a little more on apartments

we've looked at about 9 different places so far. we have been in the old traditional dilapidated buildings and the stale modern ones. we would like to live in the traditional buildings just for the fun of it, but the modern ones are a lot bigger. the traditional buildings are built in a square with a hole in the middle for the courtyard. now, some courtyards are prettier than others, but they each have one. in thinking about having company stay with us, the extra room sounds a little more appealing, but wouldn't it be so fun to come visit an old traditional type apartment? anyway, a little more about the apartments here...

1. they have "closed" or "american" kitchens. closed kitchens means it is a separate room, not joining any other room. american kitchen means it is open, mostly to the living room. of course we prefer the american kitchen b/c that is what we are used to, but this is not a deal breaker on an apartment. most of them have been renewed or refreshed (we would say renovated), so that's nice. the refrigerator, dishwasher and the oven are tiny. i hope my favorite pan can fit in the oven!
   
2. they have a restroom and a bathroom. the restroom has the toilet and a tiny sink and the bathroom has either a shower or bathtub (without a shower curtian of course - not something i've ever understood b/c water gets everywhere, but whatever.) and a bigger sink. i actually think this is pretty brilliant. someone can be in the shower while someone else goes potty and neither one is disturbed! we americans can learn from this. :)
   
3. the dual washer/dryer machine can be in either the kitchen or the bathroom, mostly the bathroom. i actually prefer it in the bathroom b/c that's where you take your clothes off. i don't think i'd like clothes mixed with food in my kitchen. again, not a deal breaker.
   
4. most places have 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. some have 2 bathrooms and some have 3 bedrooms, although these are harder to come by.
   
5. each window has 2, sometimes 3, glass panes, so there are actually 2 windows to open. i think this is to keep the noise out.
   
6. most buildings have an elevator (that is super tiny!) but some don't have one at all. we saw one place on the 4th floor that didn't have an elevator. we actually liked that apartment the best so far, but the no elevator thing is definitely a deal breaker. i can't see myself going up 4 flights of stairs with reese, a stroller and groceries! anyway, the elevator - most of them are the kind where you get in, close the outer door and then shut the two doors inside the elevator. you are doing good if you can fit 4 people in there. if you are a space conscious person like me you can't wait to get out of there!
7. no a/c. for us texans this is incomprehensible! to get air you have to open the windows, but at night this is a problem b/c it lets in the noise. hmmmm, which would i rather have...a cooler or quieter room??? how about i start using earplugs?!
   

one big consideration is if we want to live in the action or in a quieter neighborhood. our ideal place: a quiet street just off the action. :)

we would also like to live by a park since we probably won't have a large balcony where reese can play. plus that scares me anyway. there are parks scattered through the city, so one should be just a short walk away.

it's been so fun to see all the different places. none of them are the same. we will go out with the real estate agent again next week to see more places. we are going to check out one area of town today to see if we like it. it's not right in the action, but pretty close and it is next to the city park (which is huge!) and the zoo.