Urban Pioneers - The 'Suite' Life

Urban Pioneers - The 'Suite' Life

The first installment of a new Rebel Housewife series!
by Sherri Caldwell

I thought people were looking at me strangely before, when I mentioned we were packing up three children, a dog and 3,000 square feet of stuff to move from a charming 3BR house in Atlanta's Virginia-Highland neighborhood, to a 2BR, 1700 square foot, hi-rise condo in Midtown, Atlanta.

"Why would you want to do THAT?!"

Well...

1) The lease was up on our charming house, which, incidentally, was beginning to fall apart in all the wrong places, in desperate need of basic maintenance and upkeep, if not outright renovation, including all new kitchen appliances. In the space of a year, we lost the ice-maker, the oven, the microwave, and the dishwasher. The hot tub never worked. The front door was not secure, the alarm system didn't work. The back gate scraped and stuck, many times refusing entry at all from the driveway, so we'd have to walk around to the front of the house, carrying everything, usually in the rain, uphill both ways...

There was a thought, early on, of buying this house and living happily ever after -- after major renovation -- but by the end of the year, we knew we didn't want to buy the house. The owner wanted more money to extend the lease, and in the face of everything broken and in disrepair, we decided to look at our options.

And we looked -- exhaustively. I really didn't want to move. At first. But then, when you start looking around and considering other possibilities, opening yourself up to new experiences and adventures...well, short-timer's kicks in and you begin to dislike/detest/even hate the things you thought you could tolerate.

2) The condo, and everything in it, is BRAND-NEW -- all new stainless steel appliances, systems and fixtures -- and everything works!!!

3) The condo, with security and a 24-hour Concierge is very secure -- a safe haven. I did not feel that way in the charming house, on a very busy corner, across the street from a lovely neighborhood park where all kinds of bums and scary characters wandered through, hung out, and frequently slept on the park benches all day.

4) The condo is right across the street from my husband's office building -- he walks to work! He can come home at lunch. When he travels, he can walk up the block to a MARTA station and ride the train right to the airport -- and we enjoy #3 (above) when he is gone.

5) Location, Location, Location: There is a brand-new Publix grocery store at street level in the building -- there is an elevator button just for PUBLIX! -- a 30,000 square foot pantry in my basement! Not to mention the restaurants and other businesses at the street level, which are now open and will be opening soon: a Japanese restaurant, a salad cafe, a brunch place, a tavern, our very own Washington Mutual branch and ATMs, and a day spa!

6) NO MAINTENANCE! NO LANDSCAPING!!
I could go on and on, but the many benefits of not having a yard include less hassle, dirt & dust, and NO BUGS!

My husband and I realized having a big house and yard was great when we had someone else taking care of all of it. On our own, I'm not a big fan of spending all my time keeping house when I want to be working, and neither of us are into landscaping and maintenance, which takes time away from the things we do enjoy.

7) I admit, there are things I might miss: my front porch, living across the street from a neighborhood park (even with the bums), Zach (6th grade) being able to walk to the middle school this year...

Zach doesn't seem to mind, as I'm driving him to school, and we are enjoying our brief time together every morning. We agreed to think about the things we might miss in terms of the exchange, what we're gaining: Two 10th floor balconies with an incredible view of the city skyline are "rockin' cool," especially at night (no bugs!).

Instead of our own backyard and the park across the street, we have a one-acre outdoor park on the 6th floor (no bums!), with a swimming pool, a clubhouse with plasma-screen TVs, a pool table, and a foosball table, and a state-of-the-art fitness center -- none of which we have to maintain or clean, which gives us time to simply enjoy all of it!

The kids, even having given up a bedroom and a basement playroom, are loving the adventure of being "tower-dwellers," especially with the pool, the clubhouse and the luxury & glamour of elevators (go figure!). We took their bikes to Grammy's (where they have room to ride) and got rid of a lot of toys and accumulated stuff, but we bought them an RC boat for the pool ("rockin' cool!") and Heelies for skating all around. They've got their own (shared) TV, DVD, Playstation, computer, and new Nintendo DS's (replaced the Gameboys) in their room, although they've been spending less time with the electronics and more time outside, in the pool almost every day since we moved.

8) All this, for more than 1/3 less than we were paying for the house, which has allowed us to buy some of the new toys and things that have made this transition so much fun, including new bedroom furniture for the kids: Zach has his own loft bed, with a pull-out futon couch below, and Haleigh and Tiger have new bunk beds, with curtains and dividers so they can enjoy their own space and privacy when they need it.

As for the strange looks I mentioned before, by this point in the conversation, most people, and all of our close friends and family, are caught up in the excitement of a good decision -- for us, at this time and place in our lives. It just works.

This is an adventure we've always wanted to experience, but we thought we'd have to wait until the kids were grown and gone. We may decide, after a year of tower-dwelling, that condo life is not for us -- or we may decide it's the only way to live and search out a larger Sky Home. There will be more family-friendly options available in the Atlanta market as development begins on the Atlanta Beltline and Donald Trump builds his two luxury towers, just north of where we are now.

There were very few 3BR condos available when we were looking, but our 2BR condo is more spacious and live-able than the 3- and 4BR homes we were looking at in the same price range. It's all about maximizing and de-cluttering. It's amazing, the accumulation of stuff, and yet how easy it is to clear out the junk and enjoy what is truly special.

So far, so good, although we still have some unpacking and organizing to do. We're searching out entertainment shelving and bookcases to get the living room in order, but it's all coming together.

As for the strange looks...I keep expecting those from our new neighbors, most of whom are younger men, in their late twenties/early thirties, many of whom enjoy "alternate" lifestyles -- not a lot of married couples with children in 1- and 2BR midtown condos. However, there is diversity, all different types of people living closely together, and there is tolerance and acceptance -- and fun. Everybody is so welcoming and enthusiastic -- after all, we're all new here! It's like living in a college dorm, but not as noisy. I like being a fish out of water, with all the other fishes. It makes it easier to embrace the differences and know that everyone is not just like you, and that's okay. It's a great lesson for our kids, too, as we settle in and enjoy our new adventure as Urban Pioneers -- The First Family at The Plaza Midtown in Atlanta. Here we go--