Van-city to Chi-town

Today marks the first day of the life pantastic in Chi-town (thank you Sabrina for the suggestion of my blog title!).

Chicago Sunrise.  View from the plane.

My best friend, Derek and I left Van-city at about 4:30pm yesterday to head into Seattle to catch our flight out to Chicago. It was a long day, with several lay-overs and a 2.5 hr flight delay. Long story short, we finally arrive in Chicago at about 10:00am with my 4 huge luggage in tow. It was a 15-hr travel day. We hardly slept, and we were EXHAUSTED when we arrived. Thank you, Derek - you have been amazing! Because of the flight delay, I was so nervous that we would miss our first appointment with my apartment hunting agent. Luckily, we made it to our meeting point with 10 minutes to spare.

I have appointments set up with two different agents today. The first one, named Crosby, is this 20-something year old, super fashion-forward, "smooth" real estate agent. He reminds me a lot of Frank from The Bachelorette (Sylver would be VERY happy to hear, although thank GOD he didn't were a deep-V neck wife beater to meet us!). We saw three different properties with Crosby. The first one was VERY expensive, nearly $1400 + Utilities per month. It was nice, but out of my price range. The second place was $1095/month with all Utilities included. It is actually part of a hotel/motel. The units were tiny with very outdated decor. I mean red-wall, green-carpet, wall-paper oudated. It was pretty funny. The BEST part about this apartment was the kitchen. They put the kitchens in the closet. I am NOT joking. The Leasing Manager of the aparment/hotel opened a closet door by the entrance, and what to you know, in it was a little kitchen. I actually LAUGHED when I saw it. Although this apartment is at a great location, I just don't think I can cook in a closet. The third place we saw is a ways away - about 20 minutes walk from the school. It was $1250/month and in a fantastic neighborhood. I loved the building and the units, but it was quite far away from groceries, etc. With the windy winters, I was a little wary of walking so far in the call to get to school and amenities. The other problem with this building is that no units are available right away and I would have to move in a month later. By the end of the meeting with Crosby, I was extremely anxious, feeling like I wouldn't be able to get an apartment afterall.

Derek (thank goodness for him) calmed me down and said not to worry until we've met with our second agent, Tyler and see what he has to offer first. Tyler was amazing - he was super nice and you can tell he is very experienced (probably about 30 years old, broke his wrist yesterday but still showed up to our appointment with his arm in a sling). He found me three amazing options: The first one is $1250/month + utilities. It is in a safe building with 24-hr doorman, it has an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, an AMAZING sundeck with a panorama view of the city (and front row seat to the Navy Pier, where the fireworks shows every Wednesdays and Saturdays in the summer); it is 2.5 blocks away from the school, 1 block away from the beach, and the grocery store (along with the hardware store, etc.) is across from the street. It is the perfect location with all the amentities and conveniences literally at my doorstep. The building is full of students from the Medical School and Law School, as well. I may get a unit ASAP and be able to move-in tomorrow (or alternatively wait a week until another unit is ready).

The second building he showed me was comparable to the first building in terms of location and amenities. It has a better floor plan, $1310/month, but I can't move in until August 22nd or September 5th. This building has an indoor tennis pool, a cyber-cafe that is PERFECT for studying, a 24-hr convenience store, etc. The first two buildings he showed me are super popular with Northwestern students, and I can see why.

The third option he showed me was an old hotel that is converted into a studio-only apartment. The building is also very close to the school, slightly further away than the first two buildings and in another neighborhood than the other two. It is $1055/month + electric (free cable and wi-fi is included in the rent!). The price is right, but the down side is that it is a bit further away from the grocery stores and everything else that I might need day-to-day. The building itself is also quite old, the hallways look like an 80's motel, but all the units are renocated and are super nice, with amazing floor plans and hardwood floors. It seems like a little apartment that has yet been discovered by the students. The best thing - it is move-in ready, and I can be get the apartment just tomorrow.

After meeting with Tyler, I'm left with another dilemma, WHAT DO I DO WITH THREE FANTASTIC OPTIONS? I've narrowed it down the the first building and the third building that Tyler showed me. The first building definitely has it all - the security, the location, the well-kept building and amenities, proximity to groceries, etc. The second building is $200 cheaper per month (which will turn out to be a $4000 saving over the 1 1/2 year that I will be here), but the building isn't as nice, and it is further away from grocery stores. It comes down to location location location. Convenience vs. money. Is the convenience worth the extra $4000?

I'm not sure what to do, but I need to make a decision by tomorrow. The first day in Chicago has been exhausting, but successful. I'm looking forward to doing some sigh-seeing tomorrow!