I remember coming to this yelp page over six years ago when I was a renter trying to find an easy…read morecommute to NIH and Suburban Hospital. I'm so glad I gave this place a chance. As our needs have changed, we went from renting a two bedroom to buying a one bedroom (with a huge storage unit).
Pros:
-The gym is phenomenal. Ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, a yoga area, resistance machine, bodybuilding machines, a power rack with cables, bench presses with various inclines, free weights...you name it. I toured all four of the Grosvenor park condo buildings and picked 10101 primarily because of the gym.
-Filled with light (Huge windows and tall building)
-Pool is steps from the building. The deepest point in the entire pool is five feet. Lifeguard always on duty.
-Use of the gas grills is free (keeping our AC bills low).
-Locker room has showers (great when improvements were being made to the shower in our unit and we couldn't use them).
-Business center with computers
- 2nd floor hangout space with a theater room. When my husband or I need to read or concentrate (away from our active toddler) we love coming to these spaces that are always a quiet, clean refuge.
-Our heating and cooling bills are SO low. Because there are so many units, the building is super well insulated. Once when my husband was out of town for a week in the winter, I experimented by leaving the heat off and it never dipped below 67 degrees. It's so nice to know that we can afford to have our house be the "perfect" temperature all year round.
-It's CRAZY how quiet the building is. I don't know what they make these walls from, but I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard any traces of human life from the inside of my apartment.
-It's one of the only condominiums anywhere that allows dogs. The dog park was recently renovated and looks great. Many residents know the names of everyone's dogs. It's really touching.
-The grounds are immaculate. Sometimes, I can't believe I can afford to live here. My toddler loves the two different playgrounds within walking distance. In the summer we love to walk outside at night and hear the bullfrogs at the pond. You can see fish and turtles playing in the water from the bridge. There are several different kinds of herons and neat ducks (including the hooded merganser). During the holiday season, the whole building is lit up with lights on every other balcony. It's magical.
-The red line metro is a 0.7 mile walk (like ten unhurried minutes) through an actual park next to a pond. Even better, the 46 bus going south is a two minute walk out the back of the building towards Rockville pike. If you're commuting to NIH or Walter Reed, it can't be beat.
-There's an attached garage--some units come with spaces. If not, there are often garage spots (and storage spots) coming up for rent constantly on the corkboard on the T1 level. You won't have to wait long before something becomes available. We love not having to shovel snow anymore. When it rains, we drive from our garage to the Whole Foods garage up the road. I love staying dry!
-24/7 concierge, which I primarily enjoy because I never have to worry about my packages getting stolen.
-Water is free! You can take as many hot showers as you want!
-Trash chute! I don't have to think about "trash day" anymore.
-I love the IN UNIT washers and dryers! No more quarters! (The other Grosvenor Park condos still have laundry in the basement.)
-The ramp to 495 is directly across Rockville Pike, so I can get everywhere quickly.
-The picturesque Rock Creek Park trail, which is right across Rockville Pike. There's a little stream that runs parallel to the trail, so cool air sweeps across the top of the water and cools off summer runs. Every weekend it's actually closed off to cars, so you can bike in the middle of the street.
Cons:
While nobody likes HOA fees (Ours is around $579 monthly for a one bedroom), they are lower here than in any of the other Grosvenor Park buildings. Between maintenance of common spaces, pool, gym, concierge, trash disposal, and water being included, I feel like we actually get a lot for what we're paying for.
-During Covid, the Sauna has been closed
-The milieu of the building is that people are friendly but tend to keep to themselves. In the six years I've been here, I've made three close friends with neighbors in the building. If you are looking for friends, you can definitely find them here, but it may not be instant. The social committee has done a great job of hosting wonderful social events.
-I won't lie--a one bedroom with two parents and a toddler is small. We've had to embrace the Marie Condo way of life and the Goodwill that's 10 minutes away.
I realize that I've typed more than I meant to say! I just love living here.