Charmaine Apartments

 

10/3/24 Queen Anne neighborhood

After I’d been living in the tiny studio apartment above Targy’s Tavern for a couple of years, I got a new job that came with (for me) a substantial pay increase. It was the late ‘80s. I decided to upgrade my living standards and move to lower Queen Anne. Although I had another studio, it was slightly larger, and the Charmaine Apartments had hardwood floors (which I’ve always loved and still do). The higher rent and living within walking distance of lots of great restaurants, the Seattle Center, the Opera House, and many other amenities that I couldn’t afford made it feel like an upgrade. Even the name "Charmaine" sounded a bit fancy.

What I didn’t realize until I moved in was that the parking was terrible even back then (and worse now, I’m sure). If I went out in the evening and came home late-ish, I sometimes had to park several blocks away. I commuted to work by bus, so sometimes when I got home and saw that a good space had opened up closer to the Charmaine than wherever I had last parked, I would immediately move my car there and avoid driving just so that I wouldn’t lose the space.

I quickly discovered that my landlord was terrible, too. My first winter, I turned on a small space heater and started hearing crackly sounds inside the wall, which became warm to the touch. I turned off the heater, called the fire department and learned that the outlet had been unsafely wired. There was no damage to the apartment because I had acted quickly, but the landlord had to rewire it to meet code, which I’m sure was an inconvenience. I always felt like he had held that incident against me for the rest of my tenancy. He never refunded my deposit when I left, even though I had left the place cleaner than when I had moved in.

Before having lunch with a friend in the area last week, I went to sketch the Charmaine. I was delighted to find a big blue crane out front with restoration of the brickwork in progress. My apartment was on the top floor but on the other side that faced an alley. Despite the landlord and parking, it was nostalgic fun to remember the interior of my apartment and my young life back then.