<p>So, J. and I visited the new apartment and neighborhood yesterday; he loved it all and seems extremely excited about it. He compared it to San Francisco, with all the hills and crooked little streets and spectacular views of the water. I wish we were allowed to post photos – he took some really spectacular ones from the roof. (Which is only two flights up from me, since I’m on the 11th floor and the only floor above it is the penthouse; it’s open to residents all the time, and they put out Adirondack chairs in the summer. I’m sure I’ll be spending lots of time up there. There’s a sign saying that if you’re 19 or under you can’t be up there alone after midnight – one wonders what they think teenagers might be doing there late at night! – but J. pointed out to me that he’ll be 20 in three weeks, and doesn’t have to worry!)</p>
<p>I still can’t believe I’m actually going to be living there! </p>
<p>The apartment itself somehow looked smaller without any furniture in it, but it still isn’t that much smaller than my present one, and my feeling that this is the place for me hasn’t changed. I took measurements, so I’ll be able to figure out ahead of time what furniture fits and what doesn’t, and just how many books I’ll need to get rid of!</p>
<p>The big surprise was noticing that there’s no dishwasher in the kitchen. I guess when I was there the other time, it didn’t even occur to me that there might not be one, and I didn’t look carefully. Nobody ever accused me of being the most observant person in the world – when we got home last night, I had to ask J. if there were venetian blinds on the windows, because even though I told myself ahead of time to look for that, I completely forgot. He says yes, and I trust his memory, which is amazing. I did manage to notice that there are screens on all the windows, so I don’t have to worry that I can’t ever open them more than two inches because Ziggy might jump out!</p>
<p>Anyway, I am not someone who enjoys washing dishes by hand. I think the last time I lived in an apartment or house without a built-in dishwasher (not counting the last two years of law school, when I lived off campus), was back in about 1963, when my mother first bought one. (I have no idea when they were invented - maybe in the '40’s?)</p>
<p>The kitchen is quite small, even though it is an actual separate room with a window, which is something I appreciate. There isn’t room, I think, for even a portable standing dishwasher, the kind that has wheels. But I discovered, searching online last night, that there’s such a thing a countertop dishwasher, somewhat larger than a microwave, that you hook up with a hose to the sink faucet every time you use it. Obviously, they don’t hold that much, and I’d have to use it on pretty much a daily basis, but they do save water (and my time!) as compared to washing by hand. And since I’ll be living alone most of the time, except when J. is home on vacation, there’s really no reason I should need a full-sized dishwasher even if I could fit one in the kitchen.</p>
<p>I’m not going to order anything until I have a chance to make sure there’s enough space on the countertops to fit one along with the microwave and toaster oven, as well as enough vertical space beneath the cabinets (these dishwashers are apparently 17 or 18 inches high), but I have looked around and there seem to be only 4 different brands: Koldfront, Edgestar, Danby, and Haier. Generally speaking, Koldfront seems to get the best reviews, although they all apparently have their pros and cons. They all cost around $200-$250 or so. </p>
<p>So, has anyone ever had one of these things?</p>
