15km house hunting march

Today brought more apartment hunting. I saw one place that was nice, but ridiculously far west, overpriced, and noisy. It was west of work, which is itself west of the interesting parts of the city. The second was a furnished bachelor that I didn’t much like the look of; sleeping on a sofa bed for a year is probably not a good idea for those who care about their spines. The third place was a dingy cave of a basement near the University of Ottawa: huge, but dark and poorly maintained. Finally, I had a look at a place on Robert St, in an area called the Golden Triangle. The apartment itself is a somewhat small, somewhat awkwardly shaped, and up two flights of narrow stairs. The location, by contrast, is excellent. It’s a bit far from work, but right beside the canal in an upscale part of town. Elgin Street (an interesting commercial street with restaurants and such) is close at hand. Cycling to work would probably take about forty minutes, and could be done along two really nice bicycle paths.

Today also brought a target of opportunity: somewhere not on the master list I have been carrying around, but advertised in a nice looking window. On the way to the expensive place, I passed a nice looking ground floor apartment on Booth St. It is extremely close to work, though there are noise and security issues involved in being on the first story of a house right beside a major street. I am having a look right after work tomorrow, at which point I think I will decide between the Booth St and Robert St options. Both are available immediately, and I am loathe to lose a third place to a more immediately decisive renter.

It will be good to finally have a semi-permenant base of operations.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan