The Hunt For: theperfectapartment (jelly beans included)

"It's like an Easter egg hunt," I smiled as we began our trek down the hill. The city was clearly sprawled below us. Even some blue peaked through the clouds. We were looking for a new apartment, closer to downtown, and we wanted the brightest egg with the most candy inside.

Beginning around ten o'clock, we managed most of the hillside of Lower Queen Anne. We viewed a few places, none of them possibilities because they didn't allow pets--a detail that I left for last because I just wanted to get inside--to see what kinds of apartments exist.

The first was perfect: great size, balcony, perfect area, fireplace, bathtub, view of the Space Needle, in-unit laundry. Of course, it came with a price-tag, and dogs were a no-no. Bummer.

But we got inside, so we had a clearer image of what to expect.

Most of the buildings were old and had that funny old-people smell with cracked walls and stained carpets. I was ready to tackle the vintage-with-character sort of place, but Laura was feeling unsure. After a few not-so-likelys, I wasn't quite feeling up to the "character" these old places had to offer.

By around 3:30, we were exhausted. We had stopped for lunch around noon, and then resumed the hunt, each place seeming worse than the last. Nothing on our checklist was being met, which mainly consisted of: allows pets, has a parking option, and the whipped cream would be in-unit laundry, and the cherry on top would be a bathtub. This combination did not exist, and in most places, we could barely get one. Some of them were just bowls of whipped cream and cherry with no ice cream beneath. What were the odds of every place being out of any flavor that we liked?

"I know someone on Harrison, so let's just try there. If not, we'll go home."

"This Easter egg hunt is backwards," Laura sounded discouraged, "Each egg we open just gets worse!"

The "Now Leasing" and "For Rent" signs were everywhere. "We hit the jack-pot!" Call after call--no answer, no pets, no parking, nonono. Some jackpot.

Then we found it--the opposite of what we ever imagined ourselves in. It's a modern, brand new building with many apartments. We stood outside and watched a man walk in with a dog. This is it.

We went for a tour and found that their studios were less expensive and had greater square footage than most of the one-bedrooms we had looked at all day. Free street parking, pets allowed, bathtub, in-unit laundry, energy-saver stainless steel appliances, large bright window. We were sold.

A woman showed us around the building, taking us to the gym and the parking garage with bike storage and the rooftop terrace with a breathtaking view of Puget Sound and the Olympics. A green room full of plants, WiFi common areas, and a grill on the terrace were like the sprinkles on top of the sprinkles on top of the cherries and chocolate syrup.

Needless to say, we are unbelievably excited. We move next Saturday. We are right by a small pedestrian bridge that connects city and Myrtle Edwards waterfront park, a few blocks from Olympic Sculpture Park, less than a mile from the Space Needle, and a mile from Pike Place. Woah.

I'm really nervous to be so close to the busy life, but I'm so excited to dive in, to be nearer to my friends and fun things to see, do, and eat. And with just a few stairs to climb, I cannot wait to enjoy the view!

We feel like we have found the whole Easter basket. Boy, do I love jelly beans!