Decent Place, But Very Over Priced
From:
-Anonymous-
Date posted:
12/27/2006
Years at this apartment:
2006
-
2006
I was one of the first tenants to move in when the building first opened in August 06. They are still doing constuction and it can get noisy at times. They will be breaking ground on a second tower in the spring so I'd expect the noise level to increase exponentially soon.
That said, the building itself is nice and upscale. The units are nice with granite countertops and upscale fixtures, floor to ceiling windows, washer & dryer in the units. But some of the layouts have major design flaws. Mine is a 1 bedroom with a balcony and there are many flaws that I didn't pick up on until I moved in. For example, no linen closet, no medicine cabinet, balcony entrance through the bedroom only, too much wasted space on a long entrance hallway. That hallway square footage is useless and would be much better used in the living room, which is too small.
They goofed big time in terms of kitchen cabinet and counter layout. There is only one full length kitchen cabinet and it's only wide enough to store glassware. The only cabinets wide enough to store plates are above the refrigerator and above the microve, both of which are way too difficult to get at for breakable items like plates.
They also goofed big time on the counter space layout. Under the kitchen wall cabinets is about 1 foot of counter space between the stove and fridge. The main counterspace is separating the kitchen from the living room and is enormous full length counter that stretches about 75% of the width of the entire apartment. But it's a free standing counter (similar to a breakfast bar type of thing). Appliances such as a coffee maker, toaster, cutlery set, etc.. weren't meant for this type of layout, but you have nowhere else to put them. Anyone who likes to cook will hate the kitchen layout (I never cook and even I can't stand it!)
I didn't notice these (and other) type of oddities when I toured the unit, but I wish I did. I will say that not all units are this poorly laid out. I've been in the 2 bedroom and the kitchen layout is normal. There are other layout flaws in the 2BR (such as having your balcony overlook a dark alley!) but the kitchen wasn't one of them.
That said, there are positive aspects to living here. The door staff is very friendly. The building has a very nice gym, hot tub, steam room and indoor resistance pool which are free to use. The business center has WiFi and about 20 PC's, and they recently put in a free Starbucks coffee machine. The outdoor pool has an amazing view of the city and Navy Pier. There is a media room with large plasma TV and surround sound (again, free to use). The building hosts regular events for tentants, such as pizza for Bears games, holiday parties (typically with a light buffet), and bagels & coffee every Wed morning.
In summary, there are things I like and dislike about the building. Overall I enjoy living here, but don't feel that the prices are justified ($1900 for a 1BR w/ balcony, $2700 for a 2BR). But all the building ammentities are free, and having a gym and free Starbucks machine saves me $200 a month. I'm sure that when constructions starts in the spring on the new tower, I'll probably decide not to renew the lease. For this kind of rent prices, I don't want to live in a construction zone.
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