I have a new apartment!

Well, technically it isn’t mine yet, but I expect in another few days the lease will be signed and I’ll officially have the place. And it is gorgeous! A BIG one-bedroom apartment, hardwood floors, fantastic view of the city, big yard in back, attached garage that can double as an artist’s studio, AND lots of storage space under the house! And I got it for I’d guess a good $400-500 under market value. I’m psyched.

The only downside to this particular apartment is that it’s located near (but not in) a bad part of town. About three or four blocks away is an area I wouldn’t want to walk in at night (or even in the late afternoon). But I interrogated a couple of neighbors about it yesterday and today and they unanimously said that yes, the neighborhood a couple blocks away was bad, but up on the hill it was fine. So I’m reassured by that.

I’m incredibly excited by the amount of space I’ll have. Apartments in San Francisco, at least the cheaper 1-bedroom type, tend to be quite small, so space is at a real premium. This place is big enough to give me the luxury of a real live living-room–not a living room doubling as craft space, computer desk, and so on. I wonder what that will be like?

The owner wanted to start the lease as soon as possible, so we’re targeting a March 1 move-in date. Which makes my own moving date March 3-4…i.e. a week and a half from now. Yikes!! I’d better start packing fast.