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.