Blog Posts

First Apartment Tips According to Redditors

Looking for your first apartment? Maybe you just moved in. Whatever your situation is, we think that the tips in today’s post will be beneficial for you. We’re writing about first apartment tips. If you’re new to Courtland Towers and are considering taking a tour of one of our available apartment homes, we’re excited to introduce you to our community. We hope the following tips will inspire you as you begin a new adventure here in Arlington, VA. Top “first apartment” tips according to Reddit Take your time looking at the place. Don’t feel rushed. If you’re seriously considering a place, make note of anything that is damaged in the apartment. Take pictures and document, document, document! Get a plunger before you need one. Introduce yourself to the neighbors. Dish soap is not a replacement for dishwasher soap. If you did use dish soap in your dishwasher, use cold water to clean it up; hot water makes the problem worse. Have a box or bag with toilet paper, a hand towel, some soap, some plastic cups, and paper towels in it at the ready. It should be the first thing you put in the apartment and unpacked immediately. During the move, you'll eventually need to use the bathroom or drink water. Now you can. Add a four pack of 60W light bulbs, a cheap Walmart floor lamp, a plunger and a yellow sponge with the green abrasive pad on one side. Pack a shower curtain if there's not already one and cleaning products such as Lysol, Drain-O, Pledge, and Windex. Buy a coffee maker or kettle and stop spending money every day on coffee or tea. Find out what’s within walking distance. Always have at least a month’s worth of the cost of rent in savings — ideally more. At least have the security of being able to afford rent even if you lost your job tomorrow.

Essential Items to Pack for Any Trip

At Courtland Towers located in Arlington, VA, we’re all about preparation — especially if you’re planning to leave on a trip any time soon. In order to take one thing off your plate before you go, we’ve compiled a list of all the essentials you’ll need for travel. If you’re flying the friendly skies, packing a well-stocked carry-on can be one of the best ways to prepare! We found some tips from Simply Taralynn , who gives some great advice for packing: what to bring and what to leave behind. For those who are driving to their destination, this list of 50 Essentials To Survive A Road Trip will come in handy! The first four items on the list are: 1. Music/Playlist : “Your mood is likely to change quicker than you think, especially when you get into unlucky situations. So before you even put [your key] in the ignition, ensure that you have at least 30 playlists for the trip. This is also an opportunity to learn the names of new artists. Don’t forget your headphones!” 2. First Aid Kit : “Whether you accidentally cut yourself while gathering wood for a campfire or you have just eaten a wrong snack on the road, first aid kit will come in handy than you think.” 3. Camera : “You will need to take some photos to remember the trip and memorize that delighted look on your face when you reached your favorite destination (Great gift idea! See Amazon’s Most Wished For List).” 4. Snacks/Food : “Your wallets will get empty sooner than you think when you are constantly eating out. Though eating at different restaurants is often one of the most exciting parts of a road trip, you can always do your wallet and health a favor by carrying your own snacks/food.” Thanks for reading! We hope you have a great trip away from your apartment in the coming weeks and months.

Great Movies from Last Month

Did you make it out to the movie theater last month? No? Head out of your Arlington, VA apartment and watch something that you missed. At Courtland Towers, we love watching movies. Here are just a few of the titles that we were dying to watch. The following titles and descriptions can be found at IMDB.com : The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part “It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.” Isn’t It Romantic “A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.” Alita: Battle Angel “Alita is a creation from an age of despair. Found by the mysterious Dr. Ido while trolling for cyborg parts, Alita becomes a lethal, dangerous being. She cannot remember who she is, or where she came from. But to Dr. Ido, the truth is all too clear. She is the one being who can break the cycle of death and destruction left behind from Tiphares. But to accomplish her true purpose, she must fight and kill. And that is where Alita's true significance comes to bear. She is an angel from heaven. She is an angel of death.” Fighting with my Family “A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.” How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World “As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless' discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup's reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.” Thanks for visiting our blog!

Board Game Recommendations

Welcome back to the Courtland Towers Blog! In today’s post, we’re sharing three board games that we’re excited to play this month. Two of them we’ve played and are excited to play again. The third releases this month. Enjoy exploring something old and new in your Arlington, VA apartment. Takenoko By no means is Takenoko a new game; even so, it is one of our favorite board games of all time. Takenoko is a showstopper when it comes to games. Complete with colorful tiles, wooden components that piece together and resemble stocks of bamboo, and a miniature panda figurine that will make you want to shout with joy, this game is one that you and your friends will enjoy many times over. Here’s a short description from Bombyx : “A long time ago, the Emperor of China offered Japanese Emperor a Giant Panda as symbol of peace. Your delicate mission is to take care of the animal by growing a bamboo plantation. But be careful with the sacred animal and its unhealthy appetite for the crispy shoots…” Railroad Ink Railroad Ink is a beautiful little game for one to six players. It plays in about 30 minutes, takes seconds to learn, and is (in our opinion) one of the best games to come out of 2018. Here’s a description from the publisher, CMON : “New lands have opened up and the race is on to create the best network of rail and road lines through it. In Railroad Ink, players roll the Route dice and must then draw the subsequent results on their individual Route boards. Players score points for having long interconnected Routes, as well as connecting the entry points to their board, plus having Routes through the center of their boards. But beware, they’ll lose points for leaving unfinished lines…” Wingspan Wingspan is a card-driven board game with colorful components and stunning artwork. If you like birds, you won’t want to miss out on playing this game which releases this month. Here’s a description from Stonemaier Games : “You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth…”

Environmentally Friendly Ways to Save Money

Have you ever thought about how you can be more environmentally friendly in your everyday life? It turns out, some of the most simple ways to do it will not only help preserve our wonderful planet, but they will also save you a few bucks along the way. Our post on Courtland Towers Blog this week is dedicated to providing you with four reasonable ways for you to practice greener habits near your Arlington, VA apartment. We invite you to choose one of the following actions and implement it into your routine this year! Borrow More By borrow, we’re primarily referring to things like books and movies you can find at the library or from a friend instead of buying your own copies. While it’s fun to have a well-curated library of books and other media that is your very own, we suggest you always start by borrowing from the public library before choosing to purchase. You’ll save money when you stop buying books you don’t know if you’ll like, and you’ll use less paper while you do it. This principle also works for major outdoor appliances or other non-daily items as well. If you don’t need it all the time, share these items with a neighbor, too! Drive Less While you may have heard this time and time again, we can’t stress enough how beneficial it is for the environment to drive less and to use alternative forms of transportation. We know that many people rely on their cars to get to the important destinations in their lives, of course, so we aren’t suggesting you do something rash and give up using your car altogether unless you truly believe it will be the right choice for you. We are, however, suggesting you make the conscious decision to use your car a few times less each week and to take public transportation, walk, or bike instead. You’ll save on gas, and your local air quality will be cleaner! Buy Second Hand When it comes to things like clothing, buying second hand is a great way to help out the planet. Clothing from a thrift store will cost you less. At the same time, you’re choosing to purchase something that has already been worn, which means that article of clothing didn’t have to be manufactured a second time in order for you to enjoy it. This may seem small, but on a large scale, buying second hand will help us reduce the unnecessary excess of energy used to make new clothes. What do you do to simultaneously save money and the planet? Let us know in the comments below!

What to Watch During Black History Month

Courtland Towers Blog wishes you a wonderful month! To help you observe Black History Month, which takes place every February, we are sharing some of our favorite movies that honor noteworthy people throughout history. Spend an evening or two this month viewing one of these films in your Arlington, VA apartment! These stories may get you emotional, but they will also help you have a greater appreciation for the contributions of people of color to our society. 12 Years a Slave Imagine what it would be like to be a free Black man in the pre-Civil War era, and then to be wrongfully sold into the slave trade of the South. 12 Years a Slave brings the story of Solomon Northup to life on the big screen as he makes his way from owner to owner, merely trying to survive as well as fight for his honor. When he meets an abolitionist after twelve years, his life changes forever. Hidden Figures During the Space Race of the 20th century, sending someone into orbit was nearly the most sought after achievement possible. This film adds further insight into the story of the first American to orbit the earth, and specifically the genius behind this feat, which came in the form of three gifted Black women. Before Hidden Figures, their efforts were largely unrecognized. This month, enjoy one of the most empowering films of the decade! Malcolm X How much do you know about the life and legacy of Malcolm X? This film serves as a tribute to one of the most famous — and controversial — Black rights activists fighting for liberation. This film details his time spent in prison during the ‘50s, his leadership in the Nation of Islam, and his assassination. X’s legacy will forever live on as a paragon of racial pride and self-determination. Mudbound At the close of World War II, two men return to a farm in small town Mississippi to work. In addition to being forced to adapt to post-war life, they also are deeply affected by the racism of the Jim Crow South. Find Mudbound on Netflix! Which film will you watch this Black History Month? Let our community know by leaving a comment below!