Senior living

Florida state colleges require all students to spend one summer taking classes. I'm told the meaning behind this is for students not to become complacent (insert eye-rolling emoji), but I see it as money extortion. Not only will my daughter be spending more money than usual, but she will also be LOSING money because her summer job is here at home. It's downright annoying, but it is what it is, and so the youngest will be spending this summer at college.

To do this, she must find a place to live, and she worked out a deal with one of her co-workers to sublet this woman's apartment. Which then led to the asking of residence living for her final year. So, Tom and I took a Saturday for a road trip to investigate apartments, something I was not keen on for various reasons. By the time I had explained these reasons to the hubby, he was on my side, and the youngest rolled her eyes when we arrived.

Darcy: "Oh, boy, I can see I've got my work cut out."

I tried to convince her, as I'd convinced myself in the last twenty-four hours with stern self prep talks, we were coming in with open minds, but she knows me too well. Nevertheless, I put on a brave smile, and off we went to apartment building number one, three miles from campus.

Me: "What happens when you wake up and come outside to find you have a flat tire? As you recently did?"

Darcy: "I'll hitch a ride with my roommate."

Me: "She's already left for class."

Darcy: "I'll hitch a ride with my other roommate."

Me: "She didn't come home last night."

Darcy: "I'll call an Uber. Jeez, mom way to think of worst-case scenarios."

Me: "Just reminding you of why you're here, to begin with--school."

More eye-rolling ensued, and looks were exchanged with the apartment ambassador assigned to sell us the goods. He led us down an outside hallway, which reminded me of a motel with doors on either side. Outside each apartment were bags of trashbags in various sizes, colors, and shapes, some closed, others open and spilling garbage.

Me: "What's with the trash?"

Him: "We have valet trash service here. Students put out their trash, and someone collects it Monday thru Saturday."

Me: "Seriously?"

Him: "It's a perk, but not on Sunday."

No wonder all the reviews I read online talked about this place as a bug-infested hovel. It was a roach's paradise! 

The display apartment was laid out for a dinner party. Our ambassador reminded us that only the furniture came with the apartment and to discount the decorations and place settings. Bummer. I really liked the vase of fake lemons on the kitchen table that had four chairs but really would only allow for one--if food was involved. Or studying with books, for that matter. 

He gave us the low-down, all the additional perks which raised the price, the fact that the college bus system did not service this complex, and then suggested we tour the north campus apartment complex by this same company. That's where he lived, and he recommended it for different reasons, none of which I considered necessary. We took him up on that, however, and drove out of the complex, turned right, drove several feet, and turned into the "north campus apartment." 

This apartment complex was more beautiful. The security gates actually worked. The pool was newly renovated and clean, although our ambassador (who'd been given a heads up by our previous guide) informed us the hot tub worked only 75 percent of the time. The display apartment had better snacks in the refrigerator--help ourselves--and didn't have upgrades. What we saw was what we got. Discounting, of course, the decorations and place settings.

Tom, who apparently was reliving his college days from the early 1900s, was horrified when it finally dawned on him that the rent mentioned was actually per person and NOT THE TOTAL split between the renters.

I used a glass of pool water to revive him.

By now, the friends who actually lived in these apartments had responded to Darcy's texts, and we viewed the actual rooms in both the north and south campus apartments, trooping upstairs and past garbage bag after garbage bag. I SnapChatted our adventures, including the dead roach on one working elevator that was so large one of my followers responded, asking if that was a bat, but alas, I did not take photos for the blog.

Suffice it to say, these apartments did not resemble the display apartments. Also, cleanliness is not vital to students.  

Tom decided he wanted to view the apartment complex Darcy would be living in over the summer. This is the complex she wished to reside in for her last year, but prices had risen and were outside her friend's budget, so she'd crossed it off, although I knew she was quite disappointed. At this point, I heard back from my Steelers buddy, whose daughter lived three years in an apartment at this school. An apartment, he considered a "resort." Turns out, it was the same damn apartment.

Off we went.

This complex was a hop, skip and a jump not only from campus but from the building where Darcy attends classes. The complex was newer and very posh in regards to outside aesthetics. Then we walked into the "activity center," and whoa, was my Steelers buddy correct. I thought we'd walked into one of my Wyndhams!

My mother always drilled into our heads that cheaper wasn't always better, that you get what you pay for, and there was no better example than this complex. By the time we had finished our tour complete with professional models of all apartments and a very detailed overview of every expense complete with written copies for us to take, Tom and I were sold.

Me: "What's the situation with the trash?"

Ambassador: "What do you mean?"

Me: "How is that handled?"

Ambassador: "There are trash receptacles strategically placed in corners of the parking lots."

Me: "You mean you expect the kids to bag their trash and dump it themselves?"

Ambassador (laughing): "Ah, I see...yes, we do not offer valet trash service."

We took the choice out of the kid's hands, much to her relief, and she filled out an application. When we word she could tour the actual room she would be subletting this summer, I made us go back to do so, and whoa, it was exactly as the models and the display apartment we'd toured. Freshly renovated. New appliances. Hardwood floors. Clean.

Overall, we felt better with this apartment. There is the college bus service if she has a flat, although hoofing it is just crossing the street. The complex was better maintained, had more perks, and we had a personal review from someone who'd spent three years living there. The youngest had to break the news to her friend, and while we hated being the bad guys there, it made better sense all the way around since she'd be living there this summer. Plus, the boy-man is living there too. No roaming the streets at night traveling to see him.

Although she will have to haul her own trash.