light

When you’re traveling around the world in search of the big one, you can’t be worried about your stuff.  With temporary storage solutions, we’ve got you covered. Your furniture, clothes, and drum kit will be safe and secure in our storage units for whenever you get tired of your beach hammock (or run out of clamshells).

So whether you’re planning to surf around the world or teach English in Thailand Manhattan Mini Storage’s temporary storage solutions will allow you to make your dream adventures a reality for as little as $29/month!

Heading to Costa Rica for Health Care? You’ll Need More than Moving Boxes, Rush!

As many of you know, the Health Care Reform bill passed the House last night. And though we won’t know its true consequences for a few years here’s one thing we can look forward to! According to Rush Limbaugh’s show on March 9, 2010, if the health care bill

“passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented—I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica.”

So, if by “leaving” he means packing up, moving out, and saying sayonara never to return again…well, we just wanted to let Mr. Limbaugh know that we would support him 100% in his decision. Bravo, we say, for sticking to your word! And to make it easier on you, Mr. Limbaugh, we’ve compiled a few tips to help make your transition an easy – and permanent – one.

Free Moving Tips for Conservative Talk Radio Right Wing Hosts

Rush, here are a few things to think about before the Big Move!

• Research and book your mover.  (Rush, we know you’ve got some serious baggage, so we highly recommend professional help.) And as far as moving is concerned, you can always get some Tea Baggers to put down their picket signs and pick up your moving boxes for a weekend. Hint: pizza and beer go a long way.
• Make a list of the people and businesses you’ll need to notify about your move (i.e. the gym, magazines, the NRA, Haters R’ Us Monthly Newsletter, etc…).
• Make sure to sort your health care out! (No worries for you, Rush, you lucky dog – Costa Rica has universal health care!)

Readers, got any other moving tips for Rush? Feel free to share. And remember, though Manhattan Mini Storage can’t move you as far as Costa Rica, we can get you anywhere in the five boroughs with a smile.

Ring us if when it’s your turn to move!

The Shack Up

We all know that dating in New York City is #1, and what does dating lead to? Shacking up! (Um, sorry Grandma.)  At first, it’s perfect – you’re bonding with your sweetie AND saving bucks on rent. What could be better? Until, wait…what is he doing? Clipping his toenails in the nude at the kitchen table? Or maybe you didn’t quite realize that when she said she loved cats, she meant it in an “I can’t leave the apartment until Mr. Muggles says it’s okay” kind of way.

In other words, sometimes shacking up can lead to breaking up. And when that happens, you’ll want to get away from those nasty toenails and mind-control kitties pronto. Sometimes a quick exit combined with a “well, that was a learning experience” attitude is the best course of action for all involved.

Your Basic Break Up

Of course, easier said than done, right? Where will you go? Where will you stuff go? Will Mr. Muggles stage a surprise attack as you pack? Well, even Rudy Giuliani did some couch surfing with friends when his marriage was on the fritz. So if you don’t have a place to transition into on the fly, hopefully you have a buddy or two willing to let you crash with them until you can find something more permanent.

As far as your stuff, that’s where we come in. It’s much easier to couch surf if you don’t come with, you know, your own couch. So while you’re figuring out your next steps, any one of our Manhattan self storage facilities can house your belongings in a jiffy.

As an additional bonus, we don’t ask questions besides the essentials and we don’t take sides—unless, of course, you really want to give us the dirt.

When the Situation Calls for Stealth

Okay, so there’s one more scenario that might apply here. It’s known as the “Seek n’ Strike” method of getting the hell outta Dodge. Essentially, you wait until the object of your ex-affection is out for the day, then you move yourself and everything you own out in one fell swoop – preferably before they return. This method is defined on the Urban Dictionary as follows:

A maneuver executed by one party in a failing, live-in relationship that involves the swift, stealthy relocation of all possessions elsewhere without the other party’s knowledge.

When it comes to this, you might want to call in the heavy artillery. Give us a ring – our concierge services can help you pack up and get out in record time.

As for Mr. Muggles? You’re on your own.