Apartment Blog

If you’re looking to experience a little spook this Halloween, why not try a local festival or haunted house? In Virginia Beach, Virginia we are lucky enough to have the Hunt Club which has plenty of Halloween spookiness for all.

First up is the haunted hayride.  You and your closest friends can load up on a huge trailer full of hay stacks being pulled by a tractor. Without giving too much away, you are pulled through many stations that have bloodied up characters just waiting to pounce on you.

Next up is the village of the dead.  You are lead by a guide to walk through an entire village of ghosts and goblins. The reenactment scenes are goose bump worthy and will surely have you looking over your shoulder.

Finally there’s my personal favorite, the field of screams.  You and your group are lead through an entire field of tall grass and nothing by complete darkness. In every corner is someone lurking to scare you. They are trained well to pick out those that will shrill the most. Whatever you do, don’t look frightened (easy to say, right?). And if you have awesome friends that like to scream your name, the gory staff won’t let you forget it. They’ll taunt you over and over again. It was enough for me that I ran up to a group in front of us and grabbed someone (who I thought was my b/f). Scared and embarrassed what a wonderful combo!

If you’re looking for some great Halloween experiences, check out your local listings.  Its bound to be a great time. Happy Halloween!

History is made every day in Washington, DC. The capital of the United States portrays significance & power with its 19^th century structures and frequent motorcades sightings. The city of politicians, and their constant influx of interns, is always full of action and activities.

Enjoy being a tourist first before sinking your teeth into full fledged DC life.  Taking tours of all the monuments, museums and memorials will surely give you a greater appreciation for your new surroundings. Relatives will be anxious to visit after you have settled into the city, and knowing your way around the city will make the visit smooth and enjoyable. DC’s Metro system is very efficient and can get you around to all of the necessary sites.

Don’t forget your camera.  Although you now live in DC, there are sights and sounds that you may only be able to see and hear once in your life time.  You never know who you will run into.  You could meet the President at a local burger joint or a professional athlete in the mall.

Apartments in Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia also give you easy access to DC and great views of the city without actually living in DC.  In Maryland, Oxon Hill and Silver Spring, also have great communities in the “DC Metro” area.  So, enjoy witnessing history, and if you are savvy enough, you may get a chance to make history as well!

Get more information and search tips on DC Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in Washington, DC.

What could be a better way for a community to build a relationship with its residents than by providing some sort of fun activity? Many apartment communities do this with parties, game nights, movie nights, etc. It’s a great way for residents to get together, find out who their neighbors are and really feel at home in the community. Here’s a suggestion for August, in keeping with the month’s theme, American Artist Appreciation Month, why not do a craft fair instead?

Just this past weekend I went to the Artisans in the Park off of Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. It had over 110 artists showcasing their work whether it is photography, painting, wood carving, metal work, etc. There were hundreds of people that attended this show and it was a terrific event. It gave me an opportunity to see what creative talent we have here at ‘the beach.’ But it got me thinking too. Oftentimes there will be a get together for yard sales and things of that sort in my apartment community. Why not a joint craft fair in August?

Since August is artist appreciation month, I think it would be a great time to allow all your crafty residents an opportunity to showcase their work, perhaps make a little money, and get to know their fellow ‘crafty’ neighbors. When a prospective resident walks in through the door during this month, the advertisements on your property for this craft show will illustrate the type of unique and exciting activities your community offers its residents, reinforcing their desire to want to live there. I know I’d want to live somewhere that had one!

Summer is here and everyone is antsy to get out of work and do something fun! But oh, what did you say…can’t go out because it costs an arm & a leg? That’s why we’ve assembled a list of relatively inexpensive activities for the summertime!

Rollar bladding-whether you have your own skates or not, this is an activity that can be less than $10!

Local sports game-it could be high school, college or even a minor league game. Tickets for the Norfolk Tides, the AAA baseball team, are about $8.00 per person! Just eat dinner before hand and you’re good to go!

Local book store-you could sit in on free readings for various story titles. Barnes and Nobles has events almost every day in the Hampton Roads area, including a group dedicated to help you overcome writers block!

Visit a museum-how better to spend a hot summer afternoon than in an air conditioned museum. Not all museums are boring either! The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk only costs $7.00 per adult.  You could definitely spend hours staring at beautiful pieces of art work.

Festivals-the amount of carnivals, country fairs or festivals always increase during the summer. My favorite to attend in Norfolk is the Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival at Town Point Park. For just $10.00 per person, you can see live entertainment; walk through the amazing New Orleans Art Gallery and more! For just a few bucks more, you can sample some of the mouthwatering Cajun spiced crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo and alligator.

Take a tour-whether it’s of an area you’re not that familiar with or perhaps a historical tour of the city you live in. Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia have great tours to really experience the true history our state offers.

Wine Tastings-local winery shops, such as Total Wine in Downtown Norfolk, have free wine tastings in their stores weekly. You would certainly become a connoisseur in no time!

Including some of these activities into your summer plans will ensure you have a slam packed adventurous season! More inexpensive and creative ideas for saving money are in our Nesting in These Economic Times blog.

Last year I wrote about the Bottled Water Debate and the stats about how consuming water from packaged water bottles was bad for the environment, you can read it here. When I was sitting on my plane from Miami to Atlanta, delayed from my glorious vacation in Key West, Florida, I stumbled on an article in the Delta Sky Magazine regarding American’s love affair with water bottles. It goes through the trends of Americans and their water bottle consumption.

We went from drinking from water fountains at schools, homes and parks to spending almost $6 billion in water bottles alone in 2007. It all started with beautiful green French water bottles that arrived to the United States in 1976. From there the trend materialized. Many more makers started entering the field and sleeker designs appeared; sales skyrocketed and our landfills have increased in size.

Though there was a ripple in water bottle sales in the mid 80s, sales didn’t actually take a decline until last year. I’m pleased to say that according to The Nielson Company, total U.S. sales (excluding Walmart) in bottled water from 2007 to 2008 dropped 3.6%.  This can be attributed to many things such as the economy; no one wants to spend money on bottled water when there is perfectly safe drinking water at home! The ‘going green’ movement is also another motivator. Americans have become much more concerned with the environment and the ‘carbon foot print’ we leave on it. In response, companies are coming out with ‘eco-shape’ bottles, reducing emissions in their manufacturing processes as well as with home purification systems.

Even with a drop in sales, water bottles will always have a presence in America.  According to Tom Lauria, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association, this leeway extends for emergencies like Hurricane Katrina and the need of joggers. Or, “You’re on an airplane. You can’t just go to the tap.” There is a time and place for everything and the key is always moderation! In places where tap is accessible, it should be used. And when it’s needed, bottled water is an option.

So for my flight back home, my bottled water is suitable. But when I return home to Norfolk, Virginia tap water it is!

Source: “Has Our Love Affair with Bottled Water Gone Tepid?”By Jennifer Vogel. http://www.deltaskymag.com/ May 2009

Do you know what you’re doing this Memorial day? Usually my memorial days consist of swimming at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, barbeques where I eat too much and hanging out with friends. However, this year, I will be traveling. With the great deals on airline flights, one benefit from the downturn in the economy, my family and I are heading to Key West, Florida. Our three day weekend will feature parasailing, Duvall Street, visiting the Southernmost point of the US and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.  It’s going to be fantastic exploring the area and seeing how the locals celebrate. By the way, this would be the same locals that commemorate their large population of chickens by having a Key West Annual Chicken Festival (yea, I couldn’t make that up)!

But enough about my fun filled weekend (jealous much)! What about our readers? How do you plan on celebrating this honored holiday for those who have died while protecting our country? Friends of mine in Chicago, IL are going to attend the Memorial Day Parade in Daley Plaza. And we all know Boston is the city for runners, so other friends from Boston will be running in the Boston’s Run to Remember charity race (good luck to all the participants)!

So let us know! I’m curious to know what others around the United States are doing!