3003 Van Ness Apartments

Nice gesture! The management had birthday cake for residents with January and December birthdays! They had all residents names on it! Had the cake in the lobby with some drinks for everybody!

Didn’t make it past the application process, even though I definitely qualified. First, they say I need to make 2.5 times the rent; then, when I pay $ 350 ($ 200 reservation fee and $ 150 application fee for 2 people), they say «it’s a balance of factors.» I check my credit; it’s average/​upper average and I’ve not had issues anywhere else. As such, forfeited $ 150 application fee. It turned out to be perfect, because I applied for and got a *fantastic* place in Cleveland Park, but I still want to say the following:
James is *wildly* inconsiderate and unprofessional. After saying the application process would take 2 hours, then stating I was $ 17 or $ 18 off the requirement (what? ridiculous), it was a hassle to get the man on the phone for a week. After getting him at the end of a week, he disappeared on an unannounced week-​long vacation, which I only learned about after speaking to a different agent. He never got back to me after that and should most definitely be fired if this a pattern. He should also tie his shoelaces when he meets prospective residents. I mean, I’m a casual guy, but for shame, man. Julie ended up having to check and tell me about rejection; she was polite and understanding. They initially said the reservation fee refund would be returned in 3 – 4 weeks but I got it in 2 days… which makes no sense, so they probably make that up as they go. ALSO, the apartment I saw never went back up on the website; I basically *live* online and I checked obsessively. This leads me to believe they had multiple applicants for the same apartment, even though I paid a «reservation» fee. I could be absolutely mistaken about that policy, but I’m positive this is a *terrible* management company. Important, too, is when looking and *listening* around, you sense how bad it would be to live with the very many UDC students; the reviews on here are a testament to that notion.
Lastly, the 1-​star is for the great location, very close to a Giant grocery store, cvs, and the metro.

Moving Out!
Okay, we’ve stuck it out for three years, and things continue to slide down hill fast. A year ago we decided to let «new management» have a shot, but little did we know things would go from bad to worse. Outside is no longer safe as lighting is not maintained and darkness surrounds much of the area just behind the lobby. Students now fill the building and management exercises NO control over their noise, parties and total rudeness. In our apartment we’ve had mice, roaches and even bed bugs from the neighbor’s place. Apartment «fixes» are shoddy at best. Complaints bring zero results. They are apparently content to be UDC’s dormitory and many long-​term residents and other adults are leaving. Convenience to shopping and the Metro is fine, but dreading your daily arrival home isn’t. Yesterday I had to push my way through a UDC athletes meeting (more than a dozen, including coaches!) just to get in my door. We tried our best to be good residents, but weren’t met halfway. Pay more or get less space (we’re doing both) just to stay out of here.

Roaches. Roaches. Roaches. Coming out of the air vents and into my apartment.
EDIT: To the management’s credit (sort of?), this problem appears to have been cured by about one month later.

It’s pretty sad when management not only fails to inform residents of a crime committed on the premises against another resident («our lawyers advised us not to say anything — this is the job of the police»!) but goes on to accuse the victim of exaggeration and spreading rumours.
Don’t even get me started on the dogs and students…

I was initially impressed with the size of the apartment for the price, so I took the bait. But I soon learned the meaning of «bait and switch» when it came time to renew my lease and my so-​called «rent control concession» decreased and my rent was raised 11% the first year. DC law only permits a 2% rental increase, and Equity is in litigation with a majority of its residents.
The other residents are students because the complex doubles as a UDC dorm.
The complex is also quite unsafe — numerous break-​ins, vandalism, drugs and a recent violent assault in the elevator. Management refuses to pay for much-​needed security.
Don’t let the happy, polite, friendly, community– oriented act the leasing office team puts on when you’re shopping for an apartment fool you — they drop the charade once you’ve drank the koolaid.
Go somewhere honest and safe and swim for free at Wilson pool in Tenleytown.

Paying through the teeth to feel like I live in a dog kennel! I’ve been there 3 years, and between the UDC elevator assault, the break-​ins, and incessant barking, I sincerely doubt I’ll consider any offer to renew.

Our car was broken into after only two weeks of parking in the garage.
In my opinion, it was negligent to not be informed of this problem. We hould have been informed that it was dangerous to leave items in our vehicle.
In my opinion, more should be done, such as security cameras or in the very least, residents be warned/​informed.

Don’t let the lavish entrance and luxurious amenities fool you. This apartment building is poorly staffed and has a history of break-​ins to residences and cars alike.
My advice is lock your door and hold on to your lease tightly.

Another serious, balanced review. They charge you for luxury, I’m just not sure that they deliver.
I was initially please when I moved in about a year ago. Great location, right on the metro, walking distance to some nice restaurants and to Giant. Package acceptance, small gym, and a nice pool were also nice touches. On whole, I had very few maintenance issues inside of my apartment. When I did, they were taken care of promptly. I did notice, however, that as my lease neared its end, there was a change in responsiveness.
And then my apartment was broken into. Not only did I learn that this was apparently a CHRONIC problem that mgmt hadn’t taken steps to deter (like cameras on the hallways), but was more or less told that it was MY fault by the property manager. Nevermind that an independent company had come to paint my door at mgmt’s behest the same day that my belongings were taken…
There were some really pleasant, customer-​service oriented staff. They seem to have been replaced with a team that is a little lackluster.
And then there are the college students. Be prepared for the hallways, your apartment, and your clothes to smell like pot. I mean as if you had been clambaking, too. Also, invest in some ear plugs.
Be prepared for chronic maintenance issues in common areas. If the elevators aren’t working, its the hot water or vice versa or something else entirely.
Parking is a joke. No street parking if you or a guest need it and there are very few guest spots in the garage.
And then there is the price. If you’re lucky enough to get an apartment just vacated by a long-​term resident, you might get a really big apartment at a low rate. However, these are few. I’ve had issues where I’ve been charged because the community’s pay website didnt register my payment and I recently learned that I was charged several $ 100s more on my last month’s rent. We’ll see how quickly I get that back…

Great location, great staff, and great amenities. This is one of the best value buildings in the DC Metro area, due to proximity to Metro, Giant grocery, and its Rent Control status, which includes free utilities. Beautiful lobby impresses guests. This part year, they’ve laid new carpet, lighting and paint in hallways, and from what I hear they have plans to renovate the gym and more. A few new restaurants also popped up, within blocks, that continue to improve the neighborhood. A great buy! We will miss everyone who works there, after moving to our home state.

DO NOT MOVE HERE!!! There is a break in almost every week. There are like random shopping carts in the hallways all the time. Service requests are never followed up on when something breaks down in your apartment. A lot of times the elevators and hallways smell disgusting and make you want to gag. The walls are SUPER thin so you can hear everything in the hallways and in other people’s apartments all at the same time. It’s like living in a tenement quite frankly. There are indeed amenities like the gym and the pool but those are not worth the hassle of living here. Also, you pay almost $ 200 for parking a month and they just let anybody park anywhere, so when someone parks in your spot you just have to deal with it. The management is the worst and do not care about the tenants safety, well being, or convenience at all, even for the high price of rent paid. No rules are enforced. People let their dogs and other animals run freely. I mean, I cannot wait to get out of here. I agree with the review that says «RUN, do not walk» when it comes to searching for a place to live.

Unsafe, mold and sewage problems, and management will lie, cheat and steal from you.
One of the worst management companies ever! My list of complaints against this building and the management is endless, but here is a short list:
1. I found mold growing on my bedroom walls. When I asked for a repair, they ripped out the walls and floor in my bedroom (and I had to sleep elsewhere with no concession), and then only fixed half of it. When I pointed out other mold that was not addressed, but was previously pointed out, I was again evicted from my bedroom for several days and had to sleep on my couch.
2. I routinely had raw sewage come up the pipe and into my kitchen sink. This wasn’t simply the sink being backed up. It was because I was on a lower floor and all the apartments above me shared the same sewer line, so when everyone was using the sinks at the same time (i.e. almost every morning or evening), their bile would end up in my sink and even someones spilling over onto the counter tops. Management refused to make any long term solutions to the problem other than call a plumber and have it snaked. The plumber told me that the snaking wouldn’t solve the problem because it was years of buildup in the pipes and the pipes could no longer handle the volume of flow. When I asked management about this, they said that was absurd and wanted to know the name of the plumber who told me that so that they could stop using him.
3. The building began renting units out to local Universities as dormitories. According to DC law, maximum occupancy of an apartment unit is number of bedrooms plus 1. Therefore, a 1 bedroom apartment could only have a maximum of three adult tenants. However, Equity has had the units rezoned as dorms, so they now squeeze 4 adults (18 – 22 years old) into one bedroom apartments. What this means for everyone else is that the noise levels are out of control. Even just normal living sounds are intensified because you have too many people living in the place and they’re usually on 24 hour schedules between the 4 of them. Complaints about noise from these dorms are not handled by management. If you have a problem with noise coming from those units, you are told to take the complaints to UDC directly. Are you kidding me?
4. There were at least a dozen break-​ins while I lived there and security generally was very lax (unless of course you want to go to the pool, then they have to check ID). There is simply a lot of entries to the building and a ton of people living there, so it’s difficult to control that many people and entry points. That being said, management refused to install cameras or hire any additional security. This is even after someone was found to be living in the social lounge area.
5. There is a 60 day notice requirement in the lease. Already, that is outrageous. I gave 45 days notice and was explicitly told by the office manager that they wouldn’t hold me to the 60 days and nor would they charge me for the 15 day difference (because I offered to stay the full 60). Then, two weeks after I move out, I’m hit with a $ 1000+ bill for failure to give proper notice, even though I was explicitly told by the office manager that they would not charge me. They will lie, cheat, and steal to get every penny out of you.
Literally one of the worst living situations ever. Don’t be fooled by the cheap rents and nice pool. Every other aspect of this place is a nightmare.

this building is listed by different names on the web: Van Ness South aka Archstone Van Ness aka Equity Van Ness]
Run, do not walk, away from here during your apartment search. The ‘luxury apartment’ sign is just a gimmick, the manager wants to make as much money as possible.
I have lived in high rises before (with the same management company) so know what is usual. I figured a higher rent would come with better (or at least equal) services … nope. This place takes the cake. They will not do anything at all unless legally forced to.
The maximum date for turning on AC in DC is May 15. We had to fight tooth and nail and get the level above building management involved to finally get them to turn it on just days before. After initially spouting cool air we went to sleep happy … and woke up to the fact that the AC broke during the night and it had to be repaired 2 days before the legal drop-​dead date. The other part of that law is the maximum you have to be able to go to is 78’F … and guess what is the minimum temperature you can get here?
They do all sorts of construction on the outside, in the lobby, the office, and where prospective tenants will see. Not to mention a separate AC in the lobby and the office. All of which creates HUGE problems for the tenants because we get things like apartments totally blocked by plastic sheeting so we can not even open a window to let the relatively cool air in during the summer (yes, you read that right).
When I have maintenance problems things are not fixed, despite repeated delayed trips, unless it is something simple like a light bulb. I have even had them yell at me because the front desk paged someone rather than telling me they would have to do so. Maintenance may or may not be even addressed in a timely manner unless you constantly pester them. Oh, and those ‘we had to enter your apartment’ notes? Yeah, I have not seen one in years.
This building has a HUGE security problem. A homeless person with a stay-​away order frequently breaks into the building. Door locks are laughable all over. When police have pleaded with management about a particular issue (like posting the information about the person) their response is ‘meh’.
Washer/​dryers are on each floor. This means 3 of each. Usually less than that (if any) though as often one is down or someone is already using them. Rarely do I not have to go to several floors to find a room I can use.
We have a VERY active tenant’s association and share information. There are people that can communicate with management about issues so it is not a matter of people not communicating with the building.

Customer service and quality of life at Archstone Van Ness has been going downhill for the last few years to the point that this is no longer a «luxury» building. Since Equity took over management of the building, it has become noticeably worse. Here are some of the very common complaints from tenants (including myself):
(1) A refusal to activate the air conditioning in the building, even in the midst of 85 – 90 degree weather. Instead, management has stated that it will not turn the AC on until the housing code requires that it do so on May 15^th. Note that the DC Housing Code is meant to be a «floor» below which housing conditions are considered sub-​standard. They are not meant to represent housing conditions in a building that touts itself as «luxury» or «upscale» (as the banner on the side of the building exclaims).
(2) Unsafe. There have been many break-​ins in this building in the past year, as well as a man who was habitually entering the building and sleeping in common areas. There have also been incidents of tenants being assaulted in elevators.
(3) The building now doubles as a dorm for UDC undergrads. See other reviews for details. They’re all 100% accurate. It is unpleasant to live here as a professional or family. But, if you’re an undergrad, you’d probably enjoy living here.
(4) Lack of responsiveness to tenants. This used to be better, but the current manager of the building does not even reply to tenant’s emails. Thus, there is no longer even an attempt to appear that customer service is important.
(5) Reduction in amenities. When I moved in here in 2011, there was 24 hour coffee and tea service in the lobby, as well as a business center with free printing and copying. The moment that Equity took over, these services were curtailed. Coffee and tea is now only available in the mornings, and there is no longer a printer or copier in the business center.
(6) Repairs are slower than they used to be. Before Equity took over, I never ever waited more than 48 hours for a repair. By contrast, I submitted a repair request a week ago, and have heard nothing from management. See below.
(7) Refusal to make repairs? I live in a «converted» apartment, in which the dining room was walled in to make it into an additional bedroom. This occurred before I moved in, and was in place at least for the previous tenant. When I was looking for an apartment, I was specifically shown this apartment by the management, who recommended it to me specifically because of this conversion (which was perfect for a room for my daughter). Now, there is a problem with the door that was put in to turn this dining room into a bedroom. When the maintenance staff came to look at it, they told me that management might not let them fix it because «it’s not their door.» I don’t know what that means, except that it was there when they showed me the apartment, and they specifically sold me on the apartment based in large part on the conversion that had been made. While I haven’t gotten any final word from management (I’ve just gotten silence), the fact that the maintenance staff would even suggest that they would leave my apartment in a state of disrepair is troubling and unacceptable.

While I had previously enjoyed living here the last 2.5 years, I have recently run into issues that have made living here quite difficult.
UDC uses the apartments here as resident housing – be prepared to possibly deal with dorm-​like life of hearing noise late night, as students are not provided/​even suggested to have carpeting on hardwood floors
Four students are in converted 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartments, with no carpet, and no substantial furniture to absorb noise.
When you call the management/​front desk to complain of noise, the message is relayed to the UDC RA, who in turn tells them to be quiet. Noise may die down for a short while, but then restart. Both apartment management and UDC Housing seem reluctant and ineffective in addressing the core issue of not having sufficient sound barriers and the discrepancies between student dorm-​life and professional/​family lives.
If you are unlucky to live below a student apartment, be prepared to make multiple calls a night for a few scant hours of sleep.

I have given Archstone Van Ness a progressively lower rating for the reasons explained below.
I should also note that Unilocal has artificially inflated perceptions of the building by posting a positive but old review at the top of the list. Interestingly, only one month after that person said that she never wanted to leave this building she moved to another building in DC. I guess she didn’t like it as much as her review indicates. You can verify the dates by reading her review of another building, Residences on the Avenue.
Newspapers have written stories claiming that Unilocal gets businesses to pay for positive reviews to be raised to the top of their search results and negative reviews to fall to the bottom. It’s impossible to say if that’s happening here, but it’s important to note that the writer hasn’t lived in this building since November 2010. There have been huge problems since then — UDC taking over parts of the building to use as a dorm, and a balcony reconstruction process that has caused huge problems for residents.

I’ve been swindled! The lobby is beautiful, Julie in the rental office is very nice, the apartments have a fresh coat of paint and the hardwood floors are recently finished. I needed an apartment for the year of my fellowship. My office is in the basement of the Capitol Bldg, and I wanted something with a west facing balcony so I could get sun in the afternoon/​evening if I got home before sunset…
Reality was not slow to hit me. I was rarely going to be home before 9pm and about a month after I moved in, they started construction on the west buildings’ balconies. I dealt with the noise from the west building, rejoiced whenever weather stopped construction, and hoped that they wouldn’t need to start on my balcony until after I moved. No such luck.
Before I get to that, let me list the other inconveniences and lame management practices:
1. They charge a $ 600 amenities fee when you move in which includes services such as the business center, coffee/​tea, and general upkeep of common areas. They’ve taken away the printer (I was told I could email my confidential documents to the desk staff to print!), limited coffee/​tea to morning hours, and the common areas would not pass my grandma’s criteria, which is saying something since rumor has it, she «bathed» in whiskey. Not clean.
2. Maintenance has entered my apartment 3 times even after being asked to wait until I was home because I have a skittish cat. On one instance, over the Winter, the floor was lifting due to a leak and they entered the apartment when I wasn’t home, moved furniture, tore up the floor and replaced the damaged areas. After several minutes of panicked searching I found my cat in an empty piece of luggage on the top shelf of the closet. She stayed there… for a really long time!
3. UDC students– I am young enough to remember college life… especially how every apartment party was shut down around 11pm. Not only did they not shut it down, but I had to break up a fight outside my door, AND some little s#$% called me ma’am. MA’AM! Do you know how devastating that was?! I wanted to go in to show them how this ma’am does a keg stand, but instead I let it add to my growing disdain for Archstone Van Ness.
4. College kids are one thing, but those pubescent things running around, slamming doors, and yelling at each other in cracking voices down the hall… yeah. They’re high school students, still warm from the death grip of their mother’s goodbye… she was right to think that they are not ready to live on their own. And no, Archstone Van Ness did not disclose that they rent out apartments as DORMS to UDC.
5. The fire alarm. Granted, I read that the building had a death in 2006 due to a fire, and I totally in support of not dying, but they seem to have overcompensated with an alarm system that goes off once a month, VERY loudly, and for a VERY long time. Do you know how hard it is to get a cat out of luggage on the top shelf of a closet? I won’t elaborate here…
6. The building now allows dogs without ever consulting with existing residents. I love dogs, love! But, this means that all of the lovely grassy shared space on the property is covered in… s&^%.
7. The garbage… seriously. This is elementary property management, residents should not be surrounded by the smell of garbage. Reflect back to #4 and common eating/​sanitation habits at that age.
Lastly, the balcony… I am reasonable when it comes to expectations. If you get food poisoning, they reimburse your meal. If they cancel your flight, they book you on a new one. If you travel to India with grand expectations of cleanliness, the comforts of a developed country, and bland food, then you are an idiot and don’t even deserve a trip home.
If you sign a lease with a building that promises comfort, convenience, friendly staff, and an apartment that feels like a home, you are willing to pay more in rent. But for $ 2,200/ month, you should not have to live with taped up windows, dust, and NOISE 8 hours a day. If this is unavoidable, the property manager should work with you to find an acceptable solution.
Call me a bleeding heart, but I couldn’t bear feeding my cat in the luggage on the top shelf of the closet. I may not always be home to suffer through the noise, but she is, and she gets ulcers when stressed out. I, instead of enjoying glass (es) of wine on the balcony, will suffocate in an apartment with no windows to enjoy even a glimpse of the sun during the best months of DC weather.
What do I get for these sacrifice? Refunded amenities fees? no. Decreased rent? no. Ability to MOVE to another apartment in the bldg during construction for the remaining 2 months of my lease? no. But hey, they «understand my frustration» and can offer me a $ 30/​month refund for the loss of a balcony that adds at least $ 200/​month to the cost of rent… This, I’m pretty sure is more insulting than being called «ma’am… Yes, yes, I believe it is.

I have lived here for a few years now, and there are a few negative things I did not anticipate when I first moved in.
At first, Archstone Van Ness makes you feel like they will take care of all your problems, and will make you feel as comfortable as you could ever be: next-​day maintenance services, social room, large swimming pool, nice lobby, a gym with two saunas, and even some goodies when you first move in. I remember getting a free domino’s pizza (coupon) as well as liquid soap and a sponge for doing dishes, as a welcoming gift waiting for me on the first day.
Now the problems. I first want to say that it would be ok to have problems here and there, as long as they each get fixed eventually, out of the goodwill of the management company. The problems I will describe are not short term, and management has made clear there was nothing they would do about them.
— Dust: To anyone with allergies, I recommend staying away from this building. I had no allergy problems before living here, and now I have severe dust allergies which require getting allergy shots regularly. It cost me thousands in medical bills, and I’m still suffering. I know it’s not a fluke because many other tenants have reported to have the exact same problem. Management has decided to renovate the balconies, so for the past year+ they have been drilling, creating a lot of thick white dust in the process. The city has fined them for not using the proper anti-​dust techniques, but the problem is still there.
— Noise: Because of the drilling, my neighbors and I have had the pleasure of waking up to the sounds and vibrations caused by the drilling. We’re talking about really loud stuff here… nothing music and headphones could cover-​up. The drilling would start before 9AM, and continue at irregular intervals all day long. There is absolutely no way to remain inside your apartment when that happens.
— Loss of balcony and windows: The construction also meant having to give up the use of your balcony. But for a few months, not only can you not use your balcony, you also can’t use your windows, because more dust would come in if you opened them. Many of us had to sit there during the hot days of the no-​AC seasons without even being able to open our windows!
Oh and the reduction for all of this crap was $ 30 a month for up to 3 months, even though my balcony took over 6 months to complete. $ 30 out of a $ 2000+ rent is NOTHING for what you’re giving up (balcony, light, fresh air), and what you’re taking in (dust + noise).
— Elevators: Elderly people should be VERY careful with *some* of the elevators. They have been known to slam people very hard when trying to close. This does not apply to all elevators, so it’s harder to expect.
Cockroaches: The hall that leads to the back door of the building, as well as the parking lot were infested with cockroaches for many months (we’re talking about being able to see 30+ all around you at any given time). The situation is now better, but how the hell did it take SO long for them to do anything about it?!
— Dormitory: The university next door has a deal with the building to provide student housing. I don’t discriminate against students, but future tenants should bare in mind that students are loud and dirty, throwing drinks and snack in the halls and the elevators, making a mess for everyone else. I’ve seen the elevators be sticky or slippery a few times in the past.
Pool: Yes the pool is big and all, but with the number of people being there it takes out the coziness. While that’s not the biggest complaint, what I think is annoying is the long list of pool rules. Given the scale though, it’s not that surprising. Not even sure I would do it differently if I were in charge, but it’s definitely a downside nonetheless.
Laundry: The laundry machines are insanely expensive (almost @2 per load per machine). Of course, the dryer has to be run about twice to dry a full load. The laundry room on my floor is always flooded, and I’ve had clothes damaged and tainted from dirty machines.
Management: While some of the management staff are quite knowledgeable (Urana, Krystal…), some are just not very smart, and it’s annoying having to ask your questions to multiple people before getting a straight answer. You’ll also have to hear a few lies from staff that just doesn’t know what else to say. I have also experiences being charged more than I was supposed to because of mistakes from «corporate.»
Reductions of services: Lately, Management has also declared there would be a reduction in services in terms of Business Center and Coffee station.

I love this place. I wanted to wait to review it until the honeymoon period was over after moving in, and wow, I am happier than ever.
I moved in May 2010 and have not had a single problem. Even better than that, this place has exceeded my expectations in almost every area. I live in a 2 bedroom «convertible», where the dining room was walled in to create a third bedroom. As the reviewer before me mentioned, you would NEVER know that the extra room was not originally constructed as a bedroom. In fact, our extra room has the largest window of any of the bedroom and overlooks the balcony. It’s an awesome room. It saves a ton of money to do the «convertible» option, and the apartments are so spacious that you still have tons of extra space. They have one and two bedroom convertibles available quite often for two or three people respectively.
Here is my need-​to-​know breakdown:
AMENITIES: 4 Stars
— Gym (~ 6 weight machines, 3 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, stairmaster, two bikes, and free weights)
— Cardio Machines in the gym have TVs (but these are almost ALWAYS broken, unplugged, or without remotes to change the channels).
— Laundry: 3 washers and 3 dryers on every floor (I have never had a problem using the washer/​dryer on my floor when I wanted it. There is almost always one avialable).
— Coffee: Full espresso/​coffee machine downstairs for free unlimited use.
— Business Center: 5 Computers + Printer + ATM
— Pool = AWESOME. It has three lap lanes, a huge shallow end, and a great deck. Its only open Memorial day to Labor day, but its fantastic. It’s also private.
SERVICE: 4 Stars
When they say they will respond to your service requests within 24 hours, they mean it. We have submitted requests as small as a wasps nest to other more serious things like overflowing toilets and a broken dishwasher. They had everything taken care of FAST. When we complained about the dishwasher, they just flat out replaced it. (Thats another thing… the kitchens are pretty nice here.). Also, the front desk has gone out of their way to help me with packages, and they are also really great about me into my apartment after locking myself out (which happens often). The doormen are also incredibly nice. One of the older guys even opens BOTH doors for me when I come in and out. Its awesome.
LOCATION: 5++ Stars
This place couldn’t be in a better location. You have the GIANT, CVS, Starbucks, Dry Cleaning, Bank of America, Gold’s Gym, and most importantly THE METRO, right at your doorstep. I commute to Dupont Circle on the red line every morning, and it takes me around 15 – 20 minutes to get from the door of my apartment to the door of my office in south Dupont. Its great to be able to just step and and grab a few groceries or to stop by on your way home from work. Now that I have lived so close to a grocery store, I don’t think I will ever be able to go back to DRIVING to buy groceries.
The area is also pretty quiet considering it’s right on Connecticut. I have been sleeping with my windown open the last few nights and have been pretty surprised at how tame it is outside.
I have never felt unsafe anywhere in or around the building. It is very well lit and its in an area near a few embassies, so there are policemen and secret service police cars roaming.
SO. In conclusion, if you’re thinking about living here… DO IT. You’re far enough from the noise of downtown, but close enough to be anywhere in the city in less than a half hour (mostly thanks to the metro). I doubt you will find anything this awesome for this cheap, especially considering all utilties are included… seriously ALL utilities. You can blare the A/​C or crank up the heat and you wont see any extra $$ on your rent. It’s great. I never want to leave.