Finding an apartment has been among Jonathan’s tasks while he has been in the Philippines for the last week. Originally, someone at the company had offered the use of her apartment, but she kind of backed out. (We wonder if it’s because she heard we have three kids :)) So we’ve had to outsource, so to speak. Fortunately, someone from the company has been helping him through the process, which we are grateful for. Over the last week, he’s walked through a few different places, and we have narrowed it down to two apartments. And funny enough, they are both in the same building. Specifically, this building:
Fancy, huh? He took a video of each of the apartments as he walked through, here they are:
So. There you go. Can you believe the view on that second one!?!?! As I can see it, each place has its pros and cons. It would be lovely if we could combine the two and get the positive aspects of each in one apartment, but alas…
35th Floor
Pros:
*Um. Location. Yeah. I’ve always wanted to live up on an upper floor in a high-rise apartment building. A silly dream. The Penthouse is floors 36 and 37. So it is literally one step below the penthouse.
*Atmosphere. It’s bright and airy. The view. ‘Nuff said.
*3 Bedrooms (plus the little maid’s area)
Cons:
*The Furnishings. It kind of feels a bit like a bachelor pad. It isn’t terribly inviting, or kid friendly.
*The kitchen. It feels like a kitchen that you’d find in an office building. You know, where you go and warm up your enchiladas and then go back and eat them at your desk cause you don’t want to be in there any longer than necessary…. Plus I think I’d just feel like a maid….
*Expense. It is about $600 (that’s USD) more per month in rent. And even though Jonathan’s company IS paying for our rent, it would feel slightly disingenuous.
12th Floor Apartment
Pros:
*The furnishings are much more comfortable and kid friendly (there are couches for heaven’s sake)
*Kitchen- I wouldn’t feel like a maid, and could still be involved in the goings on of the family while working on dinner or dishes.
*Washing machine in the unit.
Cons:
*Noise- The proximity to the construction site. Which you saw. Generally this wouldn’t be a concern, we can handle it, but Jonathan will be attempting to sleep during the day….
*Only 2 bedrooms
*A little scuzzier. There were a few (dead) cockroaches under the sink.
In the end we decided to go with the 12 floor apartment. And it basically boils down to this: it fits our lifestyle better. We are flop-on-the-couch types. We are chat-with-the-person-working-in-the-kitchen-types. And for heaven’s sake, I don’t want to haul three small children around just to do laundry! I’d prefer to do it by hand in the bathtub! So, while we are sad to give up the opportunity to live in a penthouse type apartment especially on someone else’s dime, this felt like it would be better for our family.
And there is an added benefit of this choice. Prior to making any decisions, Jonathan was discussing these two options with his boss, and he expressed concern that the 35th floor was much more expensive. And he said that he didn’t want to take advantage of the company’s generosity. And Jonathan’s boss told him to choose whatever was going to be the best fit for our family. And yet, when Jonathan told him that we had opted for the cheaper apartment, he expressed gratitude that Jonathan had considered the company as he was making his decision. And so, I don’t know, it shows that Jonathan is trustworthy and honest.
So there you go. We have an apartment!! And I’m excited about it! The building itself has some pretty sweet amenities including a pool, kids’ area, and a helipad, which I have no doubt we will use all the time.
