Apartment Living

My last apartment was completely hardwood floors with a clause that said at least 80 percent of the floors needed to be carpeted. I lived on the second of three floors and never heard a peep from upstairs. My downstairs neighbors, however, probably did because I opted not to spend the money on carpeting for a place I'd be renting for a year. And I pace like a crazy person while on the phone. Sometimes it's my only exercise.

 

My last apartment in SF, great (but old) 6 unit Victorian, crown molding, 11 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, double sash windows. No dishwasher, no garbage disposal, but a garage spot. Stayed there for 12 years.

Never got the top floor though and nothing worse than sleeping off a Friday night out and getting woken up by someone's kid running around and dropping what sounds like a bowling ball on the floor at 6 am. I was never as happy as the day they moved out. Also had a tenant who was a fantastic, brilliant lawyer, Harvard Law grad, but he had the demon. Literally just passed out from coke binges which I could see from my kitchen window. Next day, he'd be up in his suit like nothing happened. Strange.

Also had neighbors upstairs who were married and young. Awkward sets in when wifey goes out of town and you hear the ruckus upstairs and you know its not her moaning and rocking the boat. Then you go tee it up with the guy for your regular 18 holes and act like everything is hunky dorey.

Loved living alone while single though. Fun times. Everything is just where you left it and every mess is the fault of the guy in the mirror. Fried spam sandwiches at 10 for dinner after hoops for 2 hours at the gym. Awesome.

 

Fried spam sandwiches are never fucking awesome. Never.

 

The only time I wake up before 11 a.m. on weekends is if I'm on assignment.

Fortunately, we live in a house and it's usually far enough away from neighbors that we don't hear them and they don't hear us.

Except one neighbor has a dog that barks at like 2 a.m. Drives me insane.

 

Amen. I lived directly below the kitchen in my parent's house all the way through high school and they never understood how them walking around at 6 in the morning sounded like thundering elephants.

Even worse, my cat's favorite game to play at 3 in the morning was, "Let's roll the golf balls all over the upstairs!!!" Most annoying sound ever.