Mary Tyler Moore me
Mary Tyler Moore me. Like The Mary Tyler Moore TV show, I rented an upper apartment in a house when I was a single 20 something (but Mary was in her 30s). I had a landlady downstairs, but no upstairs neighbor named Rhoda or any upstairs neighbor, it was just….me.
Mary Tyler Moore rented a studio apartment, but unlike her my Mary Tyler Moore me apartment had a bedroom with a good-sized walk-in closet, living room, dining room and nice sized eat-in kitchen. The bathroom had a claw foot tub I used to soak in a lot that especially hit the spot in the winter after work. The bathroom also had a large vintage single basin sink. One of my favorite features was a built-in buffet just outside the bathroom and along the kitchen.
Since it was this old Victorian type house divided in two, the living room and dining room had closets in them left from no doubt the original bedrooms. I was young and had storage galore.
I took a ride by to take a look at her. She has seen better days but for me will always be my special Mary Tyler Moore me apartment. I am still investigating, but I think the house may be abandoned or up for historical preservation. There is a large historical area in town, but this house location is just shy of that area so I am not sure.
On the second level, the three windows on the far right was my kitchen window where my table sat. The next window to the left was the window to my dining room.
I recently did a post about the real life Mary Tyler Moore Kenwood house in Minneapolis to read.
Like the real life Mary Tyler Moore Kenwood house that had an unfinished attic, so did my Mary Tyler Moore me house. I moved to a one bedroom high-rise apartment closer to work exactly like Season 6 of the Mary Tyler Moore show too. I am not telling you this to say the show influenced me to live in an upper apartment in a Victorian house and then move to a high-rise. It’s just the way my life went at that time, Mary Tyler Moore me.
I entered by the front door that had a large interior with double french doors to the landlady’s quarters. I kept my bike in the landing with room to spare. Turn to the right and up the stairs was my place to be me. The stairs leading up are visible (on a nice day) through the large square window to the right of the entrance door. Up and turn left and up again. A wonderful old key to unlock my door. I loved my door to enter that had an upper window with a little curtain. As I write this looking back it is kind of painful to think of those wonderful days now gone..sniff, sniff.
Here is the window to my bedroom that I peered out of watching for my boyfriend to arrive who just happened to become my husband.
My apartment had a back door! The steps to this door led to either the landlady’s kitchen quarters with its own private entrance or turn right and up the stairs to my back door that let me in to the kitchen and bath area. The single upper window to the right of the door was in the stairwell. The other windows moving right to left were my living room and second bedroom window. The house is in West Chicago, IL that is a far west suburb of Chicago and not at all in the western part of Chicago. I tried to find inside photos from back then, but sadly the few I dug up were barely worth sharing. If I find some I will share later.
I had a green flower couch with a matching bedspread in brown. I didn’t paint or change the funky wallpaper because it was hard enough to make ends meet and it didn’t matter to me; this was my haven.
Time to move on to my Mary Tyler Moore me high-rise called Wheaton Center that landed me back in my hometown Wheaton, Illinois. I was on the 13th floor and loved living here as well. One balcony off the bedroom and a balcony off the living room, and a separate vanity area with a sink inside the bedroom were the best features along with the amenities of a parking garage, pool and clubhouse.
Do you have a Mary Tyler Moore me story? Did you move out of the house on your own as a young working girl or stay home as long as you could and save money? Maybe You did something totally different.
