SUCCESS!! Yesterday we dropped down our deposit (did you know UK deals in cash.. made me super nervous even though it was the middle of the day to be carrying around so much cash... did not help there was a very RUDE british gentleman behind us who was looking over our shoulders as the teller was counting our money... RUDE!), signed our contracts and received our keys to our NEW FLAT!!
::: I hope this to be the last pictureless entry... will be trying to get internet functioning tomorrow:::
And today we said goodbye to the Holiday Inn - Regent's Park (£186 per night if booked directly $70USD per night if negotiated on Priceline... FYI) stepped into one of their insanely roomy cabs (the trick is they don't have a trunk so its just a very deep back seat.. fit all 4 of our big suitcases, 2 duffles, 2 backpacks and us 2) and made our way to our new home... at least for the next 9 months.
We are staying in a 1 bedroom flat about a block from the school, thus 5 min from Bakers Street Tube. It has this ugly burnt orange carpenting and a kitchen that reminds me of Apt 36 in Berkeley but otherwise is great because it's bigger than most we've seen for that price (we are now paying NY prices so I'm still recovering from the sticker shock) and pretty nice. The bathroom is one of the best I've seen so I'm a fairly happy camper. I'm especially happy that it is soooo close because London sort of shuts down around 11PM and becomes all deserted and quiet which is creepy when walking as two people... downright CSI scary when it's just me.
The only catch to our flat is that the previous tenant hasn't fully moved out, so we basically moved any remaining items from the bedroom and bathroom out to a corner of the living room and her friend is coming by Friday to pick up all of her stuff. Which leaves us Saturday to go to IKEA and pick up anything that we need. It is sort of weird because we feel like we're living in a flat where half of it is ours and the other half is someone elses. Hopefully we'll be able to get all settled down before the craziness of orientation (me) and work (Eugene) starts on Monday.
Other than this flat craziness.. on Tuesday we visited Eugene's office, only has 4 people but is super nice and situated in this really nice old house.. no mansion... by Green Park tube. The people are super nice and it looks like it will be a comfy environment for him (he basically gets what was original two desks all to himself, with 3 monitors hooked up to one computer and 2 monitors to another... he's gonna be like those hackers you see on TV with a mass of screens).
As for meeting folks I made it out to the Windsor Castle (the pub attached to the school and now across the street from my flat) for one of the Flat Hunter's Pub Crawls. I met up with Marissa, who I met in LA, and met Venu, who is half Finnish and half Indian but has lived in London for the last 7 yrs and totally cracks me up. I also met a bunch of other classmates that my throat was starting to hurt towards the end of the night. On Tuesday I went to a Meet and Greet and bumped into Ashkay, Sachin and Ximena again and met a few new folk too. I was going to take a break but there is a Sundowner at Windsor Castle tomorrow and I'm not so lazy I won't walk a block for a drink and some socializing. =)
Oh I forgot to mention... our flat comes with a sofa bed... so visitors welcome!
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