I've lived here for a little over 2 years. Originally I lived in a studio with carpeting, which I wasn't too keen on cuz the carpet was white (seriously...it's like putting white carpeting in a child's bedroom...bad idea). However, once I expressed my desire to live in the same size apartment with wood floors, the first one that came available was offered to me. Yes, Tricia thinks she's all that and a bag of chips - for some reason, she can't dial her own phone and has the front desk call you and then put you on hold until she gets on, and if you call you can never get directed straight to her but rather have to leave a message and she calls you back - but is accommodating if you're a good tenant. One month I wasn't going to get my student loan money until the middle of the month and she was fine with me paying then. I've actually found that she's become friendlier the longer you're here - she was very abrasive when I first moved in.
I like the pool (although I wish they'd open it for longer than Memorial Day to Labor Day) and the gym is pretty nice. The elevators are constantly getting stuck so the fire department has to keep coming to rescue people. The laundry is on the 10th floor and is always clean. It's busy on the weekends, but otherwise pretty empty. My neighbors are all pretty quiet and friendly. The people in the building are very diverse - all races/ethnicities, families/couples, students/professionals, ---/straight. The building is pet friendly.
I like that the utilities are included in the rent, so you don't have to worry about a massive (and unpredictable) electric bill in the summer and winter. The windows in the apartments are really big so you get a lot of light. My studio's layout is great (which is more than I can say for a lot of other studios I've looked at) - a decent sized separate kitchen, a huge walk-in closet, separate vanity/dressing area from the bathroom, and a living/bedroom area that sections off perfectly. The whole thing isn't just one big room. The fixtures are somewhat outdated (gold knobs) and my kitchen has that ugly standard apartment white cabinets (my previous kitchen had newer wood cabinets though) and fake butcher block countertop.
The maintenance guys are really nice and I've always had issues fixed the same day. I did have a cockroach when I first moved in, but haven't had one since (that I know of...I do have a cat, so who knows what he's up to during the day). If you have a package that's heavy, they'll bring it up to your apartment for you. The front desk people are generally lazy, but Addison (who's there from around 3-11) is attentive.
I hate that they have beer advertisements hanging on 2 sides of the building - it makes it look kind of ghetto. And I wish they would just paint the window trim - it would modernize the building a lot for very little effort - right now it looks very 70s. And the weird grass they have out front either needs to be torn up or they need to plant more - it's really spotty, and overall makes a bad first impression.
The location is really good. When I worked in Gallery Place-Chinatown, I walked to work everyday (about a 10-15 minute walk). Now that I'm in school, I can take 3 different buses there, including the Circulator, and the stops for those are only a block away (13th & K). The McPherson Square and Metro Center stations are each about a 10 minute walk away. Whole Foods (15th' & P) is about a 15 minute walk and Safeway (5th & K) is on 3-4 stops away on the Circulator.
Annoyingly, once you're done with your 1-year lease, you're on month-to-month, which means they increase your rent every year. Mine started at $1050, went up to $1108, and is now $1168 for a studio. Meanwhile, I'm not making an extra $1,200 per year...overall though, it's a pretty good price.

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