My search for an apartment came to a head today when I decided before I looked at 2 different apartments, that it was going to be one or the other.
In this corner we have a 1 bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a detached single home located steps from the Wissahickon regional rail train station and directly across the street from a bar. And in this corner we have a trinity, 2 bedroom with spiral stair case located in the heart (or should I say bowels?) of South Philly.
Since I have no choice but to take the process to the next level, i.e. credit check, applications and deposit, I had to weigh the pros and cons of both locations/spaces and make a decision this evening. Before I reveal the winner, let me describe in excruciating detail the layout, bright spots and negatives of each place so that you can feel my pain.
Location 1: Rochelle Ave
This one bedroom apartment is a first floor unit in a stand alone house (no houses connected on any side) with 4 units above it. The entrance to the apartment is actually not on the front of the house, but rather the side down an alleyway of sorts. To the immediate left of the house is a mechanic's garage that appears to be hurting for business. (It was closed at 11 AM on Friday?) About 50 yards down the street is the train station for easy access to the city, this may be concerning as it could be a high traffic area during commuting hours. Across the street is TJ Hogan's, a dive bar that may or may not be a haven for cocaine. The one and only idiot I know that frequents that joint is now completely consumed with the little white powder. Moving on to the particulars of the space itself...when you enter the apartment the kitchen unit is dead ahead, off to the side in the rather spacious room. The kitchen/dining room/living room are essentially this one room much like a studio apartment. The door to the place is actually towards the rear of the house, so the kitchen is against the back wall. As we move toward the front of the house there is a small hallway that contains a door to the full bathroom. Shitter, shower and sink are decent looking, and the room isn't that tiny. At the end of this very short "hallway" (we're talking 4 feet maybe) is the door to the bedroom. This room is huge! It's as big as the kitchen/living room. From the front of the house, the bedroom is behind the front windows where you would expect a living room to be. The interesting layout appeals to me. As an added bonus there is another shitter/sink in the bedroom in addition to a closet. Washer/Dryer are located on site with access to all residents of the 5 units in the place via a key. What I don't like about the place is everything is electric (heat/stove), some of the outlets look shody (missing cover plates),the kitchen and living are basically one room and the kitchen is "dated".
Location 2: Beulah Street
This trinity is located on a small, alley street between 7th and 8th street right off Dickinson in South Philly. Parking looked okay, even if the neighborhood didn't. On the 1500 block of this street there are a bunch of garages and only a handful of homes. Some of the homes look bombed out, but the street could be labeled quaint since there is little foot or street traffic. But it's rough looking, very urban. A friend who lives on this block describes it as "Post World War 2 Warsaw" and says that she feels safe living there. The good part about this place was that it is 2 bedrooms and $50 less a month than the apartment on Rochelle. Parking, 2 bedrooms, a whole house! What's not to love? So when you walk into this place you are smack dab in the tiny living room. It's basically about 10 feet by 15 feet and has hardwood floors. There is a spiral stair case that leads upstairs at the far right of the room and next to the spiral stairs is a door with window cutouts that conceals access to the gross, dirty basement. Around the corner from the living room is the kitchen which was nothing more than a stove, sink and a couple cabinets. (No fridge?) There is a small cement yard beyond the kitchen that looked like it could hold a grill and not much else. Up the spiral stairs to the 2nd floor we have a small room and the bathroom. Nothing special about this, looks kind of grubby, but it could have been the lack of heat in the place that contributed to my feelings that the bathroom looked cold. Up another spiral stair case, we enter directly into the top floor bedroom which was described as a Loft. The ad failed to mention the 6 foot ceilings in this loft. Or the closet door that was a regular sized door with the bottom sawed off leaving the door knob closer to the ground than anyone besides Verne Troyer would appreciate. This room was decent sized, with a couple of windows, but the low ceilings might be trouble. And a fat guy and spiral stairs are not a good mix.
So there you have it, a dissection of what I have to choose from as my next humble abode. Considering all the options, I've opted for the 1 bedroom located literally around the corner from my current house. It's easier to move there, parking is ample on the street, I know the area, I love 2 bathrooms since I love to shit and I think I will be happier there. Rochelle Avenue gets the nod and now we wait and see. I'm anxious as all hell to make this nightmare end. I've wasted so many hours on this project, including the 45 minutes I've spent writing this post. Let it end.
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1 comment:
i am happy for u buddy. oh, and so is evitts. he'll be crashing at ur crib mon-sun!! Jeffs
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