Almost Home Blog – Corporate Housing Advice, News, and More

There is no better way to explore the different Salt Lake neighborhoods than by first living in them through corporate housing. Corporate housing is defined as a furnished apartment, complete with rent, furniture, housewares, linens and all utilities including local telephone and basic cable. It offers on average double the square footage of a hotel room, as well as a kitchen fully stocked with all the necessary pots and pans, and many more amenities than a hotel can offer. A corporate housing lease is usually around 3 months, although it can also be as little as 30 days or as long as several years.   If you’re looking for corporate housing in the Salt Lake City area, here are three neighborhoods in which you will find yourself remarking, “This is the place.”
Cottonwood/Midvale is centrally located in the middle of the valley, with easy access to the canyon and to the I-215 belt route. Money magazine rated Cottonwood Heights as #100 on their Best Places to Live list in 2007. Living in a furnished apartment in the Cottonwood/Midvale area will find you wanting to extend your assignment.
Sandy/West Jordan, is in the South part of the valley and is close to I-15. Both cities are fairly populous (West Jordan is the 4th largest city in the state of Utah), so the Sandy/West Jordan area will give you a taste of the big city life, all while retaining some of the best characteristics of a small town.
Downtown Salt Lake City is the center for shopping and restaurants. Downtown Salt Lake City offers all of the cosmopolitan advantages of a large urban center, unspoiled by some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. The ski slopes and hiking trails are a short drive from downtown—and this allows you to balance your life between work and play.
Salt Lake City furnished apartments give you more time to enjoy the city and surrounding wilderness. Almost Home USA has a friendly support staff on hand to ensure that the washing machine is spinning properly and that the cable is properly installed. Corporate housing frees up play time like no other housing option. Choosing the corporate housing option in Salt Lake City is easy. But with so many charming suburbs and trendy neighborhoods in the Salt Lake City area, choosing a place to live that suits your style should be the most difficult part of your stay.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned that Chicago was listed as the most stressful city in the United States by Forbes.com.  Apparently Chicagoans play as hard as they work, because Forbes.com also reported on the most entertaining American cities.  With over 35,000 restaurants it’s no surprise that New York came in first.  But Chicago came in second, with over 15,000 restaurants, as well as tons of bars, cultural institutions and sporting venues. (more…)

Forbes reported that Chicago is the most stressful city in the United States. The magazine compared statistics such as the number of sunny days, the unemployment rate and the cost of living, among others. For the business traveler in Chicago, here are three ways to unwind after a long, stressful day. (more…)

Tampa is at first glance a 9-to-5, all-business kind of city.  If you’re in town on a temporary assignment or relocating to the area, you may want to carefully weigh your options for corporate housing.  After all, the right neighborhood can make a difference in your stay.  Here are four neighborhoods that will leave you feeling as though you’ve discovered the Fountain of Youth: (more…)

SOFA, or Sculptural Objects Functional Art, is coming to Chicago November 6-8 this year.  Be sure to buy your tickets online.  The lecture series highlights the finest in international craft, and there is a film series as well.  Proceeds from this year’s benefit dinner honoring Sam Maloof goes toward the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center Maloof Scholarship Fund, and The Furniture Society Scholarship Program.  If you’re staying in Chicago corporate housing that weekend, be sure to check it out as it is the most significant craft show in the Midwest, and one of the most significant craft shows in the country.

For tricks and treats this Halloween there’s no place like Orlando.  If you’re staying in Orlando corporate housing, major attractions there offer themed events, such as SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular, Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, and DisneyWorld’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  While tickets to the events can be pretty pricey (moreso at Universal, where an express pass can run you close to $70), if you’re a Florida resident or an annual pass holder there are discounts available.  I’ve also heard rumors that major soft drink brands, and restaurants will offer promotion codes on their website that can be redeemed for discounts at the door.
At Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights costumes are discouraged and the intended audience are teenagers and adults.  The theme of the event changes every year, but it is always based on the company’s R-rated horror films.  The park features 8 elaborate haunted houses, “scarezones,” live shows, and many bars.  In fact, Halloween Horror Nights kind of has a reputation for being a boozefest.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party encourages children to come in costume. Costumes, I’m sure, can be purchased at the park.  Other venues for purchasing costumes in Orlando include Century Costumes, or Party City.  Each child is given a trick or treat bag that they can fill at candy stations throughout the park.  There’s a daytime parade that’s begun with a fantastic ride by the Headless Horseman, and at night there’s a fireworks spectacle entitled “Happy Hallowishes.”

Forbes.com recently reported that Minneapolis-St.Paul is the least expensive place to live according to its geographic region.  In order to reach this conclusion, Forbes.com compared elements such as cost-of-living with quality of life measures such as crime rate and divided the country into regions.  The city ranked number 3 overall, and its high ranking was attributed to good salaries and the wealth of cultural opportunity that the city affords.  Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, was quoted in the article as saying “The best place to be is on the fringe of one of those cities.   An hour or so outside of town, you’re still close enough to feel the influence of the high wage areas.”
Here are three suburbs of Minneapolis to consider when relocating to the area, or if you’re on temporary assignment and staying in corporate housing there: (more…)