Consider that despite having brick walls you will probably still hear your neighbors every now and then.

It's totally not a waste, I need space for my kitties to roam. Also, I have a bunch of users for my spare rooms! Like having family come over and an office. I also have a pretty sweet indoor garden in the basement.

Black Camry, I feel like there are three on my block

Before here I lived in the Seattle area. Hard for me to gauge cost of living since everything seems so much cheaper than where I was but for the most part it seems pretty on par with the us average maybe slightly higher? Social wise there's a lot to do and people are generally pretty laid-back and easy to talk to. Public transit is a little abysmal so you may need a car depending on which neighborhood you live in and work. That said it's pretty easy to get to other metropolitan cities in the northeast by train. Safety is largely neighborhood/block dependant, so far I haven't had any run ins. Porch pirates are a really problem so you'll probably want a PO box if you receive a lot of packages. Restaurants tend to put old bay in everything which gets a little annoying but it's a Maryland thing.

Yeah seems like they just outsourced it.

You could check out the indoor track at the brand spanking new Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center and let us know how it is.

I hope they and other PhD students get the pay they deserve. It's criminal how people take advantage of people so passionate about their fields of study.