In the Fox 32 broadcast, a Lincoln Park studio came with two memorable figures: four hundred square feet and nine hundred dollars a month. Members watching it were less surprised by the size than by how much it looked like somewhere they had lived.
We asked a few of them about their first apartments. Nearly everyone sent a photograph.
The windows
Claire Hensley sent a current listing along with hers. She is looking for a studio on Armitage and wanted the Committee to see one before somebody else took it.
The rent was $3,600 per month. Caroline asked what else Claire had considered. Claire enlarged the photograph of the windows.
There were built-in shelves, enough room for a small sofa, and a coffee shop on the way to the train. Caroline asked for the numbers again.
The ledger
Caroline prepared the following monthly ledger for discussion. Claire asked that the photographs remain attached.
A Representative Member’s Monthly Ledger
| Gross monthly compensation (representative) | $6,250 |
| Federal and state tax withholding | $1,700 |
| Health, dental, retirement contributions | $650 |
| Net monthly take-home | $3,900 |
| Rent on a 400-square-foot Lincoln Park studio | $3,600 |
| Remaining, before any other expense whatsoever | $300 |
The remaining $300 plainly would not cover the rest of the month. Caroline circled it. Claire said she understood, but had anyone noticed the apartment was on Armitage?
Making room
Before they could finish, Jill began describing the table in her old studio. It folded almost flat against the wall and seated four, provided nobody needed to get up during dinner.
She had once served an entire birthday meal from it. The salad waited on the dresser and the cake had to stay in its box until the plates were cleared.
Erin remembered the CB2 divider she bought to separate her bed from the sitting area. She still has it. It was the first piece of furniture she chose without asking anyone whether it was sensible.
Claire asked where they had put their televisions. This took longer to settle than the dining arrangements.
The Committee can be quite useful about small spaces. Someone generally has spare shelf inserts, knows a building with a vacancy, or can help carry a chair upstairs. We would like new Members to ask.
Caroline also offered to go through Claire's other listings with her. Jill offered the folding table, subject to finding it.
The street outside
When Members describe those apartments, they usually get to the street before they finish describing the rooms.
There was a lamp in a shop window that Jill passed every evening until she finally bought it. Erin knew exactly which floorboard creaked when she came home late and where to stand in the kitchen to get the best light.
Outside were morning coffee, the walk to the train, and friends close enough to come over without making an occasion of it. A Saturday errand on Armitage could take all afternoon, particularly if someone was trying on shoes.
The old photographs show small rooms, mismatched glasses, and someone sitting on the arm of a chair. Members who now have dining rooms still remember who fitted around those tables.
We hope the newer Members will invite us over. We can bring glasses.
“I liked being able to see the street from the sofa. I still miss that window.”— Jill, looking through the apartment photographs
Before signing
Caroline has asked Claire to come back with the other listings before committing to this one. There may be another apartment she likes just as much.
Claire has agreed to meet her on Saturday, after coffee.
She is bringing the photographs.