I have been staying in an AirBnB in Thornton Park Orlando. I like the place because I have been able to walk to event sketching opportunities every evening. There is one big problem however is that the place does not have working Wi Fi. I need Wi Fi to write these articles every day and I need it twice a week to teach virtual online classes. I walked to the Downtown Orlando Public Library to use it as my office yesterday. I have been thinking that I would like to keep staying in Orlando through the Orlando International Fringe Festival which runs from May 19 to 27. After that my plan is to drive north to New York State where I hope to rent and then possibly buy a place to settle down.
Having no Wi Fi, I am considering starting that road trip early.Yesterday I looked at rental properties in Orlando to see if I could find something for two months. Many rentals want an 8 month lease commitment. Around the corner from where I am sating is this property on Hill Street in Thornton Park. It is just a block from the Falcon Art Gallery and Bar. Photos on Zillow showed an attic space with a skylight. The artist in me was attracted to the possibility of using that as a painting studio space.
Booking an appointment to see the place was a long drawn out process, with photos of IDs and an online form. There was no personal showing of the space, but rather a lockbox. I filled out all the forms but never heard back about the appointment. Online I was told that a code would be sent by text. That code was never sent, so I had to call the realtor. I was told to just go to the house and a text would arrive at exactly the time of the appointment. I walked the few blocks over and waited in front of the house. The text never came, so I called the realtor again and he lead me on a hunt for the lock box. He said it might be attached to a water pipe which I found odd. The front door of the home opened and I explained to the fellow sho came out that I was looking for the lockbox for the rental. He pointed to a side door. His eyes were bloodshot, and I was just happy that he didn’t have a gun.
When I got to the side door there sure enough was a lockbox bolted to the doorknob. The realtor finally gave me the code over the phone. The apartment was on the second floor. I climbed the narrow staircase. I knew that I would not be able to get my artist desk up those stairs. There was a grey room that was maybe 10 b y 12 feet with windows that overlooked the back yard. A door lead to a tiny bathroom and another door was the closet. I tried to turn on the ceiling fan but it refused to spin. The kitchen was set up with windows on three sides. The refrigerator blocked the view out of one of the windows. I tried faucets and electric to be sure everything worked.
One more door lead up to the attic which is where the skylight was. This was my hope for a grwt studio space. As I climbed the steps I realized it must get hot u0 there. At the top pf the steps I realized that I could not stand up. My head hit the ceiling. If I were to use the space as a studio I would always have to sit and then walk hunched over like Quasimodo.
I am only thinking about renting the place for a couple of months, so I thought, maybe I could survive in the cramped space. I need to be thinking about more than surviving. I want to thrive. I am already finding myself sketching at an accelerated pace now that I can walk to arts events. If I can find a decent studio home base then I can continue to thrive.
Rather than leave right away, I stayed to sketch the place. While sketching, I get to weigh the pros and cons of a place. This apartment is in a fantastic location, but it is just too small. The upstairs space with the skylight would only be used for storage since I am unable to stand up. What I am left with would be a 10 by 12 foot room that would have to work as the studio and bedroom. The place without WiFi seems like a palace in comparison but it is furnished and far more expensive.