the repatriation of onebluegreen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my next home
I put in an application for an apartment. That sounds like an easy thing and I guess the physical act is but getting to the point of putting in an application is not. I fell in love with a highrise luxury building one stop before Uni0n Stati0n called F1ats 13o []. Brand new, penthouse, lights of light[www[dot]flats130[dot]com] cool city view, 712 square feet, with two months free, which brought the price tag to $2,100 plus $175 for parking, plus $100 pet rent ($50.00 per cat -- they really are going to have to get jobs), plus utilities, plus the application fee, move-in fee, and amenity fee. I was sooo close to putting down a reservation fee...but I was with my co-worker Atlanta who also loved the apartments but was calmer and suggested I wait. We both have weaknesses for highrise buildings and underground parking. Earlier in the week I had been to a place near me that was also tempting and kind of close to what I can pay but not really. Friday evening we took the train out to an area that Atlanta is interested in. It took 30 or so minutes to reach the station and then it was another 10 minutes to walk to the apartment comlex. They had 1100 square feet, two bedrooms, maybe two baths for $1,600. The complex is across from a mall and within close driving distance to K1ngst0wn, which I guess is its own community but I didn't like it. It felt a little run down without cool urban stuff to make up for being run down. I also realized I don't want to be that far out of DC. Saturday I drove out to the second to last stop on the 0range train line. Winston-Sa1em, a guy at work who transferred a month before I did, is renting a condo for $1,495. The condos are new, nice and across the street from the train. The two bedroom I looked at was $1,900 with a lot of space. The cons are: (1)WS has to stand for 30 mins every morning b/c the train fills up at the first stop. I am on the same line but 5 stops later and for about 10 minutes before my stop; (2) the cheap condo area is crazy congested; and (3) there is n-o-t-h-i-n-g within walking distance excepy a dentist. After that I looked at two places near 395, which I swore up and down I was interested in. I am kind of scared of the beltways. I can drive up and down I-81 with the tractor trailers all day long but erratic rushing commuter traffic frazzles me. Park was a garden style community without balconies. The road near it was kind of torn up and it is not near a train stop but a 1.2 away. A 1.2 sounds close but it can be 10-30 mins in traffic. The pros are: 2 bed, 2 bath, 947 square feet for $1,857, which includes a g0v emp10yee discount. This weekend they were running a special where a $99.00 fee replaces the $60.00 application fee, $500.00 amenity fee, $800 pet fee ($500 for one animal, $800 for two animals), and the $100 two cat pet rent. The complex has two shuttle buses that run every 20 mins during rush hour to ferry residents to the train. There are also Metr0buses and a city bus that run all the time that go to the trains. The apartment is across a residential street from a grocery store. The plaza also has a vet, a diner and a few other things. On the other side of the plaza is a community garden. The neighborhood felt safe. The area is 10 mins drive from DC. Afterward I looked at a building across the street from the train. It was nice and not badly priced but more expensive and the washer and dryer is in the basement. I rode the train to work (it is a different line from what I now take). I spent time walking around the city. I ran into the Nat10na1 Press C1ub, which was kind of cool. I also went to Chinatown. I took a different train/line back b/c that station has two lines running to it. Today I completed my application with the Park. I left $99 and proof of income. My leasing agent was crazy busy. Actually, every leasing agent I've seen has been crazy busy. The Park complex has a pool, package receiving, wifi and a gym. Parking is in a lot but I asked to have a reserve spot in the garage mainly for when Blackbelt (and anyone else) visits me. I ate breakfast at the diner. It was cozy and much cleaner than L1tt1e Ch1ef (the diner I usually eat at in R0an0ke). I shopped the grocery store (not upscale but has organic milk and Burts Bees). I am close to A1exand1a. Riding a shuttle to the train is not the same as walking out my backdoor and going down an escalator but it is doable. My commute time might end up being the same as Atlanta's but on the weekend I am much much closer to DC. Anyway, after I returned home I worked. I talked to Black Belt (who sent me a very sweet Valentine's Day card) and I talked to my Dad. I forgot -- Friday night Mom's cousin, the nuclear scientist, took me to dinner. He has fallen in love with a girl from home (Washington State) that he knew as a teenager. He is thinking of retiring and moving there. It is great to have him around b/c he knows the area so well. He also remembers my grandma and grandpa and can talk about them. He said he still thinks about my mother and misses her.
9:55 p.m. - 2011-02-13
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
previous | next
|