Champagne Tastes, but a Beer Bottle Budget
Feb. 1st, 2009 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansIt's hard to believe that it was exactly a week ago today, at this hour, that I left Brenham for the Twin Cities. So much has occurred in this time frame - gathering information about the metropolitan area, fine-tuning my search for housing, visiting apartment complexes, learning how to drive on the different road conditions, identifying the theater companies who use Equity actors. I've spent hours online ... and on the road. So, what have I discovered or been reminded of in the first week?
Visiting a city is very different than living in a city. When you visit, your friends are more readily available, you're not looking for employment; it's not a normal situation. The focus is fun and relaxation. There are many more variables that come into play when you plan to relocate. In this case, paying state income tax for the first time, auto insurance rates, the economy in this area, the social network on a long-term basis ... So much to think about.
My search for housing is narrowing down to a few specific areas, all of them suburbs. Why the suburbs? I can't afford a downtown loft, my fantasy choice. The suburbs that are receiving the most attention are the towns of: Plymouth, Hopkins and Rosedale. (Rosedale is on the East side, the others on the West.) A neighborhood, closer in, that I like is Highland Park. I also like downtown St. Paul. So far, I've toured four properties. The prices are comparable to Seattle (expensive), but the apartments are much larger for the same amount of money. I'd like to identify where I'm moving while here on this visit, so that when I return to Texas in early April, I know how much stuff to bring with me to Minneapolis. The biggest challenge ... I've been a homeowner, or lived in a house, for most of the past 12 years. I have champagne tastes, but a beer bottle budget.
What do I think of the Winter cold? I have the right clothing with me and I'm bundling up appropriately. I'm not a fan of the salt covering my car, but that's easily enough remedied. The temps have ranged from zero degrees to 44 degrees. Since I've been here, it's mostly been sunny. That's probably not realistic for the month of January, but we'll see. January's gone, so we'll see what February brings.
I've rented a small, surprisingly reasonable, storage unit on the west side (5X5, climate controlled for $29/month. They waived the admin fee for me). I've got two boxes, a large suitcase and odds and ends of stuff that I want to leave here, as I left stuff in Seattle that will return with me once "Hello, Dolly" is concluded. I need the space in the car.
I've really enjoyed spending time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gotmoof, quietdanmn, nlotic, bearnight and Tim's sister Jeanne and seeing perkk, his sister minnesotatoast and Tim and John's roommate Steve. I'm hoping to visit with a few more of my local friends before heading to Seattle next Sunday. Meanwhile, the next few days will be about seeing what I can afford with my champagne tastes on a beer bottle budget and what I'll be doing to afford even the beer:)
Visiting a city is very different than living in a city. When you visit, your friends are more readily available, you're not looking for employment; it's not a normal situation. The focus is fun and relaxation. There are many more variables that come into play when you plan to relocate. In this case, paying state income tax for the first time, auto insurance rates, the economy in this area, the social network on a long-term basis ... So much to think about.
My search for housing is narrowing down to a few specific areas, all of them suburbs. Why the suburbs? I can't afford a downtown loft, my fantasy choice. The suburbs that are receiving the most attention are the towns of: Plymouth, Hopkins and Rosedale. (Rosedale is on the East side, the others on the West.) A neighborhood, closer in, that I like is Highland Park. I also like downtown St. Paul. So far, I've toured four properties. The prices are comparable to Seattle (expensive), but the apartments are much larger for the same amount of money. I'd like to identify where I'm moving while here on this visit, so that when I return to Texas in early April, I know how much stuff to bring with me to Minneapolis. The biggest challenge ... I've been a homeowner, or lived in a house, for most of the past 12 years. I have champagne tastes, but a beer bottle budget.
What do I think of the Winter cold? I have the right clothing with me and I'm bundling up appropriately. I'm not a fan of the salt covering my car, but that's easily enough remedied. The temps have ranged from zero degrees to 44 degrees. Since I've been here, it's mostly been sunny. That's probably not realistic for the month of January, but we'll see. January's gone, so we'll see what February brings.
I've rented a small, surprisingly reasonable, storage unit on the west side (5X5, climate controlled for $29/month. They waived the admin fee for me). I've got two boxes, a large suitcase and odds and ends of stuff that I want to leave here, as I left stuff in Seattle that will return with me once "Hello, Dolly" is concluded. I need the space in the car.
I've really enjoyed spending time with
gotmoof, quietdanmn, nlotic, bearnight and Tim's sister Jeanne and seeing perkk, his sister minnesotatoast and Tim and John's roommate Steve. I'm hoping to visit with a few more of my local friends before heading to Seattle next Sunday. Meanwhile, the next few days will be about seeing what I can afford with my champagne tastes on a beer bottle budget and what I'll be doing to afford even the beer:)
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