I lived in McAllister Tower a couple years ago while attending Hastings College of Law. The Tower is student housing for the school. It's what you'd expect from a converted hotel - thin walls, not much in the way of decoration or amenities, but functional and well-maintained. The staff was always nice and helpful. Be aware that the lobby and gym area is gorgeous, but the upper floors where the actual apartments are are pretty shabby-looking.

Pros: The main attractions are the location on the same block as the school buildings, which is GREAT if you're a student there, and the prices, which are pretty good for San Francisco since the school offers lower than market value rents to students.

Cons: The big drawback is the location. It's very close to the Tenderloin, one of the worst neighborhoods in San Francisco and also to the United Nations Plaza, which as a public area is a magnet for homeless people and is often dirty and unsafe. I never personally had any problems, and I walked or took the streetcar everywhere since I had no car (it's very difficult to get around in or park a car in that part of the city), but I saw a lot of drug deals and other illegal stuff. The Tower itself requires a card to enter and has a security guard in the lobby at all hours, so it's pretty safe - it's just the area that's bad.

Overall, this is a very good choice for students at Hastings Law School. It's not the greatest place, but you can't beat the price and the proximity to the law school. For a first apartment and a student one, I was very happy with it.

User Responses
From: marcinzk	Date: 10/14/2005
A three for parking? What parking? Clearly you did not own a car.

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