Was it something I said? Right after my wife and I closed on the purchase of our place in the Monique (1505 11th Ave. at the corner of 11th and Pike) my floormates list their unit across the hall.

Well, while Matt's blogging about the Monique, this seems like as good an opportunity as any to list the reasons why we chose the building:

• Awesome ceiling height. As the NYT informed us over two years ago, "Square feet, that archaic measure of living space, is passe." Cubic footage is where it's at (if you believe the realtors who market by this metric, and we kinda do). Headroom creates a feeling of space, creates opportunity for sleeping lofts (or storage, or creative lighting). Our 20' ceilings also make for a wonderful jungle gym for our two Tonkinese cats, both of whom love to get high.
• Location. As NYC transplants, we were concerned about Seattle's suburban feel. We crave density and all that it brings with it: chance encounters, unpredictability, shopping, food, diversity, arts, entertainment, serendipity, the opportunity to walk to work, the opportunity to walk home after a bottle or two of wine at a meal, and so on. Capitol Hill is supposedly Seattle's second densest neighborhood (after Belltown). There's coffee galore, my favoritest pizza in Seattle (having DOC pie nearby was actually a consideration!), walkable grocery shopping, walkable access to the downtown core, plentiful and variable nightlife options... the list goes on and on.
• Pre-war construction. We really wanted to live in a building that had been converted from industrial-commercial use to residential use (rather than a new loft construction). I feel that old buildings are just built better and that they're known quantities. Our prior apartment (a coop in Harlem) was new construction. The "settling" process that new construction goes through is rather unsettling. Walls cracked, ventilation issues abounded, pipes leaked, etc. Not to mention offgassing of new construction materials. Though all of this is normal, we swore we'd try to avoid new construction in the future as a result of our Harlem experience. The Monique was constructed in 1913; it's been settled for a long time now.
• Big, huge windows (and all that they bring with 'em): Light, city views, water, mountains, people, traffic, sunrises, sunsets, breezes, and street noise. Yeah -- even the noise is comforting. It reminds us of Manhattan.

I could also mention proximity to public transportation, tattoos per square inch of human skin, proximity to Chinatown, indoor parking, Cal Anderson Park, Seattle U, and a host of other benefits, but I've put even myself to sleep now.