The Beantown Bloggery

I'm still slightly miffed at the Mandarin Oriental for that bar experience I had a few weeks back (here) but I'll make it there eventually to check it out. Maybe I'll need to go on a Tuesday night or something to avoid the crowds OR I could just move in!

No, I didn't get a raise of insanely remarkable proportions. Instead, the Mandarin Oriental is having a lottery starting today for 10 "affordable apartments."

With the Back Bay building billing itself as "the pinnacle of luxury and personal service," an affordable apartment there isn't exactly cheap. Rents will range from $1,254 to $2,172 a month for the one- and two-bedroom apartments. Still, that's a hefty break from what the elite pay. The rents on the 25 market-rate apartments range from $6,000 to $13,000 a month.

The lottery is slated for mid-December, and is being held under a city-run affordable-housing program that is intended to bring middle-income residents to even the most exclusive of addresses and neighborhoods.

Applications can be picked up at the lower level of the Prudential Center at 800 Boylston St. beginning Monday.

Too bad I'm locked into my current lease for another 7-8 months. Otherwise I'd be all over this. Then, if the bar was at maximum capacity, I could just go back upstairs and have a drink at home.