I lived in the main tower building of Connecticut Heights from August 2008 until June 2009. I ended up having to relocate because of work, and thus broke my lease early. However, when I gave notice to the leasing office, the staff (one woman in particular is VERY friendly and helpful!) was able to get my apartment re-rented for just after a week from when I needed to leave, so I didn't need to pay too much extra. Granted, I left in the early summertime; if I'd had to leave in the middle of the winter I may not have been so lucky.

One of my favorite aspects of living in Conn. Heights was that my apartment was VERY clean, and I never saw a single bug. I had moved to Conn. Heights from just down the street at The Brandywine, and I definitely could not say the same for that building, as we frequently (daily) had to deal with large bugs (mostly silverfish) in the kitchen and bathroom. By contrast, my Conn. Heights apartment was nicely carpeted and generally just felt clean. The A/C unit worked pretty well, and even though my bathroom was down a hallway and the furthest point from the A/C, it still didn't feel stuffy if I left the bathroom door open when showering. However, sometimes the A/C would shut off for some reason and just blow regular, unconditioned air. This didn't usually last long but would be an occasional annoyance. I never actually had to turn on the heat in the winter, not because the apartment was stuffy or already too hot, but mostly because DC winters are pretty mild and I generally like things on the cooler side anyway.

The worst part of my experience at Conn. Heights was that my neighbors smoked, seemingly constantly. I was in a studio/efficiency apartment, as were they, and yet I think three people were living there. They never talked when you'd see them in the hallway, but whenever I passed by their door and it happened to be open, a rather strong and foul aroma would fill the hallway. Almost like clockwork I could expect to smell cigarette smoke around 7am, 11am, noon, probably again around dinnertime, and then at 11pm. I tried to ignore it the first week I lived there. Later I mentioned it to the leasing office and inquired about my apparently false belief that the building was smoke-free. Indeed, upon closer inspection of my lease I admit that there was no such indication. I had just seen people from time to time smoking out in front of the building, though it turned out that this was just as a courtesy rather than a requirement. The woman in the office clearly did sympathize with me, acknowledging that she thought it a gross habit, but nonetheless, there was nothing they could officially do. So instead the office gave me an air purifier fan
thingy to use in my apartment, and while it did help, the smoke smell remained an annoyance for the extent of my time in the building. Also of note, these same neighbors often produced rather strong cooking odors, and at some point the office folks did circulate a memo to people living on the 5th and 6th floors (I lived on the 5th) requesting that people try to open a window or use the exhaust fan when cooking strong-smelling foods. It may sound hackneyed, but these neighbors apparently didn't get the memo (or, more likely, just chose to blatantly ignore it).

The front desk people were generally friendly and helpful. As a tip, if you are expecting a package in the mail, I would just be sure to occasionally check your mailbox behind the desk, or, if it seems that the package should have already arrived, ask the desk person because sometimes I wouldn't always receive a slip in my box. Otherwise, though, the desk people always greeted me with a smile and were open to chatting if you are so inclined.

The gym in the main building is a little small, but the equipment it does have is in good shape. The gym probably felt smaller than it was because of the low ceiling over the weights area, but there's actually a nice skylight above the treadmills and ellipticals. In the evenings sometimes it could get a little crowded, but I never felt it was so busy that I couldn't do what I wanted. There are also 4 televisions.

There are washers and dryers on every floor (as far as I know) in the main building. I cannot speak for the four other buildings in the complex. The outdoor pool is also pretty nice, though it gets crowded very quickly on weekends. My window had a pool view, which at times could be nice to see how crowded it was; sometimes, though, I just had to laugh as it would often look like there were a bunch of beached whales out sunning themselves. I'm not trying to be offensive, people just sometimes looked like they were baking in what can often be a hot DC sun. You can also have access to the indoor pool and outdoor tennis court across the street at Ellicott House.

For parking, my car was registered in DC (Zone 3, if i remember correctly) and I could always find a spot on one of the surrounding streets. It's a pretty safe area, near an elementary school, though the hood of my friend's car was keyed one night at at random. Someone apparently either took offense to her Vermont license plates and/or the stuffed animal bunny rabbit in the back seat, or just felt like being a jerk.

Around the holidays, the building put on a holiday buffet in the lobby that was actually really nice, complete with live musical accompaniment. Otherwise, other tenants in the building were always friendly enough and would acknowledge you with at least a nod or a smile, but I wouldn't necessarily say I ever felt any sort of true "community." People generally kept to themselves, were not loud or messy, and would hold the door for you. However, there was a two-month period where some occasional robberies took place. The building staff put out memos reminding people to bolt their doors and to not hold the outdoor door for just anyone. However, it seemed to me that it was most likely a tenant(s) who was the culprit. Basically, though, if you just bolted your door there should never be a problem. Perhaps my only other complaint with fellow tenants was their seemingly inability to read the sign in the garbage chute closet that said to please bring recyclables down to the garage where there were a few giant bins for such things. Some people were apparently just too lazy and would leave bottles and cardboard in the garbage chute closet for the janitorial staff to collect later on. Not a huge deal, I guess, but just a courtesy issue.

The move-in and move-out process for the tower building was a snap. They gave me a three-hour window to use the freight elevator and loading dock, and since my apartment was only just around the corner from the elevators and I had a studio, it probably took just an hour. People also frequently post moving sale items near the mailboxes in the lobby, and I was actually able to sell some of my own things in-house when it came time for me to move.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in this building. I felt it was a little pricey for what it offered, but compared to other complexes on Conn. Ave I suppose it was pretty good. I am certainly glad, though, to finally get away from my immediate neighbors.

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