Speaking of lists...

Now that Super Husband and I are officially moving back to where the stars at night are big and bright we've been thinking more and more about returning to Beijing, or China at the very least.

Eventually. 

And one thing that has crossed our minds is what kind of apartment we will want. Now that we've lived in a sixth floor walk up for the better part of a year I can safely say that an elevator is on that list. Especially if we're returning with a Super Baby (It's in the five year plan, but not necessarily in the immediate future). 

So here's the list:

1. Elevator -- If we only live on the fourth or fifth, or even sixth floor we'll probably take the stairs most of the time, but it's nice to have the option of not hauling yourself, your groceries, or your suitcases up 99 stairs. 
2. A bathroom bigger than a postage stamp -- Now, this isn't a hard and fast requirement for me, or Super Husband, but wouldn't it be great to not have to worry about your shower flooding your entire bathroom, since they're one and the same? Or have conditioner constantly in your sink? In a perfect world we could even have a tub. It's not unheard of here. 
3. A courtyard, or some semblance of a community -- Right now to get to the front door of our apartment you have to navigate through some parked cars, after walking for a while down an alley. Which is fine. But it would be nice to have a small courtyard, or communal space where you can sit and have a coffee. And not feel like you live down an alley, frankly. 
4. A grocery store -- This is perhaps my top requirement after an elevator. We have two small shops around the corner here, but neither of them have things that I would consider basic staples, like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, milk, or yogurt. They more closely resemble what my mom calls a stoop 'n' snatch it. They have oreos, salt, haw candy, and sodas. I'd like picking up some milk and cheese not the be an hour long ordeal that requires prior planning. Now, this could perhaps be overlooked if my or Super Husbands place of work were to be extremely close to a good store. Then it'd just be a matter of stopping off on the way home. 
5. A decent kitchen -- These are hard to come by here, but like the bathroom it would be nice to have something larger than a stamp. I'm not asking for a dishwasher, or even a proper oven (please, oh please could I have a proper oven?), I just want to be able to move around... you know, not hit my head on the gas meter if I take a single step back from the stove. Yes, that did happen this morning.
6. Close to a subway stop -- I'm pretty spoiled for location at my current apartment. A seven minute walk takes you to the intersection of two major lines. I can get basically anywhere in the city with minimal transfers. I really, really don't want to live much farther than that from a subway stop. I know people that take the bus to the subway, or bike to it, and it just adds so much hassle to their day. So, call me spoiled, but it goes on the list. 
7. A decent couch -- I didn't realize how important this would be to the comfort of life, but it is. Right now we have a crappy futon, that's a little bit broken. And we don't use it. At All. Well, except for when I tutor, then I sit on it and the kids sit on the floor usually. But it has mostly been relegated to "place we set the bags after shopping" and in the winter "place to put the coats if there are already too many on the coat rack". I want a nice couch. Something worthy of a nap, or curling up on and reading a good book. 

Less Important Things: Things that aren't make or break, but would be oh so nice to have. 

1. AC in the living room -- It's July now, and daytime temperatures haven't dropped below 85f (27c) in a few weeks. We're spending way too much money on the AC in our bedroom, but it's worth it not to wake up feeling like you just took a dip in a pond. And so, with the requirement about having a good couch, we'll need an AC unit in the living room to go with it. Because what good is a good couch if all you'll do is sweat buckets while your sitting on it? Of course, fans can be purchased and plugged in, so this could work, too. 
2. A decent TV -- I don't watch TV in China, Super Husband does, but only rarely. I do, however, watch movies, and it would be nice to be able to do that on something other than a laptop. 
3. Good storage space -- Our apartment now has plenty of storage, and I love it. A large ikea dresser/closet unit in the bedroom, a bookshelf in the living room, plus a nightstand, a desk, an "entertainment unit" under the TV, and a built in unit by the door. We've never not had enough room here. 
4. Good laundry porch -- Right now we have a great porch area where our washing machine is, and where we hang all our clothes to dry. It has screens on the windows, and it just the right size for all our clothes hanging needs. Of course, it would be nice to have an even bigger porch, where we could put chairs out on nice days, but I'm pretty sure that's asking too much of a Beijing apartment. 
5. Close to work -- Now, this would be great no matter what city you live in, right? I absolutely loved biking to and from work every day. It was both invigorating and relaxing. What more do you want? But baring that, it would be nice not to have to endure a 45 minute commute smashed up against other passengers, some of whom have yet to be introduced to deodorant... or personal hygiene of any kind. 
6. Good Feng Shui -- When in Rome, they say. Even before moving to the 'jing I was a believer in the powers of feng shui. Now, don't misunderstand. I am by no means saying that it is a magical heal all in your life, but it just makes sense. Get rid of clutter - duh. Beautify your space - duh again. But I do also feel like the "flow of energy" is important. Our apartment now has great feng shui (except that our front door leads to a somewhat dark hallway) and it makes it easier to be happy here. Good light. Good air flow. Good energy flow. Plus, our bed even faces the right direction for my personal pa'kua readings (east, if you were wondering).  

As of right now I'm pretty sure that sums it up. Who knows what we'll be able to find in three to five years when we're talking about moving back here. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a place that meets all of our criteria. Or maybe we'll have to spend weeks hunting for a place that meets only some of them. 

Of course, we know from personal experience, and from others who have been searching, that realtors here wont show you a good apartment at first. They'll show you six crappy places that are over your budget until you get really, really frustrated and finally, after some hair pulling and some threats to go to another agency, then they'll show you the place you've been looking for. 

And then you have to pay them.