Random Scrap:
I would love to say that I lived in one of the houses by the beach but that would be a lie. With my limited budget I managed to find a room in an apartment building located near the Ocean Park Blvd and the 23rd. My landlord (and roommate at the same time) was going to be an eighty year old Turkish woman. The house smelled of cigarettes but when she told me I could have the place for six hundred dollars, which included food, I agreed without any hesitation. It was ten minute walk to the college and was still considered part of Santa Monica - two conditions I was not going to compromise on. The bus from outside the house could take me directly to downtown and if I wanted to walk to the ocean it wasn't more than fifteen minutes. My room was quite spacious with a big bed, a solid desk and a small TV. The street outside was a bit noisy but overall it wasn't really bad at all. The chill of ocean breeze coming through the opened window was enough to convince me that I had made the right decision.