somewhere only we know
I've started my apartment search in earnest. I've been scanning craigslist like a fiend, reading hundreds of posts a day and gleaning the 4 or 5 viable options for me. It's still a little early for a September move, but I would like to have a place set in stone by July 1.
So far, I've only seen 2 apartments. Tom and I went to see a place in Jamaica Plain on Thursday night. We got lost trying to find it (i heart rotaries), but once we figured it out, it wouldn't be a bad commute. There is street parking for free, and it doesn't look to be a very busy street. I sort of fell in love with the JP neighborhood--it's got tons of parks, a zoo, a pond, and an arboretum all right down the street, plus Centre St. is around the corner with lots of cute resteraunts and cafes and shops. Also, you can see the Prudential Center from the front porch and the bus in right on the corner. The apt. is on the second floor of a big old house, and the landlord lives downstairs. She is really young, probably only a few years older than I am, and she's a teacher in Dorchester, and she seems really cool and dedicated to taking care of the house. I only met one of the girls I would potentially be living with, and it seemed like we would get along. All of the other (3) roommates would be grad students as well, so I think it would be a good fit as far as that goes. The major drawback is that while I really liked everything else about it, I'm not in love with the apartment itself. Basically, you walk up the stairs and you're in this hallway. And that's it. No door. The rooms are oddly shaped and not very big, but big enough. There is a small common area down the hall, and the kitchen is pretty spacious. There is a dishwasher and free laundry in the basement, which are both big pluses. I guess it's just not a typical apartment that I've pictured or seen in the past.
I saw another place on Sunday with my mom in Porter Sq. The room was teeny tiny, boiling hot (and it was chilly outside that day, so I can't imagine what it would be like in warm weather), and up a flight of very steep stairs. Also, it was not very clean or tidy. The woman that would be living there was one of those hippie crunchy types. For example, she was wearing birkenstocks and a long flowy skirt, and used the small room off the living room for yoga and meditation. Just not my scene. So I wrote her a polite email today that I decided to take another place.
I know that I have enough time to continue looking and to potentially find something that I really love. But I get really antsy, and I feel like I might be letting this JP apt. get away if I don't take it...but I also don't want to settle for the first good thing that comes along.
Argh! And I haven't even started the job search.....oh man.
So far, I've only seen 2 apartments. Tom and I went to see a place in Jamaica Plain on Thursday night. We got lost trying to find it (i heart rotaries), but once we figured it out, it wouldn't be a bad commute. There is street parking for free, and it doesn't look to be a very busy street. I sort of fell in love with the JP neighborhood--it's got tons of parks, a zoo, a pond, and an arboretum all right down the street, plus Centre St. is around the corner with lots of cute resteraunts and cafes and shops. Also, you can see the Prudential Center from the front porch and the bus in right on the corner. The apt. is on the second floor of a big old house, and the landlord lives downstairs. She is really young, probably only a few years older than I am, and she's a teacher in Dorchester, and she seems really cool and dedicated to taking care of the house. I only met one of the girls I would potentially be living with, and it seemed like we would get along. All of the other (3) roommates would be grad students as well, so I think it would be a good fit as far as that goes. The major drawback is that while I really liked everything else about it, I'm not in love with the apartment itself. Basically, you walk up the stairs and you're in this hallway. And that's it. No door. The rooms are oddly shaped and not very big, but big enough. There is a small common area down the hall, and the kitchen is pretty spacious. There is a dishwasher and free laundry in the basement, which are both big pluses. I guess it's just not a typical apartment that I've pictured or seen in the past.
I saw another place on Sunday with my mom in Porter Sq. The room was teeny tiny, boiling hot (and it was chilly outside that day, so I can't imagine what it would be like in warm weather), and up a flight of very steep stairs. Also, it was not very clean or tidy. The woman that would be living there was one of those hippie crunchy types. For example, she was wearing birkenstocks and a long flowy skirt, and used the small room off the living room for yoga and meditation. Just not my scene. So I wrote her a polite email today that I decided to take another place.
I know that I have enough time to continue looking and to potentially find something that I really love. But I get really antsy, and I feel like I might be letting this JP apt. get away if I don't take it...but I also don't want to settle for the first good thing that comes along.
Argh! And I haven't even started the job search.....oh man.