Apartment Envy

Niya here: As a senior in college, it is becoming dangerously close to the time in life when I have to think beyond a dorm room and towards an actual apartment of my and my inevitable fourteen roommates own. This concept, one of the major milestones in officially becoming separated from ones childhood past has consumed my mind in these past months. I spend hours watching real estate shows on televison, and have become an addict for apartment listings in local newspapers.



My Fantasy: Photo Courtesy of Google



This past week, as a part my internship this semester, I was able to attend an event help in a gorgeous Upper East Side apartment. While a great deal of my evening was spent attending to “intern tasks”, I took every possible opportunity to gawk at my surroundings. Despite the horrible weather outdoors, once I past though the entranceway it all seemed to be a fantastical location. The floors, nicer than any fixture in my dorm building, almost made me feel guilty for dirtying them with my rain soaked pants and shoes. The walls and the painting almost served as an instrument to mock me, for things I will never be able to afford.



In my four minute search for the elevator, I stumbled upon a fountain. Yes, a water fountain. While I cannot image this has any purpose other than to help locate lost friends and family or perhaps a search and rescue team because it is that possible to be that lost in this building.  After trying four of so incorrect elevators, I leaned the system that each elevator corresponds to certain floor numbers, and only three apartments per floor. The ten or so minutes spent searching for the correct elevator was completely worth the shock and awe I received as I made my way into the apartment.



My Reality: Photos Courtesy of Google



            The real estate envy only furthered as I walked on the hardwood floors through the two bedrooms, den, living room  (complete with baby grand piano), and kitchen. In fact, thinking back, I refuse to believe this was an apartment. What this place was, was simply a source of jealous and envy for all those individuals who know that even if such a palace does exist in their future, it not foreseeable in any near future.  I must admit, the greater part of my evening “working” was spent sneaking glances at the full wall built in library, trying to figure out what gods I would need to please in order to have such great fortune. I will now spend the next few months erasing this apartment out of my memory. Unless someone in that building is looking for a poor recent college grad roommate, I imagine my next home will not look too much different than my current dorm.