The solace of living alone. The concept of having a space that looks, smells, feels, exactly as you wish it to.
I never had my own apartment in college, though I dreamt of it. Instead I went through at least 6 different room mates and living situations in college. One semester, and one semester only, was I blessed with the good fortune to have a 4 by 4 room for my bed and no one else.
Grad school though? A kitchen and bathroom that are all mine. A fire place, a TV, no loud noises, and no overly friendly, or overly obnoxious neighbors. It was my first and last year of grade school when I had my own apartment in New York City, and I was living a teenage dream. I could walk anywhere from my apartment, to Soho, or midtown, to Chinatown or Brooklyn. Man, I had it all. Often times I preferred my apartment to anywhere else in the city. A place to call my own, that is home.
