Finding an Apartment (part 2)

Second stop: Woodley Park 5:00 PM
Constantly frustrated and my shirts sticking to me from sweat, we cut a path down Connecticut Ave crossing into Woodley Park: more of the same.Standing on the corner of Conn. Ave and the bridge, we asked do I want to live here...maybe let's check one more place - just one more. It was a half ass effort. We choose the first building off the corner. Just happy to be in an air-conditioned building we were willing to stand in line for the leasing agent. There were three parties there: one woman, one student, and us. The woman said she would keep looking but she might be back. The student, my father, and I went up to see room 509. Just poking my head in the door, I knew it was a good fit. Good neighborhood, good place. I had to snatch it up. After heading up to the roof top deck to see some of the amenities, we traveled down to see the lease. It was already being signed by the student. Crap. They had a place available for August 4th or 5th. Too late. We decided to ponder it over ice cream - ice cream is always a good idea. Over ice cream on a 95 degree day, we choose to take it. I'm not in DC for a while anyways (training in Dallas), so save the rent. We crossed the street (yes ice cream is across the street) and went to sign the lease. There was one person seeing the apartment we wanted, and another waiting to see it. Then one woman came back in, and wanted to sign the lease. This was it I thought - game over - but she made the mistake of saying that she was going to see other places before deciding. I would call that getting out of line, as did the leasing agent. Point and apartment for Charles. It's not huge, but DC is hella expensive; my budget was already blown. The metro is 30ft out my back door, and there's a door from the Metro Center stop into my building: commute time ~10 minutes. Here's the floor plan (it's listed as 525 sqft):

Apartment Hunting (part one)

Looking for an apartment is difficult.

The beginning: Friday July 6, 2007 9:00 AM EDT

Friday day morning we arrived in DC - Reagan National, had a quick breakfast, and we were on are way: airport to subway to hotel. We checked in, and then settled into our room; which for me meant that I drop my suitcase on the ground and took some items out of my messenger bag. Then we were off and running just about until we hit our first stop.

First stop: Cleveland Park 10:30 AM EDT

Cleveland Park is in NW DC about 3 miles from downtown. My first impression was "This looks like a suburb full of people in their 30's." Trees lined the streets, a non-chain shopping center, restaurants along one strip, and ever expanding apartment buildings dotted along the main drag: Connecticut Ave. With the blazing summer sun creating a dome of humidity around my body from my own sweat, I glanced at my father; without word his crunched eyebrows and static, devoid of emotion face he asked "you really want to live here?" But it seemed like nice place to live, so I gave it a chance. A block away from Connecticut Ave the noise died, and families were having picnics. My suspicion snowballed whie I staggered downhill to our first stop. The first building we found didn't have a vacancy until August 10. We viewed the demo unit. Nice, definitely livable. The leasing agent was pleasant, but there was something - something I couldn't pinpoint - covered by her pleasantries that unnerved me. I eventually spotted it when she spit out "yeah, this places sell themselves." She wasn't trying to sell us on the apartment, she was merely going through the motions. Show the room, show rooftop deck, show the sauna, show the fitness room... From the rooftop deck, the view was horrid you could see a tiny of the national cathedral and midget trees that blocked everything else.

We continued on our journey. Unquestionably discouraged by the neighborhood, but we forged ahead on our journey which was more of the same - no vacancy, ugly, supper small, falling apart, disgruntled leasing agent. We found some nice agents, and others that didn't care what I rented rather they only wanted me to rent from them.

"I have a place in Cathedral Heights for 1250/month."
"No I'd like a place close to the Red line."
"Oh Cathedral Heights is a great place to live."
"I think it would be annoying to commute from there. No thanks."
"What about Tenlytown?"
"No thanks." Click.

No worries I turned them down. I'm not living in Cathedral Heights or Van Ness, and they'll find someone. The rental market is too tight for it to stay vacant past today.

Lawrence Lives

Since graduation, many of my fellows from the class of 2007 have changed a specific facebook habit: they change their activities frequently. They've removed the clubs and hobbies from Lawrence, and added the small tasks of summer: thank you cards, exercise, go to beach... They use it as a to-do lists. Then in a couple of days, they cross the tasks of the list after the activities have been completed, or they don't feel like following through with the mundane task. Either way it's convenient, and it's a fresh picture of their lives - the part that I used to hear about every night at downer.

I should get better at emailing and calling.

Eaten Alive

Cicadas have left, and the mosquitos have come. While I was sound a sleep, they launched a sneak attack. I woke up this morning with 20 bites from those horrid parasites. Most of the battle marks simply appear as a tiny red buldge on my skin, but they've gone too far - or low I guess - to my feet. I have two fresh marks upon the top of my right foot. Every step I make, move I make, it itches me.

Arkansas

Sometimes I forget that Illinois is only one state away from Arkansas. Other times in my mind I combine Maryland and Delaware. Geography is deceiving.

My mind is slowly being corroded by daytime TV; I need a hobby.