Paradise ... lost?

Paul and I put down a deposit on an apartment in Mount Pleasant, S.C., today. (Paul never gets tired of saying it's a very pleasant town, but the joke is getting old.)

We actually toured two places: Hibben Ferry (Mt. Pleasant) and The Islands (James Island). Both of them looked good on paper -- they were in decent locations and had the amenities we needed (cat-friendly, washer/dryer connections and whatnot).

Paul and I toured Hibben Ferry first and were impressed by the property and the staff. Okay, the name is rather annoying and sets off my editor bells, but I'll let it slide. I have pretty high apartment standards, having lived in the most amazing place right on the riverbanks in Downtown Memphis. But this surpassed my expectations. Open floor plans, tennis courts, pool, free gym membership to a 20,000-square-foot gym across the street, two grill/picnic areas, screened-in porches on every unit (a big deal in the South), screened gazebo, and (!!!) two piers onto a big, beautiful creek. The creek empties into the Atlantic, so you can catch saltwater fish from the piers.

After leaving Hibben, we toured The Islands, and it was pretty much the complete opposite of Hibben Ferry. I should've been clued in by the neon-colored banner outside the leasing office with a picture of a cocktail and the tagline, "The closest you can get to paradise." The complex is -- I'm not kidding -- behind a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Construction is shoddy and the average age of residents is about 18. Nobody other than the leasing agent was wearing anything other than a bikini or swim trunks.

Even before we left the parking lot of The Islands, I was 100 percent dead-set against living there. But to seal the deal, Paul and I passed five vultures on the way out of the complex. Consider it a divine sign.

We went back to Hibben and reserved a first-floor, two-bedroom unit with a view of the dog play park. I think Fred and Joe will get a kick out of watching the fuzzy puppies running around.

These are my actual photos from the complexes. The heron was on the creek at Hibben Ferry; the vultures were on the side of the driveway to The Islands. Good versus evil indeed.