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pseydtonneWe worked really hard on a decision. It came down to these:
We had called about a place on Curson, several blocks south but only three blocks east. They were having an open house at 5 pm on Saturday. We had visited the gorgeous place off Olympic at 2 and went to get burgers about two blocks away on La Brea. The lady behind the counter (a couple years our junior, clearly hip) told us this neighborhood is dead at night and West Hollywood was a real place. The consensus was that there were either decently to-do families or post-college kids in the neighborhood, but they avoided each other.
After lunch we kept walking up La Brea and down Wilshire to get a better sense of the area. We hated it, just as we had hated the walk from the Fairfax bus up Olympic. We felt like we were on an expensive version of the moon. We saw Hancock Park, where I think we only had to get out of the way of one other pedestrian. Walk walk walk, get coffee, overhear some guy have a crazed conversation about the Devil running the Catholic Church, walk walk, get to the place on Curson 2 minutes late.
Sienna really hates to be late. We were only reassured when we found four other couples milling out front. After a few more minutes, one person got the balls to call the agent. He got some crap about "oh, I'll be there in twenty minutes". One minute later the same woman walks out to show the place -- what the? "Oh, I thought you meant the other address."
We all walk in and hear her say "there's a new fridge and microwave." Microwave? That's a feature? That's $100 at the better supermarkets in town. Then we look at the kitchen: it's a sink and oven embedded in a shelf against a wall of the living room.
We gave each other a look and walked right the heck back out. There were so many other people asking questions, one of which should've been "is this an overgrown efficiency or just a place for an anorexic?" We didn't feel we had to build an excuse when we left because we hadn't even said a word.
The next day we went back to the place on Genesee Ave to sign the papers and put a deposit. As we walked out we saw the same out-of-place guy from YGBK on Curson, the one that made the call. He was clearly in his fifties and was with his... daughter? Ridiculously younger lover? Humbert? Didn't matter. We just knew he didn't have a pet which is why we hadn't made an appointment with that place. We also knew that meant everyone was circling the same places and we were glad we'd decided.
Whatever sorrow I had for not taking the pad off Olympic is compensated by the pad on Genesee being our place, not simply my place. We are moving in together, starting a life together. Even if the kitty and I loved it after I had to rewire everything, it'd be a cold home without neighbors.
Also, it's Genesee Avenue. Genesee Street is the main drag in my home town, so I knew that name cold (jeh-neh-SEE). I can keep in mind that it's a turn on my home land: it's obviously not upstate New York, but it has something I can hang onto.
One last note: if you look on a map. Santa Monica Blvd is listed as California route 2. However it's also the historic US 66. I'm a map junkie and I'm going to live a couple houses from Route 66. Excellent.
-and all the non-classy supermarkets are 24/7 just like in upstate New York, Dante
- WeHo is an actual neighborhood. You can walk around and see people walking around. People don't walk around anywhere else in Los Angeles.
- We were physically exhausted from looking at every apartment by foot (and a couple buses -- we hadn't rented a car). We were also running out of time: we had to fly back Monday night with a deposit on something. This was already feeling like the Battan Apartment March. Thus spending more time hunting was not on the menu.
- Having a second bedroom means we can accommodate my telecommute office without cabin fever. This room can also be my studio and our guest room. Yes, we're aware that most of our friends are coming from far away and may need to sleep.
- Seeing so many happy dogs being walked.
- The Pac Man graffito on the sidewalk.
- The logo for West Hollywood on the cop cars:
. - Proximity to Canter's Deli.
- Vibrator shop, DJ equipment shop and Russian deli about thirty seconds from the house.
- We'd seen the You Gotta Be Kidding apartment and it triggered the end of our hunt.
We had called about a place on Curson, several blocks south but only three blocks east. They were having an open house at 5 pm on Saturday. We had visited the gorgeous place off Olympic at 2 and went to get burgers about two blocks away on La Brea. The lady behind the counter (a couple years our junior, clearly hip) told us this neighborhood is dead at night and West Hollywood was a real place. The consensus was that there were either decently to-do families or post-college kids in the neighborhood, but they avoided each other.
After lunch we kept walking up La Brea and down Wilshire to get a better sense of the area. We hated it, just as we had hated the walk from the Fairfax bus up Olympic. We felt like we were on an expensive version of the moon. We saw Hancock Park, where I think we only had to get out of the way of one other pedestrian. Walk walk walk, get coffee, overhear some guy have a crazed conversation about the Devil running the Catholic Church, walk walk, get to the place on Curson 2 minutes late.
Sienna really hates to be late. We were only reassured when we found four other couples milling out front. After a few more minutes, one person got the balls to call the agent. He got some crap about "oh, I'll be there in twenty minutes". One minute later the same woman walks out to show the place -- what the? "Oh, I thought you meant the other address."
We all walk in and hear her say "there's a new fridge and microwave." Microwave? That's a feature? That's $100 at the better supermarkets in town. Then we look at the kitchen: it's a sink and oven embedded in a shelf against a wall of the living room.
We gave each other a look and walked right the heck back out. There were so many other people asking questions, one of which should've been "is this an overgrown efficiency or just a place for an anorexic?" We didn't feel we had to build an excuse when we left because we hadn't even said a word.
The next day we went back to the place on Genesee Ave to sign the papers and put a deposit. As we walked out we saw the same out-of-place guy from YGBK on Curson, the one that made the call. He was clearly in his fifties and was with his... daughter? Ridiculously younger lover? Humbert? Didn't matter. We just knew he didn't have a pet which is why we hadn't made an appointment with that place. We also knew that meant everyone was circling the same places and we were glad we'd decided.
Whatever sorrow I had for not taking the pad off Olympic is compensated by the pad on Genesee being our place, not simply my place. We are moving in together, starting a life together. Even if the kitty and I loved it after I had to rewire everything, it'd be a cold home without neighbors.
Also, it's Genesee Avenue. Genesee Street is the main drag in my home town, so I knew that name cold (jeh-neh-SEE). I can keep in mind that it's a turn on my home land: it's obviously not upstate New York, but it has something I can hang onto.
One last note: if you look on a map. Santa Monica Blvd is listed as California route 2. However it's also the historic US 66. I'm a map junkie and I'm going to live a couple houses from Route 66. Excellent.
-and all the non-classy supermarkets are 24/7 just like in upstate New York, Dante
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 06:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 09:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 12:11 pm (UTC)Congrats!
no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 02:45 pm (UTC)*hugs you*
no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 04:06 pm (UTC)Also, since you're going to be in the area (ish), I found this and thought you might be intrigued.
http://www.sodapopstop.com/. Lots of obscure/old brands of soda. there's a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM
no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 07:13 pm (UTC)I took the 780 express bus from my new neighborhood to Pasadena, then the Gold Line from Memorial Park to Highland Park, then walked up Avenue 57 to York Blvd. Totally worth the trip, although next time I'll drive it so I can stock up.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-20 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-21 09:33 pm (UTC)Anyway, congratulations. One of these days, I plan to move to Los Angeles, assuming 1) I can scrape up enough money, and 2) can find an apartment with good mass transit access (something that's gradually getting easier in metro LA).
no subject
Date: 2011-07-22 06:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-26 05:38 am (UTC)Let me know when you're mildly settled in and I (and/or Garrett) will come down to LA and hang out! I am looking forward to meeting Sienna and hearing about your new lives in WeHo. ;)
no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 11:55 pm (UTC)Can we make a tentative plan for next gay pride? Pending whether or not it conflicts with alt.gothic's Convergence, which is going to Buffalo.
http://lapride.org/
http://www.lagaycenter.org/site/PageServer