The Apartment

I hate apartment hunting.

I spent all summer looking at places online.  Not having a job meant no idea what my income would be.  Not having been here before meant no idea how safe it was.  I looked anyway.  I made a reservation at an extended stay hotel not terribly far from work until September 1 so I would have time to go looking for places and hopefully not feel rushed into something I didn't really want.

When I started looking online and in person, I wanted to be in a busier place, close to public transportation (the Gold Line specifically), in Pasadena.  I looked online and I drove up and down the streets of Pasadena.  I found the perfect apartment the first day I looked.  By the time I got to the rental place to turn in my application, someone else had already turned in theirs.  That was so discouraging.  I kept looking of course.

Have I mentioned how much I hate apartment hunting?  No place felt right.  Thank GOD Mom came to help.  She spent the days while I was at work calling and looking at places.  I met up with her after work and looked at places.  I started looking farther away from Pasadena.  I wanted to stay somewhat near the area still.  It was not terribly far from work (ish) but it was also not terribly far (ish) from friends.  Friends was important.  I didn't want to be so far that I wouldn't ever see them so that definitely factored into where I wanted to find a place.

FINALLY.  It seemed a lot longer than it was.  A week after I got here, Mom found me a place.  She was going to look at a different place and saw a sign for "washer and dryer included."  I really wanted laundry in my apartment.  As much as I hated Bellevue, I was spoiled with that apartment--laundry, dishwasher, 1 bedroom....  Mom decided to call the place, just to see how much it was, thinking it would probably be out of my price range.  It wasn't!  We went to go see it after work and I really liked it.  We went to go see one more after that and I liked that one a lot too and it was cheaper but it didn't have laundry.  I went back and forth in my head A LOT but decided that laundry was worth paying more.  It had almost everything I wanted--no dishwasher  :-( --and I felt safe.  That part was HUGE.  I was supposed to go look at a few places before and just didn't feel safe there so didn't even look.

We dropped off the application and fee on Friday.  Deposit on Saturday.  I haven't signed the lease yet but I got the keys on Sunday and have a cartload of stuff from Target there already.

One of the things I did was leave pretty much EVERYTHING I owned at Mom's storage unit and house (thanks Mom!).  So I have nothing for an apartment.  Everything I have is basically clothes.  I could fit everything I brought into my car and into a tiny dorm room at the BHP.  That means this move is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, but I have very supportive and HELPFUL parents.  New bed and couch will be delivered soon and then I'll start staying at the apartment and then maybe it will feel like I actually live here.  This hotel is fine, but living in my own place will be much better.