Apartment Search

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to look at an apartment complex in Gunbarrel. I left work early and went straight there. The drive took about 10 minutes (at 3:30 in the afternoon) and it was a little under 4 miles away. And the drive was on a little two lane road through open, grassy, little "country" areas. It was definitely more enjoyable and relaxing than the car-packed, crowded streets through the middle of Boulder.

The woman I met at the complex was very friendly and welcoming. She told me that she broke her tailbone recently and that she wouldn't be able to walk too fast around the complex with me. Then she told me that there was a major water pipe that burst under the complex. The city of Boulder was actually doing some work, and I guess when they turned the water back on, the pressure was too hard and the pipes burst. Or something like that. I was just hoping that it wasn't an omen.

Anyway, she took me on a tour of the place to see a 1 bedroom apartment. We walked through the grounds and things seemed pretty quiet and peaceful. We passed a few people along the way and most of them seemed older (my age or older) and it seemed like there were a few families or couples with very young children. I'm hoping that this is a sign that there aren't too many students in the complex. It's also a dog-friendly complex, so I saw puppies on the balconies and people walking their dogs.

The apartment she showed me was pretty nice. This complex was built in the 1970s, so they are sort of old (like me!), but they are also in the process of renovating things. The 1 bedroom apartment is much larger than what I have now. Right now my apartment is only 500 sq. ft. For some reason I thought it was more than 600. It's not. I measured it. So a 925 sq. ft. apartment would be a nice change. Everything was bigger--bigger living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The unit I looked at was on the second floor and it had a nice balcony. I think I would prefer the second floor with the balcony. The first floor apartments have patios that are enclosed by a fence. They are tall fences so you can't really see over them, and I'd be a little worried that if someone were to try to break in, a tall fence would make a great hiding place. (At least if I were to break into an apartment, I'd use a tall fence as a shield!) But lest my parents get worried, it looked like a very safe complex.

A part of me wishes that the apartments were a little more modern and up-to-date, but it looks like they are working toward that with all of the renovations. But, on the other hand, I would be getting a lot for the price I would be paying if I were to sign a lease at this place. Rent is really going up in Boulder, and there are some places where a studio runs well over $900. In my opinion, a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment shouldn't cost that much.

I took all of the paperwork home with me to think about things before I put my name on a waiting list. Throughout the night, one of my neighbors next to me was screaming at the top of his lungs in his apartment. Then he walked out of his apartment (slamming the door) and started talking to himself and yelling at no one in particular. And then it sounded like the neighbor on the other side of me was continually slamming something into the walls. And trust me, it's not what you might think it is! And she's doing it again, right now, as I type. I really have no idea what she is doing... So these things made me think a little harder about the new apartment complex.

We shall see, as I think about things a little more...

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Lisa Gerrard (apparently I'm in a Lisa Gerrard phase)
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (obviously I'm always in a Cognac phase...)