When you're DOOOWWWNTown...

...Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you!
(Downtown)

So, it turns out that the sound of traffic (and clubbin' coming from right around the corner of that opening in the pic above) isn't ALWAYS a great thing when you're DOWWWNNTOWN, but even so, we are delighted with our new abode.

We will most certainly be outdone by folks moving into REAL abodes (Yay P & K!) but we thought we'd share a few pictures now that we have completed our furniture set. We did that, by the way, through the magic of craigslist and a guy named Tom who was moving to NYC and just wanted to get his stuff to a nice home.  Lucky for us, we helped him achieve that. We bought a cushy, 3 month old futon from him, and he threw in a free bed!!

As you'll see, we're in a loft that's made up of three rooms: a living area, a bath, and our bedroom. With it's treated concrete floors and big ductwork, it has a bit of an industrial feel, which is kind of neat. The floors are also good for stocking-footed slides, such as dramatic sliding entrances.

Here's the kitchen-- the fridge is just left of you when you walk in the door of the apartment:

Mmm good tea.

So it's nice, with ample cupboards and all the appliances. (Even a stacked WD in a closet next to the bathroom. That's to your right as you come in the door...It's basically behind me in that photo.)

And taken from the fridge area, facing the patio/living room:

 

Modeling Ikea furniture. 

Hey, I tried.

Second effort. Same results.

Ready to have a ball!! In a bowl! (chair)

Note the fine, contemporary decor. Thank you Ikea. And World Market for the big, colorful bamboo rug.

We call this artsy shot "Ikea Futon and mirror, below Star of Little America Rest Stop."

Little America? you're asking? 

 

And our new bed! It's not inflatable!

****

Ok, unlike most of the posts of mine, this one's short and hopefully sweet. I hope, though, that it packs a potent punch and inspires a few of you to come for a visit!

 (Not pictured: Luxurious, elevated Queen Airmattress bought just days before hitting it big with the free bed.) 

Finally, our outdoor space. Our little patio area opens up to the courtyard, which has nice seating and plants and a big grill. And as you saw in the first pic, it overlooks the street. We've eaten outside a few times, and it's very nice. 

It does also mean the city sounds that Patula Clark talks about are right outside our window, so we bought ear plugs but haven't really needed them. Good news...

Another neat thing: the hallways are sort of outdoor. See in this shot the exit sign above one hallway:

  

And to the right of our patio...

Sweet bike!

Take care all...

P.S. Thanks for all the comments. We love hearing from each of you, and giggling at some of them. And we're glad to be sharing at least a bit of the fun...