And the talk about 29 Garden St. has not all been negative. Several first-years say they have been won over by the facility's creature comforts.

"It doesn't get any sweeter than this," says Mauricette as he climbed out of his private shower one afternoon last week. "We love it, and we're going to win intramurals, too."

"In one sense, this apartment is the nicest one I will have for many, many years," says Zikherman as she surveyed the refrigerator she stocked with hot dogs, yogurt, peanut butter and pita bread. "But it's also a pain in the neck and I'd much rather be in the Yard."

Many Garden Street residents say they are still "feeling things out." And there is a small but growing faction of Garden St. residents quietly growing accustomed to the advantages of these unusual first-year digs.

Some have already begun to eat meals at Currier and Cabot Dining Halls, which are closer to the dorm than the Union. And the location has proven to be convenient to the Cambridge Common and the QRAC.

"It's very convenient," says Kahn Vu '96, as he and Allen Woo '96, left 29 Garden St. to play tennis. "The QRAC's just up the street."

And some residents say they have overcome their initial disappointment to find a little piece of paradise.

"I think this whole thing being a big problem is overblown," says Lucier of life with his two room mates in Garden 202.

"We have grand plans for the future--getting flour and eggs and stuff and making crepes for the morning."