Well, kids, we may be nearing the finish line of the apartment search. On the basis of (e:libertad) 's tip, we have a new top contender. True, it doesn't have fancy new appliances (although the fridge is new). Nor does it have an open garage spot (teasingly, it has a garage but no spot - but there is off-street parking in the driveway). The kitchen is sort of small, definitely not eat-in. And the stovetop is electric (groan). Finally, it's not within easy walking distance of Elmwood.

So what makes this place at all attractive?

Location. Despite the Elmwood problem, the place is literally across the street from Delaware Park, and, more importantly, is less than 10 minutes' walk from my office - which is HUGE because the parking situation at work is dismal. So this would eliminate my need for a car, at least to get to and from work. Sweet!

Neighborhood. Apparently quiet. We like it quiet.

Second floor unit. Ah yes, no one walking above us, and a single older gentleman on the first floor. Did I mention that we like it quiet?

Amenities. Screened in sunroom in the front of the house that looks over the 198 through to the edge of the park. Rear sunroom with 11 windows and a southern exposure. Both have French doors to the living areas of the flat. Dining room with nicely detailed walls and a ceiling fan. Living room with ornate windows on either side of the decorative fireplace. Excellent hardwood floors throughout. A (admittedly tiny) half-bath off the master bedroom. Washer and dryer in the basement. Storage in the attic.

OK, so it's not Shangri-La, but it is three bedrooms and two sunrooms within easy walking distance of work, park, and Metro stop, with off-street parking, for $800 + utilities.

And the landlord lives in the house behind this one - no absentee landlord here.

So I think we may have a new frontrunner.

But...

...did I mention the 2+ bdrm for $975 including heat and a garage spot on Lexington between Elmwood and Delaware? hmmmmmmm...


Anyway, here are some pics of the place near the park that a colleague of mine graciously provided:

Living room, with a glimpse of the foyer:


Living room, with a glimpse of the front sunroom


One half of the kitchen (dw and pantry not shown)


Full bath:


Master BR and little 1/2 bath:


View of the street, the 198, and the edge of Delaware Park:


The rear of the house, w/sunroom visible above:


Thanks, J.O.! And also (e:libertad) . :-)

So the apartment hunt goes on... we're looking into a lead from (e:libertad) that's pretty promising -- an apt overlooking Delaware Park and a short walk to work, w/ off st pkg for (e:chicoschica) -- and we've got someone checking it out for us this weekend. Also, we're still in the mix for the pretty apartment with the open floor plan and garage on Gates Circle (see pics below).

Not sure about W Utica, it's a great apt but we're a touch apprehensive about the first floor issue...and I've had trouble getting ahold of the landlord this week (ever since I asked if we could talk to the first floor tenant about why she's moving upstairs).

I just heard back from a guy about an apt (another first floor, damn) on the 200 block of Ashland Ave (between Hodge and W Utica). Here's the skinny:

big 3+ BR
lg foyer
frml DR
big EIK, not fully updated but clean; fridge+range included (no dw)
pantry
BRs are on small side
HW floors
1 garage spot in garage at end of L-shaped lot to side/behind house
locking garage door (not automatic though, no power to garage)
rear entrance to house
snow removal and yard maintenance included
furnaces less than 5 yrs old
W/D (for first floor tenant)
alarm available, tenant pays monitoring
attic storage available, basement too if wanted

rent 850 +utils

sorry no pics of Ashland...maybe forthcoming...

Anyway, if (e:libertad)'s lead works out, we'll probably go with that. It will mean driving to meet you guys on Elmwood, but I promise we'll make the trip. :-)


Gates Circle pix...

A New York Times article with chicks, bowling, an auto body shop, New Jersey (represent!) and Buffalo (OK, ok, Cheektowaga -- see article). I ask of you: does it get any better?

[Kelly] Kulick, a 29-year-old from Union, N.J., works part time in her father's shop, KBF Auto Body, in neighboring Elizabeth. For about five hours a day, she sits on a ripped and soiled desk chair in her office, handling dusty paperwork. Sometimes, she rolls up her sleeves and fixes fenders or bangs out dents.

This fall, though, Kulick will trade her life at the shop, where she is the lone woman surrounded by men, for a life on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, where she will be the lone woman surrounded by men.

At a tournament last week, she became the first woman to qualify for a season-long exemption on the P.B.A. Tour, a 20-event circuit that begins in October. She likened her accomplishment to Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs in tennis, but better, because that was a one-shot deal.

Now I don't follow pro bowling, but this is pretty inspiring stuff. Apparently the purses available to tournament-winning women bowlers are peanuts compared with the prizes that can be had on the men's tour. But how will Kulick handle the pressure?

"I do pretty well against the men, maybe because working at the shop has made me tough," said Kulick, the only employee who wears pearl earrings and makeup...

Kulick does not rub it in that she can beat men, but there is evidence that she is proud of it, like the ring tone on her cellphone, Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls."

And Kulick's mother, Carol, described the pep talks she gave her daughter during the qualifying tournament.

"What's better, testosterone or estrogen?" Carol Kulick asked Kelly over the phone.

"Estrogen!" Kelly answered.

"Who's going to be the first woman on the Tour?" Carol asked.

"I am!" Kelly answered.

I'm inspired. I'm jazzed. I'm ready to wear smelly rented shoes.

As Walter Sobchak once said, "Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling."


photo credit Richard Perry/The New York Times

Okay, so I'm really going to hear it from the Buffalo faithful on this one, but I can't let slide a front page story in the New York Times about Buffalo...if any other (e:strip)per already blogged on this, I apologize for duplications.

So Sam Roberts' article is titled, "Flight of Young Adults is Causing Alarm Upstate." Here's the first few paras:

Upstate New York is staggering from an accelerating exodus of young adults, new census results show. The migration is turning many communities grayer, threatening the long-term viability of ailing cities and raising concerns about the state's future tax base.
From 1990 to 2004, the number of 25-to-34-year-old residents in the 52 counties north of Rockland and Putnam declined by more than 25 percent. In 13 counties that include cities like Buffalo, Syracuse and Binghamton, the population of young adults fell by more than 30 percent...
"Make no mistake: this is not business as usual," Robert G. Wilmers, the chairman of M & T Bank in Buffalo, told his shareholders this spring. "The magnitude and duration of population loss among the young is unprecedented in our history. There has never been a previous 10-year period in the history of the upstate region when there has been any decline in this most vital portion of our population."
In New York City and the five suburban counties in New York State, the number of people ages 18 to 44 increased by 1.5 percent in the 1990's. Upstate, it declined by 10 percent.

Now this is probably not news to anyone in Buffalo, or downstate for that matter. I recall a Canisius prof describing the problem to me a couple of months ago. But it is distressing.

Here's another section:

....In almost every place upstate, emigration rates were highest among college graduates, producing a brain drain, according to separate analyses of census results for The New York Times by two demographers, William Frey of the Brookings Institution and Andrew A. Beveridge of Queens College of the City University of New York. Among the nation's large metropolitan areas, Professor Frey said, Buffalo and Rochester had the highest rates of what he called "bright flight."
Irwin L. Davis, president of the Metropolitan Development Association in Syracuse, which promotes economic growth in central New York, said, "We're educating them and they're leaving."
And Gary D. Keith, vice president and regional economist for M & T Bank, said, "Sluggish job growth is the biggest driver of out-migration among young upstate adults."
The decline in the 1990's in the population ages 18 to 44 of the 52-county upstate region was "chilling," he said.
"When the jobs don't grow, the people go," Mr. Keith said.

Which is why I kid about reversing the tide ((e:chico),#1). Buffalo Rising gets a plug in the article, which is nice, but I can't wait to hear from my mentor about this one. Last time he made an observation about Buffalo to me, it was based on a NYT article about people buying dilapidated houses on the East Side sight-unseen for $8,000 and then having to spend more money to demolish them.

Where the F is Buffalo's PR department? MIA or too busy doing damage control on the casino debacle I suppose.

Anyway, no real purpose to this post, just couldn't let it go without pointing it out.

No, really, I need a shower. Too many hours practically living in and out of (e:chicoschica)'s Subaru during the past two days.

I will say one thing: you can get a lot of apartment in Buffalo for your money. And one other thing: I can see why (e:jenks) likes Spot Coffee for people watching. Wish I had more time to sit and watch the world go by... but I was busy seeing apartments.

Surprisingly, given the WTF? kind of reaction of e-:strippers to Rand Avenue, it's a nice street. Nice in a residential, tree-lined sort of way. Short walking distance to Delaware Park, a Feel-Rite, Bagel Jay's and a couple of other businesses. And a slightly longish walk to Hertel. Apartments there are pretty spacious, and there's one we might end up taking. (Although it has a front porch that we would have to share with the upstairs tenant...ugh). Also a place on Tillinghast that's pretty nice.

North of the park feels almost like suburbs compared with Elmwood area though. We've got four contenders south of Delaware Park:

• Gates Circle, above the Curves for Women: great looking 2nd floor apartment, secure garage parking, heat included in rent. Two doors south of Hutch's. But as Nikki from (damn, forgot the restaurant--little diner joint on west side of Elmwood with outdoor seating) said, would you actually walk anywhere from there?

• Hodge, a half block W of Delaware, third floor apt mentioned in earlier post... big heating bills and weird parking restrictions that would force us to do some jockeying on a parked-up street near the hospital. Gorgeous apartment except for the kitchen which is still OK.

• W. Utica near the corner of Norwood, a very nice and well-maintained fully updated apartment. Security system, exclusive off street parking off a common alleyway, great new appliances. First floor, though, closer to west side, and some road noise from W. Utica including the buses.

• St. James Place, a block or so in (one way street) -- the dark horse candidate. Best address of the 4 in my estimation, just a great street. Place needs work though. New homeowners and a scary kitchen, which blows b/c we like to cook. Some rooms painted wacky colors (we could change them if we're willing to paint). Old appliances, on-street parking only. Beautiful front porch.

Knowing what you know about Buffalo, how would you rank these? Any thoughts? Let 'er rip, (e:peeps).

And as always, we are most grateful for your feedback.

P.S. Drove by 444 Linwood before I left town. Looks like a nice house but never did make any arrangements to see the inside...


UPDATE: Many thanks to everyone who provided feedback...we're still deciding (Gates Circle, W Utica, Rand, or wait) and I'll post again soon with a complete report for all of you (e:peeps) who just can't get enough of the strange NJ-Buffalo saga that is unfolding...