Since I can't move in for another 3 weeks, and my grace time at the Fort Drum Inn is over, I get to stay in "temporary housing" until the 7th of September. This means a one-room deal with a communal bathroom.

I forgot to ask about Internet. Fortunately, I can now access the Internet anywhere through my laptop using the BlackBerry as a modem. Awesome.

So, until next time, a picture:

Yeah, the housing market is that backed up.  Well, for non-crack houses that is.

Also, "Doom on You" to Caldwell Realty.  I was told that I couldn't get a home in Sackets Harbor for under $300,000.  I did some calling around and found out that town homes start at $200,000.  Which is still a rip-off, but just on principle, I had to say that.

Okay, I'm going to describe the area, show off some pictures, and you tell me how much you think I'm paying per month.  I should mention that the housing allowance for a captain without dependents is $1100/month.  The actual monthly payment can be found below the cut. 

So I'm going to start by using the Defense Department's most trusted 3-D geospatial satellite imagery software to give you the lay of the land.

Is it Falconview?  TTVS (Tactical Terrain Visualization System)? 

Nyet, Comrade.  I'm referring to Google Earth.

Here's a direct link to Google Maps in case you want to zoom in and out for yourself. 

(Note to my high school friends:  Toilet papering an apartment just isn't cool, so I feel safe posting the links)




Anyway, let's take a tour of the facilities. 

I guess I'll say the obvious now.  I live in a military base built in the 1800s and abandoned in the 1940s.  No kidding.  It used to be "Madison Barracks", which overlooked an important port on Lake Ontario.  In fact, the main office for the apartment complex is a building in the National Historic Registry (it was the camp guardhouse).  I think my building is too.

As such, I also lucked out in that I got one of the few rooms with washer/dryer hookups.  There is no way in hell I want to go out in -20F weather to do laundry.  Like aviendha1979 says, it's fun to throw your cap and gloves in the dryer to warm them up before you go out, too.

Anyway, I did some driving around.  As you enter the complex from the west, you drive past the marina, where people keep their sailboats and such.




Unlike the abandoned crack houses in Watertown, NY that look, well, Cracktownish, the abandoned buildings in Sackets Harbor look nice, strangely enough.



Here's the apartment itself.  I got the top left apartment.  A 3 bedroom with washer/dryer hookups.  The hookups were key.  I didn't need 3 rooms, but I had to have the washer/dryer. 

Any ideas for a 3rd bedroom?  I'm used to using one bedroom for a bedroom, a second for a study, and then the living room (which I really never use for TV, since I rarely watch it.)  Any suggestions?



Behind the apartment is a view of Lake Ontario.  Great in the summer...I will get you pictures of the Lake Effect snow in the winter, though...





The complex has a guard tower, complete with...



...cannons.

So that's that.  I can't move in until early September, but that's about the earliest I can get household goods, so it really doesn't matter.  I'll just need to find some place temporary until then.  I also have 14 days of use/lose leave so I might be able to milk that until I get a place.  This might work out nicely. 

As it stands, the Army offers 10 days of house-hunting time, which is essentially 10 free days of leave.  The leave ends when you sign your lease.  I won't be able to sign the lease until the 20th or so, but I'm next in line for that apartment.  With that said, I can legally take the full 10 days of house-hunting time.  I will need to do more research on the area tomorrow.  I'm not certain if the jet skis are sufficiently fun, so this needs a great deal of investigation. 

As it is, this place has a lot of single officers, DINKs, and more people from the general public.  Although it's a drive (especially in the winter), it's usually best to live far away from the flagpole, so to speak, so you don't live in a stereotypical "Joe Town".

Oh, and the price?  Remember, I get $1100/month for housing.  Guess how much I'm paying for 3BR/2BA 1278 sq feet in a historic district on Lake Ontario?