Apartment Choice

Travel accommodation is frequently seen as a mixed bag; something to be approached with equal parts wariness and trepidation. It’s a sentiment often reflected in popular culture, from the iconic motel shower murder scene in the film Psycho , to the famous lyrics of the Eagles’ Hotel California describing a hotel where “you can check out any time you like (but you can never leave)”. Nonetheless, most hotels can be relied upon to deliver a basic standard of quality, along with safety, security, and stability – important considerations when HR is sending its employees off to unknown foreign locales . A guest can expect a standard template of amenities when checking into a hotel room: bed, bathroom, desk, mini-bar, breakfast buffet, and daily housekeeping at the very least; room service and laundry if they're willing to shell out a little more. The shared option? Airbnb, in contrast, promises character and homeliness at a fundamental level. No two homes are the same – likewise, n...

The long retail spine of Sydney Road, Brunswick, just north of Melbourne's CBD, was once a prosperous trading outpost on the way to the goldfields. These days it's a bohemian mix of variety stores, op shops, halal butchers and Lebanese bakeries. Take a side street to the west, however, and a different picture emerges. Sandwiched between Sydney Road and the Upfield train line is an area undergoing rapid and widespread transformation. Light industry is fast being replaced by mid- rise apartment buildings , their inhabitants attracted by the short commute into town and cheaper prices than in the city's south-east. The quality of these units is, on the whole, depressingly bad; think poor ventilation and bedrooms that "borrow" natural light (a weasel word for being dark and windowless). The occasional jazzy façade tries feebly to make up for otherwise cheap construction amid a chorus of greys. At ground level, carpark roller doors alternate with mean pocket garden...

The   Insider Picks   team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. Room Essentials/target/ Business Insider The Insider Pick: Futons are versatile space-saving pieces of furniture that double as a couch and a bed. If your dorm room or first apartment has limited space, adding a futon is an easy way to add seating and a sleeping space for guests. We've rounded up five great futons for less than $600. The Hudson Futon is our top pick because it works equally well as a pull-out bed and a couch.  Dorm rooms and small apartments are the perfect spots for a futon. After all, living spaces for college students are typically very small, so having a two-in-one piece of furniture is extremely beneficial. Plus, the dorm room with the futon is the one where people hang out. A futon may be perfect if your student is a little shy and nervous about heading off to school. Conversely, if your stu...

(Source: Sullivan Solar Power ) By Mark Hughes You may have heard the news: San Diego leads the country in kilowatts of solar panels installed , beating out LA and Honolulu — and by a lot. What’s going on? It’s like cell phones all over again. At first, just a few wealthy cranks have them, but before you know it, everyone and their kid has one. Was there a memo? Maybe this is you now: driving home from work, you can’t resist flicking a glance at the solar panel array on your neighbor’s roof and wonder yet again if they pay SDG&E anything. Or, you’re out for a walk and see that trim, shipshape house you’ve always admired now sports the increasingly fashionable blue/black panels. You put on a brave face, but it’s starting to eat at you: panel envy. The good news is that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and you’re far from alone. Pull up a seat, lie back, and let’s talk. Sure, you know all the valiant reasons for putting panels on your roof: a heroic reduction in greenhouse gas emissi...