Nomadic Community Living in a Bus in New York City
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Daniel McGarrigle has been living in various mobile dwellings since he hit the road at 17 years old. “My mom calls me her Gypsy Child. In order to live in these different places I've had to live very economically and I found that living in RVs, sailboats, buses have all been very cheap and affordable and made my gypsy life possible.” At this point, he’s lived in seven sailboats, six RV’s and finally the school bus that he’s been able to outfit as a community dwelling for himself and four other people in New York City.
“It's definitely a lifestyle that fits my, fits my life. I mean I've always been mobile and to be able to bring my house with me everywhere I go, it's kind of an amazing thing. It's not gonna end. I'm already looking at my next sailboat.” Having been in so many different mobile living spaces already, he’s been able to amass a ton of experience to make this school bus a very functional living space.
The bus he landed on is a 2000 International School Bus that he’s named ‘Becky.’ “Bus is pretty plain right now, very white, but we actually have a graffiti artist who's coming out and he's going to paint an awesome mural that has our logo on it. We call ourselves the Long Haulers”
Daniel has the bus parked in the Bronx underneath the overpass of Riverside Drive in New York City. It’s not the prettiest location to park a mobile dwelling, there’s a lot of construction going on and industrial buildings, but that’s exactly why it’s the spot Daniel’s picked.
“We picked this spot because it's kind of incognito. We try and stay as under the radar as possible and the parking was just great, fits us and our vehicles. Some tips for finding parking in the city definitely would be to try and find something away from apartment buildings and residences. You tend to get a lot of flack from people when they see you living in your house. I don't know if it's jealousy because they're paying $1,400 a month for their small studio and we're parked right out front on the same street for next to nothing.” Since the spot they’re parked in is in an industrial area, the only people who might notice are construction workers. It’s less likely that they’ll get complaints for being parked in the same place for so long.
The other benefit of their parking spot is that the overpass also keeps snow off the bus, which makes the inside warmer. This does make it impractical to run everything off a large solar array, but they do have an 1800w generator on board to top up electronics. For trickle charging during the day, they have two small solar panels that sit on the dash.
To minimize electrical consumption, many appliances on the inside of the bus run off propane, like a Mr. Buddy Heater which keeps the bus warm. They use a 30 pound propane cylinder that they refill about once a week, depending on how cold it gets outside.
Even though they already have five people that live in the bus more or less full time, they’ve been able to outfit a bed in the back of the bus to accommodate an additional Airbnb guest as well. This includes a breakfast bar for teas and coffees in the morning, which gives curious individuals the opportunity to try out the lifestyle while staying in New York City for very cheap.
One of Daniels favourite additions to the bus are the Solar Powered Light Bulbs that they use for lighting. Each has its own battery and solar panel, which they’ve been able to put on the roof while running the light in through the bus’s hatch. This option is fantastic as it requires no additional wiring and is a completely reversible modification.
One of the beds in the bus is a futon that converts into seating during the day. They fit up to four people on the bed during the night, with an additional mattress closer to the front of the bus for up to two people. It’s a tight fit, but they make it work.
Everyone who lives here has a gym membership which they use for shower and bathroom access. Being in the middle of a big city, public bathrooms are pretty easy to access whenever they’re needed. However, they do have a Porta Potti 100 Series Toilet that can be used in the case of an emergency.
While they’d had some issues with law enforcement regarding the bus in the past, Daniel’s brother is a criminal justice lawyer and knows the rules inside out. By having their bus registered as such they’ve been able to skirt a lot of regulations that would otherwise make their setup impossible. By keeping in close contact with the Deputy Inspector, they’ve been able to keep the operation legal, and continue to live in New York to pursue opportunities that would otherwise be impossible.
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