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2002-10-12 10:40 pmI just drove across the United States, lengthwise.
Or more precisely, I drove from Palo Alto to Rancho Cucamonga (L.A. area), then off to Raleigh, North Carolina.
I was only threatened with death once by my travelling companion, Matthew Sharpe. But then I was intimating that I was going to steal his money bag.
Why the move?
My company had two offices, one in Los Altos, CA and the other in Raleigh, NC. Los Altos has one of the highest real estate prices in the country. For example, a block from my office, there was a one bedroom, one bath, 1000 sq. foot house, on a 5000 sq. foot lot. How much for this bedraggled cottage with a dying lawn? It could be yours for a mere $570,000.00.
The rent on our Los Altos office space was correspondingly expensive. My company is still a start up with unfortunately bad timing, as our company combines the two sectors hit the hardest by the latest bust a) the internet and b) the stock market. Although the company is in no immediate danger, to conserve costs, we decided to consolidate our offices in the Raleigh office.
So far, I really like Raleigh. Everything is green here--trees are everywhere. Living in my apartment feels like living in a forest. My apartment's spacious with hard wood floors, 5 minutes from downtown, 10 minutes from work. Most of the buildings here seem to be made of red brick. I like brickwork, and in combination with all the greenery, it's very beautiful.
And it's inexpensive. A two bed, two bath townhouse rents can be had for $575.00 month. The median home price is $370 K in the Bay Area--starter houses here range from $150- 170 K.
So what if your home and car are washed away by hurricanes every 5 years? At those prices, you can just buy a new one and still come out ahead of living in the Bay Area.
I had reason to make this calculation yesterday when Raleigh received 5 in. of rain in 8 hours (as reported by a Channel 14(?) crewwoman in line at the Harris Teeter checkout counter at 12:30 a.m. last night). Whatever the actual amount, there was enough to turn my apartment complex's parking lot into a lake, three feet deep in some places. Cars were stopped in the middle of the road outside of my apartment complex. You'd think that we would go out and help the hapless drivers but you would be wrong. Instead, we stayed inside and mocked them. Kitty Genovese in miniature, perhaps? Although I console myself, that there's not much I could've done to help them, except perhaps push them to the side of the road a bit farther, until their engine dried out a bit.
I forgot to mention that my apartment even comes with a free, extremely friendly black lab named Chip. Chip will eat anything: bananas, carrots, spinach, onions, cat poop, dog poop, lawn grass. Suggestions for foods to try on Chip next? Asparagus? Brussel Sprouts? Castor Oil?
Okay, maybe I need to find some friends in Raleigh. Thank goodness Linley's coming soon.
Or more precisely, I drove from Palo Alto to Rancho Cucamonga (L.A. area), then off to Raleigh, North Carolina.
I was only threatened with death once by my travelling companion, Matthew Sharpe. But then I was intimating that I was going to steal his money bag.
Why the move?
My company had two offices, one in Los Altos, CA and the other in Raleigh, NC. Los Altos has one of the highest real estate prices in the country. For example, a block from my office, there was a one bedroom, one bath, 1000 sq. foot house, on a 5000 sq. foot lot. How much for this bedraggled cottage with a dying lawn? It could be yours for a mere $570,000.00.
The rent on our Los Altos office space was correspondingly expensive. My company is still a start up with unfortunately bad timing, as our company combines the two sectors hit the hardest by the latest bust a) the internet and b) the stock market. Although the company is in no immediate danger, to conserve costs, we decided to consolidate our offices in the Raleigh office.
So far, I really like Raleigh. Everything is green here--trees are everywhere. Living in my apartment feels like living in a forest. My apartment's spacious with hard wood floors, 5 minutes from downtown, 10 minutes from work. Most of the buildings here seem to be made of red brick. I like brickwork, and in combination with all the greenery, it's very beautiful.
And it's inexpensive. A two bed, two bath townhouse rents can be had for $575.00 month. The median home price is $370 K in the Bay Area--starter houses here range from $150- 170 K.
So what if your home and car are washed away by hurricanes every 5 years? At those prices, you can just buy a new one and still come out ahead of living in the Bay Area.
I had reason to make this calculation yesterday when Raleigh received 5 in. of rain in 8 hours (as reported by a Channel 14(?) crewwoman in line at the Harris Teeter checkout counter at 12:30 a.m. last night). Whatever the actual amount, there was enough to turn my apartment complex's parking lot into a lake, three feet deep in some places. Cars were stopped in the middle of the road outside of my apartment complex. You'd think that we would go out and help the hapless drivers but you would be wrong. Instead, we stayed inside and mocked them. Kitty Genovese in miniature, perhaps? Although I console myself, that there's not much I could've done to help them, except perhaps push them to the side of the road a bit farther, until their engine dried out a bit.
I forgot to mention that my apartment even comes with a free, extremely friendly black lab named Chip. Chip will eat anything: bananas, carrots, spinach, onions, cat poop, dog poop, lawn grass. Suggestions for foods to try on Chip next? Asparagus? Brussel Sprouts? Castor Oil?
Okay, maybe I need to find some friends in Raleigh. Thank goodness Linley's coming soon.