We never took pictures of where we lived when we lived there, so we took a few quick photo's in case little Sammy ever wondered years from now what it was like.
We had so many adventures at both places it could fill an entire blog by itself...such as Paul's epic hand to hand battles with mice (really) and when 3 five year-olds tried to shake down Michele for money (really!).
Our first apartment was 600 square feet. The rent (in the early 90s) was $700 a month -- heat included. The only thing was that you had an on/off switch for a thermostat. The only way you'd get heat was if you turned the switch on and they decided to turn on the boiler. We lived there for 3 years. The tenants down stairs were a Cuban guy and a redheaded wife. So we called ourselves the Mertzes. As time went on the neighborhood started to get rougher (with very tough 5 year-olds for example), so we moved.
The second place we rented was 1/2 of a duplex in the same city, but a better location (near a Mediterranean bakery!). Rent was $800 a month in the mid-to-late 90s which was a bargain since something that large would typically cost $1200 a month back then! Peggy (the owner) lived on the other side. She was extremely friendly and took care of the outside. It was like we had our own groundskeeper. She was a great landlord.
The "hood" where we first lived...
...in the upper right hand apartment.
...in the upper right hand apartment.
This is where we rented the right hand side...
...from Peggy who lived on the other side.
...from Peggy who lived on the other side.
