~Barenaked Ladies (Old Apartment)
Awoken at 4:31am Sunday morning by the fire blazing inside the dumpster across from my apartment (and the firetruck about 10 yards from my window), I layed back on my pillow and thought...I can't wait to move to Bend. Waking up twice to fires, once to a bum urinating in my alley and countless times to profanity being shouted by passersby, I'm ready to not live in apartment #205.
Now, granted, I was the one who told everyone how neat Eugene is before I moved. I'm not recanting that statement, but coupled with having about 5 friends and living in the middle of downtown, I'm getting tired of being alone and I'm ready for something new (after 5 months...ha!).
That said, I've compiled a list of things to look for in your upcoming apartment hunt, should you find yourself there.
1) Look for an apartment building not manufactured in 1927. Sure, everyone thinks old is "cute"...until they live there.
2) Similarly, look for an apartment new enough that there are double-paned windows and screens so that you don't freeze to death in the winter and get all sorts of dirt on your floors from the neighboring gravel parking lot when your windows are open.
3) Find a place NOT on an alley in a semi-shady area of the downtown district (especially when bums run rampant in your city). This could lead to all sorts of bathroom, drinking, ranting and tagging sounds at all hours of the day and night.
4) When looking at neighborhoods, try NOT to choose an area directly in between the hospital and the firestation, both being 2 blocks from you.
5) Find a place with a bathtub that drains and a toilet that is far enough from the tub that you don't have to sit side-saddle to sling a deuce.
6) Non-creaking and somewhat insulated hardwood floors would be a plus.
7) Electrical outlets in the bathroom could be handy at times.
8) Being within eyeshot of the chain-smoking "hairdressers" and skater teeny-boppers in the parking lot isn't the best.
9) More than 2 square feet of counter space might be useful.
10) Don't live on "High Street". You'll hear no end of it from your family.
11) Find a landlord that doesn't strip you of everything but your milk money for rent, and then stab you repeatdely in the ribs when you break the lease early.
Not exhaustive, but a good start for you, I'd say. In a related story, I think I just found a roommate in Bend on craigslist today! She sounds great, and the place is a sweet duplex very close to my job...so far, so good. More to come...
My life and thoughts. Sometimes put to music.
This is me
- Kt
- US chemistry teacher living in Rome for as long as I can stand being away from my nieces and easy access to the mountains and green space.
2 comments:
Wow! Deja vu! That seriously sounds like our last place, except our landlords were actually great, our building was built in 1891 and was across the street from a communist-looking building for disabled people, so there were plenty of sirens not to mention interesting people. Negative 20 degree weather in a flat with no insulation SUCKS, no matter how cute the place is. I now so appreciate NOT being able to sit on the toilet, wash my feet in the tub and spit in the sink all at the same time, and LOVE my counter space. I guess first places just have to be . . . quirky. :o) Sorry, just had to share! Glad to hear things are looking up for you!
Yeah, you've always got to have the story about that "one" place, and if this is it, I'll actually be decently lucky, because there's been no rats or mold, things like that. I think you have me beat, though, because the "cold" here is nothing compared to Colorado!
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