My cute old man rocks!

We got the apartment!! It's a two bedroom with one bath and a large kitchen (for an apartment). We have counters and cabinets on three sides, a window over the sink and a dishwasher. I couldn't take interior pics cause it was such a mess (single father with a young son). So here's a tour of the outside.

The sign I spotted in the dark on Wednesday night. The 'God thing' in all this is that I happened to wander up this street and happened to turn around in this driveway. I was the first and only person to ever see the apartment!

Our apartment is on the second floor in the back.

These stairs separate the two top apartments which means we don't have to share any walls with anyone else. Surrounded by trees, the whole apartment floats in green. (Bay Area, I officially forgive you the brown of San Jose.)

Our carport. The back wall is cabinets for locked storage (for camping/climbing/skiing and biking gear!! Sweet!!)

One dollar to wash and free to dry!

Our street. The theory is we won't mind the 5 am walk on such a pretty street. We'll see if it ends up being true.

As reported, the Caltrain station is at the end of the street. Keep walking and you'll find a pet store that carries Muttola's brand of dog food, a Crepe Cafe, and the main street of Menlo Park. We're going to try living with just one car. I have my Vespa fantasy in the back of my mind, but we'll see if it's necessary.

Bonus Number 1
Withing easy walking, biking, (or scooter) range of the house is a city park featuring two pools. For $5 a session or $40 a month I can access lap swims, adult swim team, deep water aerobic classes and women's water polo!


Bonus Number 2
Our friends are giving us this eight foot long sofa. O's father owns a minivan we can use to transport it to our new place.


Some of my old man's classic quotes today:

"Now, you should know that your neighbors downstairs are a mother and son. Her son is black, but he's very nice. We haven't had a bit of trouble from him. He's 11 years old and busy all the time with after school activities."

"I know you said your dog has a crate, but I'd really feel better if you just give her the free roam of the place. Maybe you could leave the sliding doors open so she can get some sun on the balcony."

"We recycle here. I'm in a deaf club and I turn in all the aluminum to pay for our snacks for club."

"Your neighbors across the hall weren't married when they moved in, but my plumber was there doing some work and saw a marriage certificate on the wall. We were so happy to hear that!"

How much do you want to bet that he eventually tells someone about the nice Chinese man who lives in apartment 4?