An Apartment!!!!

I was dragging my feet on the two apartments I felt I had to chose between.  One was on the 21st floor of a stand alone tower (rare here), clean, nice furniture, great light and views.  Also, the landlady agreed to add an oven, a rarity in BJ.  However, the landlady had the reputation of being difficult and the building's management office was said --by at least four different realtors-- to be non-responsive.  So, though I loved the views, it felt like a potential hornet's nest.  It also required paying the utilities with a pre-paid card which is the system the newer buildings employ.  I'd heard that that is a pain because if you forget to top off your card, all of a sudden all the lights will go out or the hot water will off.   This was one of the first places I saw and though it looked good, it just didn't sit right and I kept putting off finalizing the deal.

The other apartment on my chose-between list was unfurnished, 10th floor, huge 3 bedroom, post-pay utilities, on the main drag outside the West gates of Chaoyang park.  This park is over 700 acres huge with lakes, an amusement park, boat rides, lots of green in the summer.  I've heard it called, "the lungs of Beijing."  The apartment complex has a gym and pool included in the fees, heat on for a month longer, and management that is considered very responsive.  While the view wasn't spectacular from the living room, the master bedroom's view was great overlooking a lake in the park and the main drag of commercial establishments across the street.

There was another apt  that was the same layout as the unfurnished one, just one floor below it, but it was occupied and unavailable until March.  I thought that the one month's service apt cost (US$115/night on Expedia plus various fees) would probably furnish the other place because all we really need are a couple of beds, a sofa, a table and a couple of chairs.  The rest we could fill in as we went along.  The realtor recommended a furniture mall and we went down there to price out the items.  Instead, we walked for miles and miles around this enormous mall looking at really dreadful Parisian wannabe overstuffed, oversized and overpriced pieces.  LiLi loved the gold gilt shiny massiveness.  So the next day I went alone to Ikea.  I figured out that in fact we could get the minimal pieces for just over the differential between the empty and the service apartment.  But as I sat on sofas, looked over upholstery options, matched chairs, I realized something:  I don't want to own this stuff.  What happens when it's time to leave BJ?  What on earth will I do with  two beds, a table, a whole household of furniture?   I'd rather just rent a furnished place.  So I started thinking again about the March place and told my realtor.

She emailed a few hours later and said there was a new apartment, just one floor beneath the March one, two floors beneath the unfurnished one, partially furnished, with an oven, and available now but with just a 6 month lease.   It was already dark and cold and I'd just come home from checking out two other places in a different area with a different realtor (they say to use at least three since they'll show you the same places but with different prices).   But I couldn't look at the place the next day because that was my first day of work.  So I got into a taxi and headed off to meet the realtor whose car was sidelined that day.  As an aside, depending upon one's license plate, the car is not to be driven within the city one day a week in attempt to reduce carbon emissions.  So my realtor had to get in a taxi too.  They were hard to come by that last night of CNY.  People were out and about celebrating.  Plus it was very very cold.   In any case,  my realtor and I finally met at the apt building and saw the new place:  same layout, one floor below, partially furnished, oven, clean.  It was Lantern Festival Day so the moon was full and in view over the lake from the master bedroom.  The main drag's cold wintery trees were lit up with lights and the shops and restaurants looked bright and festive.   The urban scene below was beautiful and exciting.

And it was clear to me:  This is it.  This is our new apartment.