Crunch Time!

It seems I may be revamping my summer plan a bit. It looks like I won't be taking that grand trip to another country before school starts. I know, it's sad.

But I promise to make up for it when I graduate. Right now it seems too over-priced (and humid) to go to Western Europe like I hoped, and I wasn't able to find someone to go to Costa Rica with me, because most of my friends just went there within the last year. And the rest just don't have vacation time or can't leave town in late July.

(--Unless someone out there offers to be my Costa Rica travel buddy. Airfares look good for it right now! Anyone? Someone?)

But this may be just as well, because I haven't yet pinned down an apartment in New York. So I may decide to leave San Francisco sooner, like end of July or August 1 to stay with my NY cousin temporarily while I find an apartment!

Well, this way, I can spend the remainder of July, enjoying more of being in San Francisco, refining my home-karaoke system, finishing my homework, and gradually preparing for my move (selling most of my furniture, car, and a third of my clothes & junk). And like KT said, going to NY is kind of like one giant vacation away (unless I end up staying there).

I've been apartment-hunting in NYC for about 3 days. I have 6 more appointments tomorrow. There are interesting prospects, but nothing so far seems like the perfect combination of features/ location/ safety/ quiet/ neighborhood-feel/cost. It seems there are near-good places, but each one has its one random thing that's just a little off... so hopefully I'll find something that feels more fully-well-rounded tomorrow.

Anyhow, I don't think I'll realistically lock down an apartment this week. I've been targeting Chelsea, Upper West, Midtown, and I looked at one Greenwich apartment. I was amazed by a brand-new high-rise luxury building in Midtown, a block from Madison Square Garden, but the neighborhood is a bit manic, and I don't think there's a lot of affordable restaurants nearby. It's a bit pricier than what I hoped to pay, but the amenities are fantastic (in-unit-laundry, gym, glorious city views, eco-friendly design, valet/concierge services, 24/7 doorman, etc.). Also I still have to sort out if my roommate and I will even financially qualify! And then someone else pointed out that there's a PAROLE office right near it. Hrmm.

If anything, it's been interesting to see the variety of apartments available. It doesn't seem quite as hopeless and scary as I thought, but maybe I'm just a bizarre optimist that way. My friend Dubbledubs just moved here last week, in temporary housing, for work. When I told him what I had seen so far, it kind of made him worried about how he would find a good place.

Well, I better go get some rest now, before my last day of manic apartment-hunting in 90+ degree weather! Wish me luck!