move-in date: oct. 1

perhaps it was the finger-crossing or perhaps the powers may be decided that it was our time, the stars aligned and we now have an apartment ready for move-in on october 1! for the past five days, we have looked at apartments all over downtown - east/west village, soho, lower east, and up to gramercy. there were a few in which we grunted "hmm eh okay..." but for the most part, they were all pretty disappointing. either the spaces were too small, the natural lighting too dim, the neighborhood isn't ideal, the building looks worn down or the prices are too high - there was always something wrong with it.

then we walked into this 3-br in the east village, one block away from union square. first of all, it is on the second floor - HUGE plus. i've been living on the 5th floor and my future roommates' current place is on the 6th floor, so let's just say, we all have buns of steel by now (not really, just sore, bad knees). then, the moment we walked into the apartment, i think the three of us shared a silent moment during which our hearts all skipped a beat. it is, by no means, a spacious apartment - the rooms are small (2 full-bed sized rooms, and 1 queen-bed sized room without a closet), but i'm just going to take a moment here to yell out...

WE HAVE A PATIO!

YES. a patio. our very own outdoor space to put a small table (beer pong, perhaps?) and chairs, pot plants, hang xmas lights, hang out and be merry in! maybe we are putting too much emphasis on this patio, but let's be honest, this city is so small and cramped with people that to have our own patio is like having a never-ending slice of that last piece of cheesecake in the box. on top of that, the unit is going to be newly renovated with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, marble bathroom, dishwasher and a washer/dryer if we choose to have it and oh, did i mention? A PATIO! :)

all in all, for the price that we negotiated down to, i think we are happy with the outcome. we are essentially giving up bedroom space to be in a desirable neighborhood, a clean and well-maintained building and in a unit with brand-new everything. hopefully we won't get sick of each other in that small space. we joked about having a 2-roommate-at-once-only rule for the common room, meaning one roommate has to always be out on the patio. let's hope that that stays a joke ;)