| esquire within | - Transition.

Saturday, we drove out to Somerville to check out an apartment. And I just put down a deposit on it.

We like our current place -- we've been here for over two years now, which, after moving ten times in the last eight years, is a personal record for me -- but it's starting to feel a little small. And we're tired of living in Undergrad Central. Particularly now that we have a couple of particularly douchey just-out-of-college kids living in the unit beneath us (I called the cops on Friday night because their music was making our glasses clink on the bookcase, and talked to them last night about keeping it down, which makes me feel... old).

Anyway. The apartment was amazing. It's a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, third-floor unit of a really nice house on a tree-lined street, about a mile-and-a-half from two major squares (and train stations) in Somerville. Kind of a trek to walk that far, but there's a bus stop literally one minute from the front door, making downtown Boston a 30 minute commute and Brandeis about an hour if the Girl feels inclined to take the commuter rail rather than drive (during a blizzard, for instance). Also, it seems like life over there is very conducive to biking. So I should probably get a bike.

The interior is not to be believed. Totally brand-spanking-new renovation. Lots of windows, brand new fixtures, stainless steel appliances. The kitchen is three times the size of what we have now, is not connected to the large living room, and is an absolute Ode to IKEA. The master bedroom is gigantic and has hook-ups for a washer and dryer. We only have one small full bath in our current place, so the idea of having two is pretty appealing. The second bedroom is pretty big and has either a gigantic walk-in closet attached to it, or a very cozy office. (Knowing the Girl, it's going to be a closet.)

All in all I'd say it's at least 50% more square footage than we have now, a significant upgrade in quality, and feels decidedly more "grown up" -- for $50 more a month (utilities included!).

And best of all? NO UNDERGRADS. The unit beneath us is a studio, so it's party potential is minimal, and apparently the landlord rents only to professionals.

Oh, and I made sure our lease allows for a dog. When we're ready.

We were a little nervous about moving across town, to an area we're totally unfamiliar with -- and this will be the first time we're not within spitting distance of the train. But we decided to take the leap. I met with the realtor today, filled out the paperwork, ran our credit (which was, to my pleasant but not mild surprise, excellent) and put down a deposit. If all goes well -- and the realtor, who rents for the landlord more as a favor than anything else, said there was every reason to suppose that it would, particularly because nobody else has been shown the place -- we'll have the keys by October 15.

I felt pretty horrible when I called our current landlord last night to give him notice. In fact, I phrased it as a question -- "Would it be okay? We don't want to screw you over..." -- and would have seriously reconsidered had it put him in a tight spot. He's probably the nicest guy on the planet. We have a very good relationship with him -- he's let us stay flexible on a month-to-month arrangement, rather than a typical 12-month lease, since 2008 -- and I'm genuinely sorry to vacate. Particularly because he'll have missed prime renting season (Boston is nothing if not a college town, and most leases are aligned to academic schedules, beginning September 1st). But given our proximity to the T and Boston College (and the fact that we've kept the place pristine and it will show 100x better than it did before we rented it), I suspect he'll fill it pretty quickly.

Anyway, now we cross our fingers. And wait.