Oh yeah, Keith--I was freaked out by that. My first place in LA actually did have a fridge, but then I moved, and...huh? All I could afford was a medium-sized, old-fashioned (i.e. ice-laden) refrigerator for the new place. And there was no way I was going to bring it with me. So I left it behind, wondering whether the landlord was going to get rid of it so as to not buck the trend and be responsible for the next tenant.

Fine doorknobs, though.

Good luck down there, man. I decided you had to be either rich or single to be happy there, and I was neither. Here's hoping the former happens for you!

In many apts in Germany you have to bring your own stove, too.

My ex neighbor had so many guns in the house he left one behind when he moved.

applies to Brooklyn, too ;-)

make sure no body parts or meth lab components were left behind . . .

... and happy in LA. Every place isn't perfect for everyone. There's not enough money in the world to get me to move to San Francisco, for instance. To each his or her own.

And crack dealers were absolutely a selling point for my neighborhood when I chose it because they don't want the cops around, so they keep all the other criminals away. Plus, I researched the long-range plans for development of the area and knew that I would be living in one of the best areas in town within a couple of years and then those crack dealers would be gone and I'd be in my rent-controlled paradise. Now everyone who once feared for my safety wishes they had my apartment.

The fridge thing is mondo bizarre, however.

Keith have you found an apartment. I'm ready for my west coast fix.

John Cullinan Boston