Here are some pics of the new apartment we moved in to last week.
It’s pretty nerdy, but I think the coolest thing about the place is the electronic keycard access! Not only do I feel like I’m in the future when I come home, I also don’t have to carry around keys any more. I wonder what happens if the power goes out though…
So I went today to sign the lease and put down the deposit on the brand new apartment. The new place is just across the Suzhou Creek, so not as central as I’d like, but it’s a brand new building only a few months old. Technically, I will no longer be a resident of Jingan district 静安区 and will now be in the mysterious land of Zhabei 闸北区.
I really wanted to stay on my old street, but after discovering that real estate on my old section of Xinzha Road 新闸路 is now going for $8000 USD a sqm, it’s no wonder I couldn’t find a reasonably priced place that wasn’t a hole in the wall…
It’s not too bad though – the new place is only about a 10 minute walk from the previous one, and the best thing is that it’s steps away from Hanzhong Road 汉中路 metro station on Line 1. Moving in next weekend!
Like I mentioned before, I live in one of these old Shanghai lane houses. I’ve lived in a few of them in the city, and I’ve generally chosen these apartments over hi-rises because they’re cheap (unless it’s a lane house in the old French Concession area), they’re central, and they’re definitely not sterile. They’ve got a certain charm to them, and it’s kinda neat to live in a building from old Shanghai’s heyday, and look out your window to see new, modern Shanghai with its skyscrapers and neon lights looking down on you.
Well, charm only goes so far and after living in several of them now, I’ve had just about enough of old lane houses. When my lease ends next month I am out of here and moving to a modern high rise apartment building.
Actually I hate moving, but this time it is not too bad since: 1) everything I have here I can fit on my back and 2) the new apartment is furnished. This means I get to skip out on the obligatory carrying of some damn sofa bed up 3 flights of stairs, only to find it doesn’t fit in the doorway.
The new place is the third floor of an old Shanghai-style lane house in a compound where apparently some famous actress from the 20s lived. I told myself I’d never live in an old Shanghai lane house again (and instead get a modern hi-rise flat) because they’re old, full of nosy neighbours, and something is always broken or in need of repair. But this place was very different than most I’ve seen and the price was right, so I figured “why not”.
After moving in and spending a couple of hours cleaning up the place, it started to rain hard outside. Unfortunately, the skylight window in the bedroom leaks when it rains hard. Luckily it’s not over the bed. The landlord did actually warn about this, but I interpreted it as rain will get in if the window is not properly shut. I was wrong. Something tells me he’s in no rush to fix it either.
Other than that, everything seems in working order. The bathroom and kitchen are very tiny, but the living room is a good size with high ceilings, tall glass doors leading to the balcony, and an upstairs bedroom.
