what I will miss: my perch
Right at the top up there in the middle. That’s me! The (current) lair of the urban bohemian.
After getting out of that horrible roommate experience 5 years ago, I was really kinda lost. I’d already given up my car and didn’t look forward to trying to move out to the burbs again. I lucked out and scored this apartment via craigslist, beating out a few other applicants. And while having a cute place to live was good, my mind was mainly on having a place to live. Only after moving in did I notice how cute it was.
One of the main features was being 7 floors up–the highest I’d lived in DC*–and having not only a lovely view of the surrounding area, but also of the street below. I recall leaving the window open on the cooler Summer evenings and being able to hear the conversations and occasionally arguments of passersby. Sadly, I never saw anything juicy enough that had me yelling out for Abner, but I enjoyed looking down on my ‘hood.**
In the past year, there have been a lot more people moving into the area and a lot more to watch, but definitely more on the move than the natives. There’s no more hanging out in the evenings, just catching cabs and buses or running to cross the street. My new neighborhood is a lot quieter, so there isn’t as much to watch yet. I have a small balcony though, so I’m hoping that in time there will be more signs of life.
* My new place breaks that record as I’ll be on a much higher floor.
** Not looking down on it like that… well, not always.
Margaret used to love to watch the people on 16th Street from our window on the fourth floor of that building, back in ’95.
I was going to tell you to cheer up because soon you would be neighbors with the anti-gay Bishop Jackson, but it looks like he moved back out of your new building. I guess sharing a place with another man didn’t really look all that good to the public.
.-= latest entry: biochemistry through better living =-.
What a gorgeous building! Sounds like you made the right trade, though.
.-= latest entry: "Oh, what a strange magic" –Electric Light Orchestra =-.
@Kyle: I can’t confirm that he’s moved out. Where did you see that? Also, not just neighbors, but like 3 doors away from him. 😛
@lacochran: The old building is gorgeous, though I suspect the individual apartments aren’t “great”. I’ve seen some amazing renovations in there, but the underlying problems can’t be ignored.