The Mechanical Game Table in its building

The other day, I was apartment hunting in Portland, Maine. While riding down a road called Blue Stone Ave, which is a lovely street right next to the water, I was lucky to see a "for sale" sign in front of a charming historic apartment complex. Eager to get things started with the whole process, I immediately contacted the number of the realtor on the sign. Fortunately for me, Ms. Brown--the realtor-- was able to meet the next day and show me through the apartment.

Usually when I think of an apartment, I think of small and confined spaces. This apartment was anything but. Dr. Stevens--the man who was selling the apartment--designed the whole place himself. Ms. Brown informed me that his main goal was to embody the essence of the 1800's. I admit that I know little about furnishings and different time periods, so its doubly amazing that even I appreciated all of the hard work Dr. Stevens put into his place. As Ms. Brown leaded me through the different rooms, my jaw dropped when we arrived in the "entertainment room." So many wonderful pieces were placed elegantly in this room, as if they were made to be there. As soon as I could peel my eyes away from the large piano next to an even larger bay window, I looked more closely at some of the more subtly intriguing pieces. I walked by a small table and almost didn't stop to look at it. What made me do a double-take is the fact that It was slightly open, as if the table part would fold up. Ms. Brown smiled and told me about the table, which turned out to be named the "Mechanical Game Table." It folds out when you want to play and becomes a mere, yet beautifully crafted wooden table when not in use.

Soon after my walk-through of Dr. Stevens' apartment, I was signing papers and kissing my savings goodbye. I knew as soon as I set eyes on the apartment that it was mine. I even made arrangements to buy the mechanical game table off of Dr. Stevens! This has been a very successful apartment-hunting adventure.