2007.10.03: October 3, 2007: Headlines: COS - Romania: NGO's: New York Times: Romania RPCV Leslie Hawke works for Ovidiu Rom, a nongovernmental organization that uses education programs to support families and children, a job that spun out of the Peace Corps volunteer work she did when she first arrived in the country
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2007.10.03: October 3, 2007: Headlines: COS - Romania: NGO's: New York Times: Romania RPCV Leslie Hawke works for Ovidiu Rom, a nongovernmental organization that uses education programs to support families and children, a job that spun out of the Peace Corps volunteer work she did when she first arrived in the country
Romania RPCV Leslie Hawke works for Ovidiu Rom, a nongovernmental organization that uses education programs to support families and children, a job that spun out of the Peace Corps volunteer work she did when she first arrived in the country
The streets may sometimes be chaotic and the sidewalks crowded, but to some of the New Yorkers who live in Romania’s capital, it can also be one of the most rewarding cities in Europe. Leslie Hawke, mother of Ethan Hawke, the actor, is one such resident. She moved here seven years ago and now lives in a rooftop apartment on the city’s main street, Calea Victoria. “It’s Bucharest’s Fifth Avenue,” she said, looking down from her 45-square-meter (485-square-foot) terrace, which curves around her apartment. “It has all the major department stores and museums, palaces and squares.”
Romania RPCV Leslie Hawke works for Ovidiu Rom, a nongovernmental organization that uses education programs to support families and children, a job that spun out of the Peace Corps volunteer work she did when she first arrived in the country
In Bucharest, a Flourishing Housing Market
Leslie Hawke, mother of the movie star Ethan Hawke, lives in a rooftop apartment on Calea Victoria, the main street in Bucharest.
By JON GORVETT
Published: October 3, 2007
The streets may sometimes be chaotic and the sidewalks crowded, but to some of the New Yorkers who live in Romania’s capital, it can also be one of the most rewarding cities in Europe.
Leslie Hawke, mother of Ethan Hawke, the actor, is one such resident. She moved here seven years ago and now lives in a rooftop apartment on the city’s main street, Calea Victoria.
“It’s Bucharest’s Fifth Avenue,” she said, looking down from her 45-square-meter (485-square-foot) terrace, which curves around her apartment. “It has all the major department stores and museums, palaces and squares.”
Spreading out below her apartment is the eclectic jumble of downtown. And across the rooftops are the onion domes of a Russian church rising above 19th-century French-style apartment buildings. This is Europe’s sixth-largest city, with a population of 1.9 million.
Ms. Hawke’s 1930s-era apartment has 95 square meters (over 1,000 square feet) of living space, with a large living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and is just a few minutes’ walk from her office. She works for Ovidiu Rom, a nongovernmental organization that uses education programs to support families and children, a job that spun out of the Peace Corps volunteer work she did when she first arrived in the country.
“One of the really great things about Bucharest is the sense of proximity,” she said. “Here, everything is still going on in the city center. I almost never have to go to a social or work event by car.”
[Excerpt]
Ms. Hawke added: “Buying here is quite different from back home too. One great thing is, you can do it all via a notary, without all the lawyers you need back in the States.”
There are no restrictions on Americans’ buying houses or apartments. Land purchases, however, must be done through a company registered in Romania, although foreigners are allowed to own such companies. “Setting one up is a no-brainer,” Mr. Raftopol said. “It’s very quick and at about 300 euros ($426), pretty cheap.”
Transactions can be complex. When Ms. Hawke bought her apartment, she explained, she was asked for 113,000 euros ($160,460) in cash. “I didn’t feel so great carrying that around town in a bag, though,” she said, “so eventually I persuaded them that we could all just go to the bank and watch the wire transfer go through.”
Finding a place also can require unconventional methods.
“Word of mouth is the best way,” Ms. Hawke said. "I bought a little place out in the countryside recently and, to get that, I first asked a guy in a local shop, who took me to the local priest, who took me to the mayor, and while I was there a guy came by wanting to buy some wine off the mayor and said he had a place for sale. It’s not quite that extreme in Bucharest, but it always helps to network.”
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Headlines: October, 2007; Peace Corps Romania; Directory of Romania RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Romania RPCVs; NGO's
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Story Source: New York Times
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