Browsing

I don't know what's more tiring: flying in a plane for 5 hours or apartment hunting for 5 minutes.  I looked at 3 places today and none of the places were near each other.  The first one is by some lake west of Ft. Worth.  It reminded me a lot of central Illinois (think: Decatur).  I spent an hour in traffic on I-35 because nothing stops a 2-lane freeway like cops giving out a ticket to some hapless driver.  I thought about walking around downtown Ft. Worth but I just drove through it on my way to Arlington.  

Arlington is a little scary.  The new Cowboys stadium looks a lot like that scene from the new Star Trek movie that shows the U.S.S. Enterprise being constructed.  Basically, it's hazy and gray and pokes through the clouds.  That monstrosity must've cost a billion dollars.  Anyway, I looked at one place in Arlington which left me shaking my head.  There was a "demo" apartment that was connected to the lobby office.  The weird green carpet was scary and the place was sort of dirty.  The girl in the office said that they use the demo place to eat and hangout.  

I've noticed that these apartments really try and weed out felons, or, on the case of this green carpeted place, multiple misdemeanors.  What I can figure out is how a bunch of traffic tickets would preclude ones being rejected.  

On the way to look at another apartment (which I could never find), I stopped at some random apartment complex to ask for directions.  The guy was nice but kind of pushy.  He was the owner of the place and he showed me one VERY lived in apartment.  He said that it belonged to some woman who got back together with her boyfriend.  It was a mess and dark and scary.  The apartment location is good (close to the freeway and what looks like a new Whole Foods Store).  

So far the nicest place was that one by the lake.  It's about 30 miles from here in Irving and there doesn't seem to be none of that retail/stripmall development that abounds in Arlington.  The lease term is 8 months.  Why would people choose an odd length?  What's wrong with 6 months?  Maybe the owners like the octal system.

I'm supposed to check out some place here in Irving tomorrow.  I'll do that and maybe check out whatever's north of here.   This apartment hunting is not enjoyable at all.  I have to do this (look, that is) but nothing seems to be directing me in one direction or another.   The Dallas-Ft. Worth area reminds me St. Louis only without the bizarro historical quality.  At least there's Mexican food, right?