What apartment should I take?
 

Im moving. I have given notice at my apt that I will be out of here 07/01. I have been approved for an apt in a cool, funky area of town that I love. It is very, very funky though. When I drove up I thought I could/would never live there. It was built in the 60s and is a cement building which is filthy. It has exposed outside stairs that lead to my door which are extreme funkiness. Its just awful. Then, I walked in. This apt is sort of perched over the river with a wall of windows. There is great corner fireplace, and there are 2 sliders (one in the bdrm) that look over the river or trees. In addition it has 3 decks (of course one wonders if they should step on the before finding out they hold just fine). I also have a small wharf. This apt rents for $995/mo and means a longer, more messy commute. I can walk a somewhat short distance to groovy parks and shops and so forth, and there is public transporttion about 9 blocks away (bus). It is a very liveable and enviable community overall.

Today I came across another apt for rent in a bldg I have had my eye on for years. It is around the corner from where I work and is very clean and tidy, just like me maybe. It is also in a good area of town, although different. It is very respectable and nice. It has good windows and a wood floor, with a retro kitchen. Its fine. I can walk to work and public transportation is 2 blocks away down a nice and quite residential street (bus, light rail). It rents for $775/mo and I can walk to work and other cool shops and restaurants. Forest Park is also within walking distance and is the cool groovy new Pearl district.

Im not sure what to do now.

You sound a lot more passionate about funky-town.
Will you feel safe? How bad is the commute, really?

I've done both types of places and learned to go with my gut.
I went for the place that made me feel like I was home, regardless of the commute and I found a bit more cash to live somewhere that was me.
That being said, trust your gut.
One of those places feels more like home when you're inside it.
Live there as long as finances and safety allow it.

i'm inclined to agree with noodle and jess, even though i don't really understand what you mean when you use variants of the funk when you talk about the first place.
funky--->smells in a particular way?
funky--->heavy accent on the one?
i thought funky town was a dance club...

the first place sounds very cool. i am a sucker of walls of windows, decks and docks....

Think Palm Desert before it was grooved-up, hipstered-out. White cement block, only instead of bleaching out in the hot sun these are exposed to wind, rain, rivery stuff, and all that PDX has to offer. There is nothing fine about these buildings on the outside. They are stained and dirty and the exterior steps are those open cement ones you often see in hotels of that era, with these thin wrought iron rails. They look dangerous, but they arent. The roof is flat. The whole building would look better with graffiti on it.

Inside there is a casualness that I like. If it were the beach I would lean my wet surfboard in the living room and not hesitate to throw a wet towel down. I dont think there are many rules at the funkshack. Inside there is sort of funky coolness, a myness I guess. It speaks to me.

I dont know about the other one yet. i havent been inside.

The first sounds infinitely cooler but the ability to sleep in a little late before work or to spend your lunch break on your own couch would seal the deal for me.

And with the money saved on rent you'd probably be able to spend more time enjoying funkytown rather than paying funkytown premiums and prices for everything.

Personally, I've always liked the idea of minimising the commute time. The longest I've had was 45 minutes + waiting time. That was ok - I was close to the train at both ends and it gave me reading time. The shortest is now (10 steps from back door to shed/office at home). I would find it really hard going back to a 45 minutes each way every day commute.

Does the monthly rental difference mean much to you, given that the extra commute is also going to eat into the cash?

This really is a pretty personal decision, though. How much is the better/funkier outlook worth to you :)

You beat me to it.

I've always been partial to apartments with a strong backbeat.

For some reason, I am not in favour of choosing my home because it's close to work...I just can't live in function of where I work. Though I can see the attraction. In my free time, I want to be in the area I want to spend my free time in. Which is what I currently do. I have a 45 min commute + waiting time also.

I agree that walls of windows, a deck and a wharf are very appealing...just make sure you will make the most of it though, otherwise it's pointless having them. I would find it hard to live somewhere funky (in the negative sense). I like new and clean...or at least renovated heh. I'd definitely go with the place where I feel most at home in. With my current house, I had seen lots of other before it, but when I walked in it, and saw it, I knew that it was the one I would choose.

I also have never heard of groovy parks but I'm curious to see one! ;)

well, it sounds like you should just follow these instructions:

Dude! Im funkin out!

Youve made my morning.

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Where is the funky apartment, neighborhood-wise?

The second sounds like the better deal, to be honest--NW is a great neighborhood, one of my high-school era haunts--and 775/mo sounds like a great deal for that part of town.

How secure are the front doors and walls of windows?

Do a drive by late at night for a short spell. A couple of times, if possible. Do you hear any noises such as trains/cars/factories/clubs/neighbors/etc that would keep you awake at night? If you prefer quiet, is it quiet? If you prefer noise, is it noisy?

What is the traffic like first thing in the morning in each area, when you would be trying to get to work? You could find this out from an ODOT cam, if there is one in the area. Even a bus can get caught in those snares, but the Max doesn't. I hate how those PDX commutes can double at rush hour. Do you have to change buses? Do the bus drivers smile and pass out candy?

Do you take public transport to the grocery store? How many blocks/buses do you have to contend with those bags?

I couldn't tell you how to find out how many police calls are made in the areas, but I've avoided areas before that I knew were trouble areas. It sounds like you have an idea of how safe each area is, though, if you've had your eye on them.

I know others think of it as an adventure, but oh how I hate moving.

Neither apt is in a high crime area and Im sorry if I gave this impression - instead they are kind of hipster vs hippie hang out areas. Nonetheless, the one is very funky. One is in NW a few blocks from Good Sam on a nice street. It is basically a nice box with wood floors - there is no outdoor space. The advantage of this is that I could walk a block for coffee or dinner or whatever. It would offer all the best of downtown living, with a bit more sophistication than the funkshack. The fshack is in Sellwood on the river away from the bridge. It has that wonderful feel with lots of light and decks. It feels private, but its not. However, it is away from the main neighborhoods. It is about 9 blocks from the main street (Tacoma). It is also urban living, but with a twist and more pop.

The NW place is small at 550 sq ft, and most of my living I imagine would be done on the street - restaurants, coffee shops, etc. You know, the city life. The fshack is larger, lighter, more livable, but less convenient, etc.

Hey. Thanks for talking to me aabout this.

Sellwood is a lot less convenient if you're reliant on public transportation to get around; in NW you not only have the MAX but you also have the streetcar, and it's a lot easier to walk around. Sellwood can also be more of a family-oriented neighborhood depending on where you live in it--so it all depends on what you're looking for.

Where you're talking about in NW is a great spot. That would be my choice, personally.

id go with the 2nd one for the same reason as manic.

commuting can be a bitch!

Thanks friends.

Im going to funkytown. Until I walked into the NW apt I thought I would go with it. The location, with no commute, and the tidiness of the apt couldnt be beat, nor could the rent. The light was okay. There was a small shared outdoor space toward the back that was sweet and private. The laundry room was funky with just one washer/dryer for 8 apts. The apt itself was small, too too too small. It really seemed the size of a studio with a wall. No, it wasnt for me.

I guess Ill have to go get groovy on the river. I sign the papers tomorrow and will have one last look before I do, but still. You know a girls gotta groove.

besitos
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Is signed the papers today and Im pleased. Upon a second look I realized its not as funky as I thought, instead its just old. There are beautiful plants and roses around the property and it wind around and goes back into some quaint little nooks. Right down my stairs is the entrance to the pier and a private space that I could call my own pretty much. Theres a bench by the river and other fab things. I think it will probably pretty much be a little like living in a small OR beach town actually. Down where I am in sort of like an isolated little time warp of its own, but if I walk a few blocks Im in the middle of a busy, bustling urban center. Cool.

I have to figure out the commute and the best way to go, but I am aready feeing more alive at the prospect of moving.

Thanks again.

That's the thing about Portland--there are all these strange little pockets of old neighborhoods and even old towns that have sort of been swallowed up by the larger urban monster of PDX. Sellwood is definitely one of those old funky places. I'm sure you'll like it--and before too long, the City of Portland is planning to extend serious public transportation down that way, not just buses: http://trimet.org/projects/index.htm

Congrats on signing the papers. Your new neighborhood sounds interesting. I live in suburban hell. So, I'm a bit jealous.


Damn! And I never got a chance to post some funk. Here it is anyway:

I dont work on Fridays.

There are 7 steps down and 18 up.

I friggin hate moving.

Moving sucks. I'm getting packed to move next weekend...:eek: I'm a little scared but also super-excited--it's one of those things where it will be awesome once it's over and done with, but in the meantime it's incredibly stressful. :grumpy:

curtis knows.

Being from the Gold Coast of CT, every time people from the rest of the country (with a few exceptions, notably NYC and urban CA) start talking about apartment prices, I wonder if they forgot a "1" or "2" at the front of the numbers. The rest of the country is so ... affordable.

If it weren't for the familiarity and everyone I know living here, I would get the fuck out, but this is home and I feel a strong bond to it and its bullshit inflated prices.

Thank you roachboy for the lift in spirits on my way to ftown. Im listenin to Curty right now and groovin.

Hey Snowy! C'mon and dance!

It'll be easier to dance once it's over and done with, but I suppose I can take a short break. Today we're getting rid of a lot of stuff--got people coming over to pick up couches, televisions, and even a kegerator--and it all must be cleaned up before it goes.

kegerator?

A refrigerator that's been modified to hold a keg--that's all ours is, a fridge with shelves removed and has holes drilled in it at appropriate places to fit tubing for the keg and the CO2 tank. There are fancier models, such as this one: but some of those do not fit full-size kegs, and don't necessarily have room for a larger size CO2 tank.

A kegerator? Jeez Snowy - inventive. Where you movin to?

So the stairs to my apt are not only brutal, but they are truly funky. They are metal with cement aggregate blocks inlaid. (Were talkin the last vestiges of mid-century style here.) Under the aggregate is more metal that is painted. That paint is peeling off and just a mess, with the metal all rusty. Of course if you dont look too closely or under them you dont tend to notice. But when youre standing on the twelfth step for the 14th time in 80 degree weather looking at a cool river you might tend to sit down and just take a look around you and soak it all up. That includes the paint.

About halfway up I begin to experience just a bit of vertigo, at least with my arms full and not grasping the railing. So I suppose this next year will be dizzying. What have I gone and done? Longer commute, high up, totally new side of the tracks. Im totally excited and totally freaked!

I have to go back there today, and climb those steps.

Shit.

We're only moving about half a mile from our current location. The deal is that my parents are on the verge of retirement, and they've always wanted a historic home in a real town--right now they live in the boondocks of Washington state. They dislike it because it's overly conservative and they have to drive 20+ miles to get anywhere. So they came down a few months ago and looked around my town to see if there were any houses they liked, because they thought the community fit the bill as to what they were looking for. They were just trying to get a feel for the market, but ended up seeing this Tudor Revival and falling in love with it. Badabing, badaboom...next thing I know they've refinanced their current house and they've bought this one. My SO and I will get to live in for a year to two years and work on it for them--it needs some love. It's very exciting!

Mostly my mother is excited about the fact that this house is 2.5 blocks from the hippie food co-op, a coffee shop, and a small garden center; it's 5 blocks to Fred Meyers and another coffee shop, and only 6 blocks or so to Oregon State University and Monroe Street, with lots of bars and restaurants. It's also right across the street from a bus stop, and the bus line goes downtown (though at 1.5 miles, it's easily bikeable or walkable). I'm excited to stay in town but move to a much nicer house in a nicer neighborhood, where I can actually have cats and a garden.

This sounds fab Snowy! Im assuming that you will be living there sans folks, or will they will be living there too?

So guess what Im doing? Im sittin here in my funky new shack, all moved in and pretty much unpacked! Im bruised, broken, and crinkled, but Im here!

Im pretty much moved. Im tired. Here are some pics of interior apt so far. Goodnight.

Shit. I know Oregon is friendly to my hobbies, and with that kind of apartment for 775 I might have to say "fuck the East Coast" and move out there.

Very cute! And on the water?!?! Niiiiice view.

Late to the party, but you definitely did the right thing. Work is work. When you're home, you want to feel like you've escaped to a place that just feels right.

Congrats on the new digs!

Nice place, girldetective. I'd love to live near the river like that. There really aren't many places here that have good river views without the risk of flooding. Strange to think that the river that flows through my town flows right past your window--I'm sending a hello downstream to you.

And yes, I'll be living in my new abode sans parental units. We get to live there and work on it for them until they retire, which will be in a year or two or three.

great looking place...love the natural light! congrats!

nice--the place where i am editorboy is that close to a river. it freaks me out less in your photos.

nice apartment. well played.
i like the way the curtain resolves into an enormous wine glass in the first photo too.

i see why you chose it and my goodness, it's gorgeous.
may you find the happiness there you suspected you might.

Im finishing the move today, some of the stuff that Im moving to the house rather than with me. High to be in the 90s. Im already hot and tired, and crying. Yesterday I was carrying some pots of roses up my stairs when I dropped one of them. The pot scraped my shin and bled all over. This has not been a good week. Let me say it again, I hate moving.

Two pics of the dock, looking straight down from my kitchen balcony:

You're almost there, and so are we! But yeah, I can't believe the heat. The weather guy is now saying 99 degrees, up from the predicted 95. :(