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Sunday, May 22, 2005

it's always funny how you can start out your day with the best intentions and end up drunk in Waltham at 4PM.

allow me to reiterate.

on saturday morning i actually slept past 10AM which is a big feat for me. i am usually wide awake and bothering Adam by 8:30AM because my internal alarm clock is set for 6AM (the time i get up during the week) so to me, 8:30 is actually late.

not so much to Adam though. so he was psyched that i was asleep until the unheard of time of 10:30AM.

but after all that sleep i was itchin' to go out and do something. so we were showered and out the door by 11:30AM to hit the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Woburn. this is only the third time i have been there, and i am beginning to think the fact that it is crazy busy every time i am there is not just a fluke. they do have some fantastic deals, especially on furniture and dishes, but you better think fast because as you are admiring a piece, there are about 3 - 5 other people admiring it too so it's better to just grab it and move on, and then think about if you really want it while you are waiting in line 30 minutes to purchase it. i ended up leaving with two huge, beautiful candles and a wine opener. i WOULD have had the most gorgeous teal and gold placemats had they had a normal set of 4 instead of a set of 3. (who steals just one placemat from a set? WHO!?)

we then headed over to Pier One to admire some new dish sets (iMAY just have to update my registry there....yes i registered at Pier One for myself...married/engaged people shouldn't have ALL the fun. i deserve gifts too just for being my fabulous self!)

now, even Adam, patient as he is, can take only so much house-wares oogling so we headed over to Moody Street in Waltham to have some lunch at the Watch City Brewery. if you are ever in the Waltham/Watertown/Auburndale area i heartily suggest you check this place out. it's been my experience that microbrewerys always have the best food and this definitely holds true here. and along with a nice selection of seasonal brews they have some "regulars" available as well that never fail to please. i reccomend the Spring Lager which is kind of sweet and the Monkey Monk Saison Ale which is so strong (6.7%) that they only serve it in 10 oz wine type glasses. it's SOOOO good though. plus, this is the only place i know of around here where you can get a crab cake sandwich, and an awesome one at that.

so as we were seated at our window table, overlooking Moody Street, Adam noticed a very swank apartment building directly across the street named "Cronin's Landing". we figured 1) even though we are not looking to move until next summer, it can't hurt to check things out and 2) it would be nice to live right down the street from my work (for me, anyway) and 3) we had nothing better to do, so Adam called the number on the "Now Leasing" banner and just like that we had an appointment in 15 minutes to view some apartments in the building.

as soon as was walked into the lobby, we realized that perhaps Cronin's Landing was not QUITE our speed.

or vice versa, rather.

the marble floored lobby featured a 24-hour concierge, hallway leading to excercise room, and some pretty expensive looking artwork. we waited for a moment before Tom, our leasing agent, ushered us into his swank office to "get things started".

he talked with us a bit about what we were looking for, and we told him about how we were looking for a one bedroom, wanted to move this September (a small lie) and that we weren't really concerened about rent if we found the right place (not so small lie) and that this looked like our kind of place. Tom agreed that it was our kind of place, and with that he slid a price list/floor plan across his shiny granite desk.

i am no slouch. i know the value of properties around here. but i also know the cardinal rule of real estate is Location, Location, Location.

and i could not stomach paying over $1900 a month for a one bedroom on Moody Street in Waltham. i'm sorry! but if i wanted to pay that much i could live on Beacon Hill and not have to pay a $350 pet deposit.

but then i SAW the apartment.

and i fell in love.

it could have been that it was completely decorated with Domain furniture and Crate and Barrel accessories. it could have been the HUGE Krups coffee maker in the kitchen. it could have been (and i think it was) the HIS and HERS closets in the bedroom.

it also may have been the River Deck overlooking the Charles that comes complete with grills for barbecue season.

in any case, after the grand tour we left our contact info with Tom and hurried back across the street to the Brewery to pour over our brochures while we ordered beer after beer and ponder if we really could afford this place and befriended a local Boston rich-guy who i at first thought was Colin Farrell (they could be TWINS) and whose family I actually know through the real estate company I used to work with and who used to be very good friends with Lizzie Grubman and who regaled us with all kinds of Boston "scene in the 80's" stories and real estate tips until we were all very drunk and it was only 4:30PM.

and later when we got home i was like "what just happened?"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. I LOVE Watch City. My sis lives about 2-3 blocks from there right on Moody Street, and Watch City is one of our favorites.

2. Their apartment is absolutely adorable and would be perfect for you guys. They are looking to possibly buy a house soon (as in, within the next year or so), so I will let you know if/when they're moving out.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. That was me up there.
- Sasky

Jenny said...

Having gone to college in Waltham, I know the Watch City Brewery well (I haven't been there in so long though! I miss it). And while I've never been inside Cronin's Landing, it always looked nice from the outside (and talk about good location for restaurants!). But it is in Waltham, and on Moody St.... not ideal to me.

e$ said...

i hear that moody st is supposed to be very up-and-coming! And doesn't Cronin's Landing have valet? oooohh.. valet...

AnnaB said...

Sarah my dear, I have been coveting the Cronin Landing apartments for years. When I make my first million, I'll set us up. :-)Seriously, with all this in common how can we only share cousin DNA?

DementedPhotographer said...

hmmmmmm ...

beats a tent, that's for sure. ;)

-G