A Crazy SLC Adventure...

Oh my heck! Today I had a crazy adventure in SLC and luckily, Christopher tagged along so I wasn't all by myself. Last week I was offered a job as a writing intern at LDS Church Headquarters in SLC. So, naturally, I have to find a place to live. Oh and don't worry, this coming weekend (Aug. 6-8) is the only time I can move before I start my job because next weekend I will be in St. George and I start work on Monday, August 16. Found out about job on Thursday, July 29...must find apartment by Friday, August 6. To be honest, I started browsing the internet for apartments before I was even offered the job, just in case. What can I say, I'm a planner. I have always had this dream of living downtown in my own cute, little place and walking to work like in "The Devil Wears Prada" and "You've Got Mail"; complete with my very own, custom soundtrack playing in the background. Yeah, found out tonight that's not such a realistic reality.

In my searching online, I found a studio apartment in the Aves of SLC, just east of Temple Square; literally, a 2 minute drive or 10 min walk to work. Based off the pictures and description online, it looked like a great place. The building was built in 1927 and looked exactly like what I was looking for in an apartment. Unfortunately, when I pulled up to the apt tonight, it didn't exactly look the way it did in the picture. Earlier in the day I texted Chris to see if he could meet me so I wouldn't have to go by myself. I was even more happy I had decided to do that when I pulled up to the place. Thanks to the phenomenon of technology, Chris and I both entered the same address to get directions and google took us each two different places: me to the right place, Chris to student housing on the other side of town by the University of Utah. 20 minutes, several illegal driving maneuvers, and 11 red lights later (all while carrying on a hilarious phone conversation with me), Chris finally made it to the right destination.

We walked into what Chris called "The Haunted Mansion", thank you Disney reference, and up several flights of stairs to the top of the building. The more steps we took the more foreboding and ridiculous the apartment seemed to become. We get to the top and I creek the door from the stairs to the hallway open and begin to search for apt #20. We find the right door, get the key out of the "lock box", and enter the quaint, studio apartment. A familiar musty odor invades our nostrils as we gaze around the room. Pictures can be quite deceiving. Sure there's a full-size fridge...from 1970. Oh and the classic clawfoot tub...very small and in a bathroom where the toilet water is brown and there's a window that connects to the kitchen so you can fish for food while you're in the bath. Chris's favorite feature of the place was a side door that I think was supposed to hold an ironing board, but one probably hasn't been there since 1934. He opened it, we went into the kitchen, and it popped open again. This scenario repeated itself several times. Finally Chris gave up at attempting to make the door remain in place. The place did have a lovely, very spacious closet...which smelled of old socks and rat poop...that's where I want to hang my dresses and shoes. Although each component rivaled each other, I'd have to say the windows were the most fun. Every window Chris tried to open wouldn't open. I got two open and we both gazed out at the ancient fire-escape, which consequently ends on the second floor. If there was a fire and you used the fire escape, you would escape death, but definitely not a broken leg or two. Interesting setup nonetheless. The fire-escape would serve as a lovely backdrop for potted plants, maybe even a tiny herb garden. Ah but alas, it will not be. Surprisingly, each window pane had a set of tiny, bunged-up blinds. Chris and these blinds did not get along, resulting in two especially intense fights. The blinds totally won.

For kicks, I described where I could put each piece of my furniture and how I could set up the place. We even made a video this place was so horrific...that will be coming, don't worry! Chris took a few pics too, so I'll have to post those as well. Needless to say, finding this apt was an epic fail. You know it's bad when the place rivals Chris's apts from when he was in Detroit. Not such a great set up for a 23-year-old single girl. Enough said. Although an epic fail, it was quite the adventure. One I won't soon forget.