Address: The Saratoga Apartments, 5500 Astor Lane in Rolling Meadows.
Size: 830 square feet.
Rent: $735 a month.
Age of building: Two of the four buildings are 17 years old; the other two are 10 years old.
Security deposit: $400 for two-bedroom.
Floors in building: Two of the four buildings have four floors; the other two buildings have three floors.
Utilities: Not included.
Parking: Free outdoor lot, $60 a month for indoor space.
Special features: Swimming pool, tennis court, weight room, party room and kiddie playground.
Granted, the gray-and-brown, white-tailed rabbit spotted by one apartment shopper is no March Hare of Alice in Wonderland fame, but you may want to follow his lead once he gets his bearings.
Give him a couple of seconds to get it together. The sight of size 6 1/2 pumps coming toward him caught him slightly off balance.
He stood partially paralyzed in the curved walkway of the Saratoga Apartment community, and then decided to fake out the visitor. The upper half of his body darted left and then right as he tried to determine: ”Which way do I go? Which way do I go?”
The visitor wearing the 6 1/2 pumps faked a couple of moves, too.
He was within a hop and a jump of an open field where the grass surely would have hidden him from view or he could have sprinted to Bob`s Vienna Hot Dog restaurant where outdoor tables would have masked some of his fur-footed movement.
Tenants stick around
But despite these options, he chose to stay close to what appeared to be familiar territory: He pressed his body to the side of one of the Saratoga`s four apartment buildings, and watched.
This apartment community appears to be familiar and welcome territory to the people who have chosen to live here, too. The average resident stays three years and moves for job transfers or when ready to buy a home, says Dianne Morris, assistant property manager.
You have your choice of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
We decided to visit the two-bedroom plan, and the one word that came to mind when seeing the model apartment was space.
When you enter the two-bedroom, one-bath plan you are in a small foyer. Your kitchen is to the left and your bathroom, which is framed by two closets- a hall closet and a linen closet-is to the right.
The walls of the bathroom, like most of the apartment, are painted off-white. The white-on-white bath has the necessities-bathtub/shower; toilet;
and sink with vanity top, mirror and makeup lights.
You`re cookin`
The galley kitchen is across from the bathroom. Measuring about 9 by 8 feet, it has a double stainless steel sink, a dishwasher and a refrigerator on one side and the stove on the other side of this room. There are cabinets above and below the beige major appliances and ample counter space for food preparation.
The area above the sink is cut away for a pass-through window, which gives a view of what is going on in the living and dining area.
The combined living and dining room measures about 12 by 23 feet. The living area can accommodate a regular-size sofa, a loveseat, an entertainment center or bookcases and a cocktail table.
The dining area can accommodate a table for four.
You`ll find the bedrooms on the other side of this apartment.
One bedroom is about 10 by 9 feet, and can accommodate a queen-size bed and a dresser. The wall-sized closet has double sliding doors.
The other bedroom measures almost 14 by 15 feet and can accommodate a king-sized be, a dresser and a storage chest. There is also a wall-sized closet here.
Both bedrooms have a large window with vertical white blinds.
Patios, balconies
The living room window doubles as the glass doors that slide open to the patio, if you are on the first floor, or to balconies on floors 2 and above.
There is taupe wall-to-wall carpeting in every room except the bathroom and kitchen, which have white tile.
The two-bedroom, one-bath plan is a good choice for a single resident who could use the second bedroom as an office or den. But roommates would work if you don`t mind sharing a bathroom or are on different schedules.
If sharing one bathroom is too big a compromise to make, Saratoga also has two-bedroom, two-bathroom plans that rent for $855 a month.
Residents who choose an apartment here will get the space they want and a location that puts them about a mile away from Interstate Highway 90. It`s also just a short hop to O`Hare International Airport.
You may also get a bargain. A $50 monthly discount is being offered on the rent.
For rental information, call 708-259-0888.
