I am a current resident--I have lived here for about 5 months.
I heard about this place through a friend of a friend, and she seemed pretty happy with it, so on a whim, I called them. Out of the 6 apartment buildings I called to arrange a visit, this place was the only complex that called me back. So, they got major points there. (I called another place THREE times with no call back!)
I am renting a studio-style apartment, but it feels a lot bigger. The kitchen is closed into it's own separate room, as well as the bathroom and a 'dressing room' which is even bigger than the kitchen. I do not have a bedroom, but rather one central room. There is not a lot of space, but its better than some studios in dc. I would NOT recommend two people sharing a studio, definitely a one person setup. There are 5 windows, one in the kitchen, one in the shower (perfect for you exhibitionists out there), and three in a row in the main room. Very cute rooms--black and white tile squares in the kitchen, new wood floor (at least in my apartment), and LOTS of closet space and cabinets.
Anyway, as with any apartment renting situation, I was afraid of getting into something that I wouldn't be happy with. My biggest fear was having a roach/mice problem. Rest assured, no roaches, no mice. The only bugs I have were on my first week of renting out the room-- I had a bunch of nats! Not sure what that was about-- they were all super-impaired nats too, they wouldn't really fly, sort of like they were all half alive. I know my room was freshly painted, and on my visit the windows were open to get the fumes out, so I assume the nats came in and then they sprayed for bugs? Either way, they were weird, but they all died out after a week. I'm just glad I don't have roaches-- and I am a messy person. I leave dirty dishes out longer than I should, and so far so good.
The community atmosphere is nice, everyone says hello on the elevators, and I have had small talk with neighbors on my floor. Everyone has cats (very cat friendly building). I have never seen anyone under the age of 20 in the building-- definitely a 20s, 30s, and 40s crowd. Very quiet, I never hear anyone above or below me-- only people in the hallways if they are talking loudly.
They have a basement laundry room, with several washers and driers. If you don't do laundry on a sunday or monday night, you are usually guaranteed that one will be available. They also have a bill-to-quarters machine here, which I love.
Exercise room available, never used it. But it's there. :)
Roof top deck, which I use to impress my guests. There's nothing better than opening a bottle of wine and then saying, "lets go upstairs to the roof and drink it up there!"-- They have little tables and lawn chairs for sun bathing up there-- as well as a hot tub. However, I wouldn't recommend the hot tub. I have never seen anyone remove the cover, so I assume that also means it is not cleaned much!
They have 24 hour security cameras/front desk service. Which, the people at the front desk are all extremely nice and chatty. I have never felt unsafe here, its nice to see the cameras all around.
Okay, time for my complaints:
-The walk from the metro is pretty long, even though it is only 6 blocks. Takes about 10-15 minutes, and on a cold day, that seems like forever! I don't have a car, so I try to consider it my forced exercise. There is a bus stop right outside for people who are into riding the bus.
-They turned the heat on a little early (Oct 15th)-- I have had to keep my air off and open the windows for cool air on the random hot fall days.
-The service elevator (the one you are supposed to ride in when you have laundry and trash) STINKS. Like. Badly. I always break the rule and use the other elevators because I cannot hold my breath that long.
-Internet is very slow. Its cheapish and convenient (20 dollars a month with rent) so it's hard not to pay it.
-My boyfriend had his car broken into (he was parked right outside). This is a safer area of DC, but I guess it's still DC. There is parking available underneath the building, but its expensive. I'd recommend it though if you have a car!
-While I have never seen any roaches inside, I have seen some OUTSIDE on the sidewalk. How do they keep them from coming inside?! It worries me. Same goes for mice, I have never seen them directly outside of my building, but I have seen THREE mice outside in front of 4607 and 4601 apartments two blocks down. Soooo yeah, I won't be trying to live there anytime soon!
-Besides the lobby floor that has been decorated and wallpapered, all the other floor hallways are pretty ugly. :)
As you can see, my complaints aren't too bad. Overall, I have been really happy with my apartment-- it's pest free and safe. If the rent was a little lower I'd be really happy (1100 per month for a studio)-- but from what I can tell, thats a good deal for around here. Definitely a good place to start out or live on your own. read more