Ready for a van down by the river*
The apartment-hunting thing? Not the funnest. I sent GF off to the Avenues in SLC to check out a couple of great-looking, affordable listings. Turns out there are reasons why they're so affordable. The first one had no air conditioning and one washing machine shared by 11 families. The second was on a street entirely populated by crazy people who shouted things at GF as he got in and out of his car. It gave him a few mission flashbacks.
And then I practically had us signed up for a place in SLC and was so excited about it because there was a pool and a fitness center and everything. Then I got on Apartment Ratings and discovered that the police call the complex "Little East L.A." and that there was a shooting last year.
So. It's a learning experience. And by "learning experience" I mean "sucks absolute bricks." But I'm getting better at this. I've learned that "cozy" means "get ready to spoon whether or not you feel like it" and that "up and coming neighborhood" actually means "get a gun." Also I'm learning to ask the right questions:
How many hundreds of dollars a month are the utility bills?
By "close to the freeway," do you by any chance mean "under the freeway"?
How many yards from the train tracks are you, exactly?
I'm sorry, but telling me there's a Wingers nearby does not answer my "how's the area?" question nor does it inspire confidence. So let me repeat that.
And is the murderer still living in the complex?
*
I'm Steph, a librarian and mom of 3 (not sure how that happened). Let's chat books, food, Sumptuous Literary Adaptations, poop, knitting and maybe some crazy Mormon Feminism.
11 comments:
"There's a Wingers nearby..."
"Well then, that tells me everything I need to know."
Apartment hunting is awful. I remember crying before our wedding because the hunt was so stressful.
p.s. I was only 21 when I got married so I didn't have a lot of perspective. I wouldn't cry these days over something as small as a roof over my head.
Theric and I lived in some pretty uncomfortable places in Provo because it was all we could afford. Sometimes it wasn't so fun but we now look fondly back on our teeny tiny basement apartments and the interesting experiences we had there.
Good luck on your search....should I get you a gun as a wedding gift instead of new bed sheets?
Yeah, no crying so far from me OR from GF, but it's still lame.
LS, I remember some of those places. They were sweet and covered in books. :-) I'm all for teeny tiny as long as it's in a relatively safe area. And it's not that I'm snobby, but GF will be working some graveyard shifts so I don't want to be worried about being there alone at night.
I think searching for an apartment is a LOT of reading between the lines. When we were looking for a place-- in a city we were moving to 1500 miles away (read: we didn't know the city well); I asked the manager of one apartment complex what the demographic of the residents living there was. I felt this was an honest question. We had run into some 55+ senior living places as well as some low-income housing, that we didn't qualify for-- barely. I just wanted to know if "young professionals" or "young families" would fit in the neighborhood we were contemplating moving in to.
Anyway, after asking about the demographic, the manager got really defensive and stammered back to me, "They're people! . . . I mean, that's all I can really tell you about them. . . . Uh, we don't really keep track of things about their lives or anything like that."
I got leery after that point. I noticed he was trying to hide something. Anyway, we crossed that place off our list-- and after living here for over a year, are SO glad that we decided against that place. There's definitely a reason the rent was as cheap as it was. It was a rough part of town.
Good luck with your search.
So that's a yes on the gun then?
Also, our dwelling is still covered in books.
Sorry, that's actually a no on the gun. I don't think that would make me feel much safer. A DOG, on the other hand . . .
We lived at Willow Glen apts in SLC and loved it. Beautiful area (we even had blackberry bushes out our back window) quiet, and affordable. They are about 45th S and 13th E. it's pretty close to the 215 on ramp so the airport was a quick drive. Good luck!
I love that SNL skit! Good luck finding a place that's not a dirty hole with crackheads next door!
Dog? You want a dog? A dog that barks when strangers are around? I have a dog for you. I'll let you have it for free. I'll even pay to send it to you. What do you say?
Cool, I love Gabby! I think coolboy might have words about that, though.
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