Another School Year on the Horizon

You know the school year is getting close when you sign a new lease. My fiancée and I took a day trip to Kingston last weekend to check out apartments available for rent. There are many resources available online for those still looking for off-campus housing. Probably the most popular database is the Accommodation Listing Service provided by Queen’s. The SGPS has its own database that is small, but there are some noteworthy places that may appeal to graduate/law students. For those who are looking for a larger condo-type place, there are many property management companies in Kingston. I’ve been in contact with Keystone and Lamb Real Estate. For “affordable” apartment listings, you can try Homestead. There is also a list of other resources at this site under “Apartment rentals”.

If you haven’t rented in Kingston before, I would recommend staying within walking distance of the school. The law school is located in the north-west corner of campus (Alfred Street begins right in front of the school). In my first year, I lived in a house near the intersection of College & Brock and it was a bit of a hike (about 20 mins by foot). It was also quite far to grocery stores and pubs. Thankfully, I had a roommate with a car. In second year, I lived near Alfred & Princess and it was close to everything. This coming year, we’re moving downtown and I’m looking forward to getting our veggies at the farmer's market and spending more time on the water.

I found the first place by word of mouth. The second place was advertised over the law school listserv by another law student. We found this place using the Accommodation Listing Service.

If I correctly recall from Psyche 101, "moving" is on the list of Top Ten Stressful Events, right under "divorce". This will be my 25th move, so I'm not very concerned about it. We have our system pretty well established.