August 26, 2016 – New Apartment, Hartford, CT, USA

The first apartment that I stayed in the US.

All the credit for the arrangements of this apartment goes to my ex-roommate, Shlok. When I was in India, I got in touch with him over the phone as he was looking for roommates in the US. During our initial discussion, he came across as a straight forward guy who went out of his way to help us find a nice apartment closer enough to the university building so that we could just walk to our classes.

As soon as my visa was approved, I gave him a call with the good news and he took care of all the formalities. I think, it was only because of him, I could stay in such a well maintained apartment, with quick access to the park, cafes, and essential businesses. Over the years, we have grown our friendship into something life lasting and we cherish every moment whenever we get to meet each other, which happens once in 2-3 years.

Anyway, when it was time to move into this new apartment, we made sure everything was all right with it while checking it out. This was the first time I was checking this apartment out and I couldn’t be more excited.

As soon as I entered the building, I knew this was going to be a comfortable stay at this apartment, just by looking at the cleanliness and the prime location of the place. Our apartment was located at the 8th floor of the building.

Though I couldn’t see anyone outside their apartment, I got a good feeling about everyone staying there as it was properly kept and well maintained. The moment I entered the apartment, I was greeted with this view. You can see my roommates talking to each other by the window, which had some gorgeous views.

As soon as you walk inside the apartment and go to the living room, you are greeted with these giant windows with some more views of the Downtown Hartford. I couldn’t fathom the grandeur of this apartment, as every Indian, I could imagine playing cricket in my living room itself.

If you go close to these windows and just take a look at your back, you would get to see the kitchen. I really liked the open concept and didn’t mind spending most of my time here. It was at Hartford where I learnt most of my cooking and mostly from my roommates, and this kitchen had been used quite a lot as all my roommates were great cooks.

The view that I was talking about looked like this. Even though the picture doesn’t show the entire view, it is enough to give you an idea that it really was a *beautiful* view and I remember spending countless hours sitting in those windows sipping my tea (I was a tea person back then) and talking to friends and showing off.

And how could this visit be complete without my selfie? I used to sit like this – reading, drinking (doesn’t matter what), and creating memories.

After checking the entire apartment, both bedrooms and bathrooms, it was time to check out the basement, which was shared among everyone in the building. It had a pool table, a ping-pong (table tennis) table, some wonderful leather couches and a giant TV, with a generous sized gym.

Most of my time at this apartment is spent at this basement as it provided an oasis for a quiet reader such as myself, and mostly vacant throughout the day. People used to gather here mostly during the night time, and I, being the morning person, benefited from that. I used to play pool, ping-pong with my roommates; and when I was alone, I used to either read or workout. It was this place where I started running and am eternal thankful for that.

Man, this place is filled with so many memories. Every time I think about it, I get goosebumps and yearn for more.

Until next time!