U.S. Campus Life Apartment found By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
このアパートに決めた！ 9月から始まる仕事のために、ニューヨーク州オールバニーで住まいを探していた雅子さんの新居が決まりました。いずれは一戸建て住宅を購入することを考え、短期間だけ住めるアパートを借りるつもりでしたが、条件が合わず、結局年間契約の賃貸アパートに落ち着きました。しかし、そのアパートがなんとも理想的なのです。

Last week, I reported that I've finally begun some of the practical tasks that are part of the relocation process. There are tons of things left to do, but I feel I've managed to get one obstacle out of the way: Just a few days ago, I decided on the apartment in which I will live!

筆者が借りることに決めたニューヨーク州 オールバニーの アパートの間取り図。

However, my real estate broker told me that she could only find one apartment complex, 10 miles (16 km) away from my workplace, that would accept tenants-at-will. I hated the idea of driving 30 minutes each way to get to work, so I decided to look for an apartment closer to work. This meant that I had to accept signing a year-long lease.

I'll be living in a relatively rural area where there is not much turnover in the population. In places like Boston or Manhattan, it's not too hard to fill an empty apartment, since people come and go all the time. Thus, the penalty for breaking a lease can be as low as a month's rent.

In the suburbs of Albany, however, the story is different: Empty apartments can stay vacant for a long time. Thus, landlords want more of a commitment. If I decide to break the lease before the year is over and I can't find a new tenant to pick up the rest of my lease, I have to pay the balance myself.

This means that I will have to suspend my home-buying plans for at least a year. This also means that I have to treat my apartment as my real home, not a temporary stop. I was originally planning on living out of boxes and suitcases in a small studio or one bedroom apartment until I could buy my own place. I thought I could wait until then to buy good furniture and appliances.

Instead, I decided to get a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. Since the apartment is no longer a temporary home, I decided to get a place large enough that I could invite friends to stay with me.

Now, I have to buy new furniture to fill the apartment. The only furniture I own is a bed and some bookshelves, so I will have to start from the ground up: dining room set, living room sofa, study desk, guest room furniture . . . I'm also looking forward to buying cozy items like curtains, rugs and house plants to give the place a more homey feel.

The best part of the apartment is its location. It's in a suburb of Albany, only about a mile (1.6 km) from my company, so I can walk to work. It's also adjacent to a small commercial area that has a video store, post office, public library, bakery, grocery store and Starbucks cafe. My anarchist friends who oppose global chain stores disagree, but I like the idea of having a Starbucks in my neighborhood. Anywhere you see a Starbucks, there's bound to be a lot of activity, since the corporation does a lot of market research to make sure that the area can sustain a cafe. Besides, I like Starbucks coffee.

I haven't even visited the apartment, but I've been completely sold because of these conveniences. I've seen the floor plan and photos of the exterior, and the apartment looks fine. However, the proximity to work and the shopping center was what really attracted me. Simply put, it's the apartment that is the closest to my workplace.

Ever since I decided to work in upstate New York, people have warned me that I'd have to learn how to drive again. "You can't go anywhere without a car," is something that I've heard over and over again. Taking their warnings to heart, I immediately bought a car. Now, whenever friends ask me whether I've driven my car (I haven't), I gloat as I tell them that I'll be living even closer to work than I do now in Boston. Won't I feel stuck to my workplace living so close by? My apartment is right on a bus line, so I can continue to support public transportation. Maybe my car will come in handy as backup transportation.

Shukan ST: Aug. 2, 2002

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