How long has it been since saw the top of your desk? Do you own skinny jeans or plaid shirts? Do you rearrange your burgeoning vinyl collection more than five times a year? Yes and Yes? Well, thank your lucky stars that Manhattan Mini Storage runs a Spring Cleaning Intervention and Universal Order Program. So step up to the plate, admit you have a problem, and order some storage, stat!

In the meantime, we’ve compiled a few tips to get you into the Spring cleaning mood:

Get into the groove. Everyone knows that music really sets the scene when it comes to loathsome acts like housecleaning, and since you’re madly modern, you might as well stream that crunk free from the Internet to get in the mood. And we’ve got just the playlist to get your booty under the sink to see if that can of Ajax is still empty.

If you can’t hide it… Let’s say the landlord wants to raise the rent again or your smelly neighbor’s freegan commissary makes you want to run hysterically and naked into the streets, consider putting everything in storage for a spell. This will give you time to clear your mind, take some deep cleansing breaths, and renegotiate your contract with City Life.

Just get ‘er done. And yeah, you hate it when people say that, but one of the unavoidable side effects of consumption is accumulation. But look on the bright side, somewhere down there awaits something long forgotten and loved. When you find it, you’ll throw off the Haz-Mat coveralls and waltz around the room. And then look on the super bright side: when you’re apartment is finally empty, you can start collecting all over again!

And keep in mind, when deliberating whether it’s this year, or next, that you take the step to fling instead of cling, the fate of Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout, who would not take the garbage out.

Coming next: Cling, or Fling? A checklist for deciding what stays and what goes.

Well, March 17^th is here again, and you know what that means. That’s right! Time to chase the snakes and all of the other winter woes out of your closet to make room for spring!

It also means that St. Patrick (the patron saint of people who claim to be Irish), his day, and the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Stumble…er…Parade is upon us.So we’ve compiled a quick list of what to do – and what NOT to do – should you venture to 5^th Avenue to get your Irish on.

• DO WEAR GREEN. Because that’s what we do on St. Pat’s, wear green, lest we become pinched. Or in case we do. Get your hands on some green underwear, because sometimes the joke goes that far. Extra points if you get your snake costume out of storage and wear a sign that says, “I’m back!”
• DON’T SAY PATTY. It’s Paddy, not Patty. To the Irish (as opposed to Irish-ish), Patty is an insult. And since this is the one day a year when we celebrate the Hibernians among us, let’s make sure we’re not calling them a nasty name while we do it.
• DON’T START THE PARTY on an empty stomach. Seriously. When the road rises up to meet you, make sure it’s not saying howdy to your face. This simple step can help you avoid being a St. Patrick’s Day cliché.
• DO THINK BEYOND 5^TH AVE. Looking for an awesomely inclusive way to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day? Put the Queen’s-based St. Pat’s for All Parade on your calendar for 2013! Family-friendly and proud to welcome the LGBT community, this is a great alternative to the crazypants Manhattan drinkfest.
• DO STOP TO APPRECIATE the irony that, though St. Patrick drove the snakes (aka pagans) out of Ireland, they seem to be alive and well, celebrating the man himself, once a year in NYC!
• AND DO GET READY TO MAKE HISTORY because at some point after you’ve enjoyed the parade and stuffed yourself with green eggs and ham and whiskey and beer, you can always dress up like Shane MacGowan and land face first in the Washington Square Park fountain for the inaugural Million Leprechaun March.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  Póg Mo Thóin!

As the weather gets colder and the nights fall faster, staying inside with an oversized glass of wine and some comfort food sounds just about right. Don’t judge us! We know you were thinking it too and we have just the place!

6 reasons you should head to City Winery:

Photo by: City Winery

1. Wine – City Winery features 11 wines made right on the premise and if wine by the barrel isn’t your thing, ask for the 500-strong wine list! Either way, get comfy, pour, taste and repeat.
2. Location – This oversized gem is conveniently sandwiched between two of our Manhattan Mini Storage SoHo locations. Making it easy to drop off your stuff and belly up to a barrel in minutes.
3. Cheese – The cheese board of the day features favorites from New York’s own Murrays’ Cheese. Translation: A cheese selection any New Yorker would gladly give up a cab for!
4. Winemaking – Wine classes are offered from the initial crush of the grapes to creating your own blend and private label wines.
5. Live Music – Bring old friends or make some new ones, there is an artist on the event calendar for everyone.
6. Dessert – Caramelized apples, espresso butter cream and candied pecans…need we say more?

Have other great wine bars for us? Let us know in the comments! Or, share your favorites with us on Twitter or Facebook.

This past weekend Manhattan Mini Storage was overjoyed to be a part of history, as New York City’s gay couples embarked on the state’s first marriage ceremonies!

Our team was there to supply the crowds and newlyweds alike with fabulous accessories to celebrate the occasion: top hats, feathered boas, necklaces, tiaras and bouquets. We had a great time taking pictures with all the happy new couples on Sunday, and wishing them wedded bliss.

Our team even created an oversized picture frame to commemorate all the photos we took on the first day gay marriage became legal in New York; the “Just Married” frame was a huge hit with couples! See some of the video we took:

We counted around 400 couples lining the street that day at Manhattan’s Office of the City Clerk waiting to say “I do.” The air was filled with love, plus bubbles and confetti to celebrate the big day!

Our Manhattan Mini Storage team camped out at the exit along with families and friends to wait for new couples exiting the revolving doors. As each couple appeared, the entire crowd filled the air with horn blowing, screaming, and even more confetti!

It was a great day in history for NYC, and we here at Manhattan Mini Storage were happy to be a part of it – showing the love we have for all New Yorkers. Congrats to all the happy newlyweds, and WAY TO GO NYC!

If you missed out, don’t worry – you can enter to win your own t-shirt from Manhattan Mini Storage celebrating gay rights in NY! Just head over to our Facebook page.

You can also see more pictures of the happy day on our Facebook page – check out our Gay Marriage in NYC album.

Happy couples at Manhattan's Office of the City Clerk on Sunday, July 24th

A Facebook fan of ours recently shared a link with us to the trailer for “Esposito,” a new feature-length film showing at the Manhattan Film Festival in July. We loved it, because it’s about a subject near and dear to our hearts: the contents of a storage unit.

We know that the things you keep in storage mean something to you. Otherwise, you’d have thrown them away long ago! And because that’s also what this new film is about, we’re giving away 2 free tickets to the screening on July 25^th.

This beautiful-looking film, which has already won several awards at film festivals, is about a boy’s mission to win the heart of a girl with her own lost belongings.

See the trailer here:

To win 2 free tickets to see Esposito at the Manhattan Film Festival, just tell us one thing by posting it on our Facebook wall: what‘s the best gift to win someone’s heart? We’ll pick a winner in the coming weeks!

If you’re more of a Twitter addict you can tweet us @ManhattanMini instead, and use the hashtag #storeandlove.

If you’re looking for your own secure NYC storage locations, you can be sure your possessions are safe with us. Our storage facilities have 24-hour security, so nobody will ever be able to take your stuff but you. Several of them are open 24/7, too – so you’ll have access to your stuff whenever you need! Give us a call at 212-STORAGE for more information.

Just moved to the neighborhood and put your winter clothes into your Upper East Side storage unit? Then here’s five things to get out and do in your new surroundings!

What To Do in The Upper East Side

Slurp Down a Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity: Sit among faux Tiffany lamps and Alice-in-Wonderland décor for something so delicious, you’ll get a brain freeze just remembering it the next day.  There’s usually a bit of a wait so head over before your stomach hits emergency empty.

Blow Your Budget at Bloomies: You have some extra room in your closet because just put your winter clothes into your Upper East Side storage unit right?  Stop by Bloomingdales, one of the oldest department stores in the city (est 1886) for a high-end stock-up-for-summer shopping spree.

Make a Trip Down Museum Mile: Along Central Park East sits some of the city’s most venerable instituions. Start at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, and work your way down the row, popping into the Whitney and The Guggenheim, before finishing at grande dame of them all: The Met.

Get Gourmet at Citarella: Unleash your inner foodie with a trip to Citarella market on Third Avenue, the former 1920s fish market that has a seafood selection unrivaled in this part of town. You can also pick up anything else you’ll need for a fancy feast, from perfectly puffed pastries to cured meats, and rare cheeses.

Push Your Buttons To a New Level: Unpacked your spring trenchcoat and realize “third down” is missing? Then head to Tender Buttons, the tiny East 62^nd shop that is packed to the gills with unique ways to update any coat, blazor, or button down, of your choosing.

Looking for more New York City neighborhood guides? Check out more in our Newbie NYC section! And remember, if you just moved into the area and realized your new apartment won’t fit your couch, clothes, or cookware, we have an Upper East side storage unit that’s safe, close and convenient – not to mention the best rates in town. Give one of our storage advisors a call today at 212-Storage to see how we can help you maximize your Manhattan apartment space.

Stacy Stuart, vice president for marketing for Manhattan Mini Storage, said the company is “definitely counting on people who love the Mets also loving to poke a little fun at them.” She said employees at the company root for a variety of teams, but “personally I know the pain of being a true Mets fan!”

Photo by Joesh Labotnik

And just to reiterate that there’s plenty more Mets love circling around the Manhattan Mini Storage offices, we figured we could spotlight some of our other die-hard Mets fan employees too. We asked what they love about their team and here’s a compilation of all their answers:

1. Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, David Wright.
2. Three words: Keith Hernandez’s mustache.
3. We will always have the 1986 World Series.
4. Everyone looks good in Orange + Blue.
5. Does any mascot in the form of a bobblehead doll have better team spirit than Mr. Met? You show us one.
6. How many love stories start: “We met watching the Mets.” You can’t get that same feeling from “We knicked watching the Knicks.”
7. Shea Stadium. It was awesome and we had it.
8. There were a lot of great mustaches at Shea Stadium.
9. We’ve now got Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, Korean fried chicken, frites, sushi, local microbrews and more to devour at Citifield.
10. “It’s awesome to be a New Yorker. It’s even more awesome to be a New Yorker who didn’t hop on the blue-and-white big money bandwagon.”

There you have it folks – ten reasons some of us love the Mets. And to the all the other Mets fans out there we say hey, it’s a joke and we hope you’re laughing. If not, we make this promise to you. If the Yankees have a 7.5 game lead in their division this 2011 season, which they then lose over the final 17 games, only to be knocked out of playoff chances by giving up seven runs in the first inning in the deciding game, our next ad will definitely poke fun at them.

Three Reasons Why They Are A Must if You’re Living in the City!

The average suburban-dweller doesn’t usually have to worry about things like hauling heavy groceries home for blocks or neighbors blaring late-night music through paper thin walls or the general smushed-up-against-a-stranger feeling of riding a 6 train. As city-dwellers, we deal with a lot of stress, but it’s worth it to live in the greatest city in the world! At Manhattan Mini Storage, we’re proud to say that there’s no reason you can’t live suburban large in at least one important way.

Storage Units in Manhattan Are:

Very Necessary: With tiny apartments and tinier closets and a human urge to collect more stuff, storage units in Manhattan are important unless you plan to become an ascetic. Whether you’re newly cohabitating or have just maxed out your Visa on a new Spring wardrobe, we say don’t fret your fondness for stuff. Just make room from it in your home away from home – a storage unit!

Multi-Purpose Rooms: If you had a house in Schnectady you might use the attic for old yearbooks, the hall closet for coats, and half the garage for all your sports gear. In a 1-bedroom East Village walkup, you’re lucky if you can fit your bed and your dresser in the same room! Storage units in Manhattan will hold anything you need but can’t fit.

Absolutely Affordable: Well they are if you purchase them from us. We have rates as low as $29/month for storage units in Manhattan – and with 17 locations in the borough, they’re convenient too. Are you already  a customer of ours? You can participate in our Refer a Friend program and put some $ back in your own wallet too!

That’s right! Our parent company is launching a new initiative this month to help promote a greener New York City by pushing New Yorker’s conversion to electric vehicles in the Big Apple! Edison Parkfast has completed installation of electric vehicle charging stations at 21locations in NYC and NJ. And because they’re really serious about making it easy to go green, customers can enjoy free charging until 12/31/11, when you park your car.

Here’s a couple of cool facts about electric cars to get you even more psyched about them!

• The first electric car appeared back in 1830. That’s older than the Chinese takeout carton in the back of your fridge.
• Electric cars are completely silent – the way you wish your music-blaring neighbors were.
• Electric cars have been estimated to get as much as 350 miles per gallon! Depending on how much you drive, you might not have to fill up again till 2012.

For more information about our charging stations, and the ChargePoint® Program which currently provides electric vehicle charging infrastructure to nine regions across the United States visit parkfast.com. And while there, why not make a guaranteed reservation for New York City parking or New Jersey parking for your vehicle, bicycle, scooter or motorcycle?