I'm a UCLA student and have lived here for almost a year now. I've read the reviews and I think they're all kind of really biased. So here are my thoughts:

Pros:
-I'm lucky enough to have gotten an apt on the 12th floor with a view of the downtown skyline. Its beautiful.
-Also, the floor is dead quiet and I've never had any problems with any of my neighbors. The only noise I hear is the noise of the streets and very muffled music coming from the restaurant/bar on the first floor.
-I worked in the restaurant for a short time, and the management of the restaurant is horrible. However, we did close at 2 in the morning everyday. The food was good, though a bit overpriced, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was worth it. It is now closed.
-This was my first apartment ever, and since I am looking for a newer apartment now, I am seeing a lot of different types of apartments. None so far have compared in size and price. Of course, I am looking for a cheaper apartment closer to UCLA.
-My studio is clean and has hardwood floors in the kitchen and tiles in the restroom. I've never seen a roach or anything along those lines. Never had a problem with bugs at all, actually. Rarely, if ever, do I even see one. I love that part of it.
-The walls are thin in certain areas and thick in others (oddly enough), and though I can hear my neighbors every once in awhile, I've never thought they were loud or anything like that.
-It is very safe, in my opinion, because there are no fire escapes leading to any windows. Also, a very friendly security guard patrols the grounds at night and I always stop to talk to him. He is very nice and I see him walking around my floor often.
-Though I've read a lot of complaints about the neighborhood, I go to school in Westwood (where I think the atmosphere is very .. pristine..and unreal) and I welcome the change in environment when I get off of the bus to walk to my apartment. Yes, there are homeless people, and yes there are a lot of --------- (I also think it is kinda racist for someone to mention that in that other previous post). They don't bother you for any reason, and there is a taco truck and fruit stand and hot dog stand right on the side of the building. Its delicious. I am a young female student and have walked around this area late at night and at all other times of the day. I've never felt unsafe. People mind their own business.
-I ride the bus often, and the Metro 20 stops right in front of the building. And the Rapid Metro buses (720, 920) stop a couple blocks away and are very convenient.
-The parking attendants are nice to me when I walk through the back and always say hello. Often, when my parents come down to visit or bring me stuff, the attendants let them park there temporarily to unload our stuff. It was not required of them to do so, so it was very nice.
-The people are nice. I've met a lot of students and tenants working in the first floor restaurant, and afterwards, they always say hi to me and stop for conversation.
-Theres a mail chute right by the elevators which amuses me so much. It works.
-The layout of the building is wonderful and I love that I get to live on the 12th (top) floor. And the kind of hotel-ish atmosphere of it comes from the building being a Howard Johnson hotel beforehand.
-Hotel-strength toilets. Sweeet. They're strong and never clog. Its great. Especially cuz I go to the restroom a lot.
-Card key for doors are really cute. Other residents have keys, though.
-Leasing office holds your packages for you and tells you when you get one.
-Maintenance guy is really nice, cuz when I first moved in and he came to fix whatever I put down on the apartment walk-through, he saw that my shoe closet by my door had no shelves, so he measured it real quick, went downstairs, cut some shelves, came back up 20 minutes later and installed them. And hes very respectful of my stuff when he comes into fix things.

Cons:
-Parking is a b-tch to find at any time if you don't pay the extra $100 for valet parking.
-The people who work in the leasing office aren't very friendly and get on your nerves easily. They aren't very helpful, either, and the people keep changing because people keep quitting and/or getting fired.
-Elevators break down frequently.
-Ridiculously annoying alarm goes off when you open the door to go to the roof (which you're not allowed to do).
-Laundry is a bit overpriced and is in the basement, which I find a bit creepy.
-The gym is adequate, and though the windows are open all the time, it doesn't get enough ventilation and smells a bit.
-No pets. I want a cat so bad, and I've seen other people who have had them (because they lived here before the policy was in place). And at the same time, people sneak pets in all the time. I feel that is a bit unfair. Far be it from me, though, to deny anyone their pet.
-Unreliable hot water. I DO get hot water .. it just fluctuates a lot and I've gotten used to it. And I've found that when I'm in the shower and my boyfriend is brushing his teeth and turns the cold water on, the water in the shower gets extremely hot. It was amusing the first couple of times, and now is just annoying.
-The air conditioner/heater is reliable, but not very helpful. It doesn't really spread the air around at all. But hey, I don't pay electricity. I use the fan. It gets really hot being on the top floor in the summer, though.
-Really really shallow sinks. Makes a huge mess when I wash my dishes. There is no dishwasher.
-The stove is kind of random and sits alone. Old.
-Because they just add an extra layer of paint onto doors and stuff and call it cleaning .. my bathroom door has a thick layer of paint on it and never closes completely.
-Costs $35 to have someone come open your apt after hours. During hours, though, they just take something you're carrying as a security measure then let you borrow their original key to go let yourself in.
-Horrible, horrible looking carpet. Its just not my style. It never really looks clean because of its color. And I'm a bit of a neatfreak. I've learned to live with it, but I don't necessarily have to like it.


So all in all, the apartment has some really great pros and some really annoying cons. Its not a bad apartment at all to live in, and you'll learn a lot from the neighborhood. Keep in mind, though, if you're not willing to live near downtown and noise and ethnic peoples, this is not the place for you. I love it, though. For my first apartment experience, I think that I'm going to miss it a lot when I move out. Of course, anywhere you go, there'll be people who have ridiculous problems with their apartments. I just try not to be one of those people. Its an old building. You know that when you move in. Cut them some slack.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/05/2008
I also love the building!

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