I've been living at the Atrium for a short time and so far it has been a very nice place to stay. Instead of writing a wall of text I will simply break it down in each of the categories we rate:

Parking
-------
Pros: It's a good price considering what it would cost to park other places in the city, and there's always space. There is a crosswalk connecting the garage to the Atrium so you don't have to walk outside when coming and going. The top levels are reserved for residents and are gated and fenced, so you can feel quite safe leaving your car out there, or running out to your car to get something at 1am. The front gate is staffed 24/7.

Cons: Like the previous reviewer, I had problems with the initial set-up of the parking. The leasing agent tells you that the parking is pro-rata - what they don't tell you is that it isn't pro-rata unless you start after the 15th of the month. So if you file the parking application on the 14th, you pay a full month despite not using two weeks. However I should point out that the Atrium does not run the garage. Also the GDO can be a little finicky, sometimes you are at the gate 5 mins trying to get it to open.

Conclusion: Adequate; the initial problems don't outweigh the convenience of the security, pricing, and location.


Noise
-----
Pros: Despite being in the city, you don't hear too much of the city ambiance. If you're near a window you may here the occasional loud individual shouting on the street, and of course like any city living you will hear the sirens, but mostly it's quiet. The walls aren't too bad, you won't hear your neighbors unless they're shouting or have the TV really cranked up.

Cons: Although the walls are decent, the front doors to the apartments are not. Fortunately people don't roam the halls too much, but on the occasion someone passes by your door, you will hear them even if they are talking quietly.

Conclusion: Minimal noise; very good for a city location.

Grounds
-------
Pros: The building is very well-kept. The hall carpets and walls are clean, and are also well lit 24/7 (which is a good safety factor too). The lobby is very nice, as is the outdoor Atrium in the center. And any trash left in the halls or elevators is promptly addressed. I rarely see a piece of trash around the building, and never see bugs or rodents of any kind. The top levels of the garage are also in very clean shape.

Cons: The only con I can think of is really the box-disposal setup. Boxes are not allowed to be thrown down the trash chute, and therefore must be sat out in the hall next to the trash door. This can be an eyesore if it accumulates, but usually after a handful of boxes they come by and get them. The outside of the building on the street is not the greatest, but I don't fault them for this since it's beyond their control.

Conclusion: A thing of beauty; outside of the building you do feel like you're in the gray area between the Inner Harbor and the ghetto, but the second you step inside you feel like you're in a 5-star hotel.

Safety
------
Pros: The Atrium does quite a lot to make sure it's safe; they know it's a city environment. The front door and the garage entrance are both security-card locked, and there is always someone at the front desk so you know it's being watched. There are cameras monitoring both entrances as well. The loading dock for moving in and out has a gate which can only be opened by the front desk, and as I mentioned above, the garage has ample security. Every apartment has a regular door lock and a bolt.

Cons: The main issue is outside the building. I try not to judge by looks, and although there's a lot of questionable characters outside, not all of them are necessarily criminals. Nevertheless it's not very inviting. The loading dock is in a dark alley, which is dark even in the day because it's underneath of a connecting overpass. And the front doors are simply glass, which looks nice, but let's face it: if someone wanted to break in and ignore the security pass, it wouldn't be hard.

Conclusion: Safe area; as safe as you can get in this part of the city. They do everything they can in the building. Outside, well, just use wise judgment.

Construction
------------
Pros: The layout of the apartments are pretty nice. It can feel small at times but you will always have that feeling living in a midrise in the city. Many of the apartments have nice 11ft ceilings and 8ft windows, which let in a beautiful amount of sunlight. The cabinets are decent, not super fancy but they are installed properly and are in decent shape. The bathroom in my apartment is very nice, everything was clean and well constructed.

Cons: Little things; chipped paint around the edges of some of the molding, or the stove wobbling slightly. I moved in quick though so they didn't have as much time to do touch-up work on mine. In any case, it's nothing major. The one big thing that comes to mind is the size of the toilet, which is rather small. But a necessity of limited space I suppose.

Conclusion: Built well; I don't worry that the walls or counters are gonna break if I lightly tap them.

Maintenance
-----------
Pros: I haven't had a lot of experience with them so far. The first day I moved in I had a problem with the AC. Maintenance showed up in less than 2 hours and fixed the problem. The gentleman was very nice and seemed to know what he was doing.

Cons: My carpet was also not completely clean; however small stains can be covered and dirt can be vacuumed.

Conclusion: Very good work for now, need more experience with them.

Staff
-----
Pros: All the front desk people are very nice, especially Miss Daisy that everyone always talks about. The leasing agent Brian is a very nice young man, very enthusiastic and works hard to help get you set up and answers your questions. As mentioned above, the one maintenance gentleman I've had the pleasure of speaking to so far was also very nice.

Cons: This really isn't my "con" so much as everyone else's. Many reviews criticized Rhonda. But honestly, if you're in charge of something and everyone ISN'T mad at you, then you're doing something wrong lol. I've only spent a short amount of time interacting with her, but that's the thing: you should never see her. The only reason you would need to see the staff, especially the manager, is if there was something really wrong or you weren't paying your rent. The former is rare and the latter is your own fault. So while Rhonda can be a bit tough, as long as you are a good tenant and speak to her nicely, you shouldn't have any problems.

Conclusion: Staff really has it's act together; good people I haven't met one I had an issue with so far.

Overall
-------
Just to cover a few things not mentioned:
- pro: Rent includes utilities, including internet.
- pro: Washers and dryers on every floor, and because of the quality of the residents, I feel safe leaving the laundry and going back to my room while it cleans.
- pro: Climate control in every room, you can even use AC in winter and heat in summer should you feel you actually need it.
- pro: Fridge of course, but dishwasher and microwave too.
- pro: Extra amenities you may not use but it's nice just to have, like the outdoor Atrium, a party room/community room, billiard table room (only 1 but it's rarely in use), business center with a few computers, gym, trash chute, etc.
- con: The included internet is horribly slow, you cannot even watch videos.
- con: You do have to pay for the washer/dryer, $1.50 a load. And the card machine only accepts $5 cash bills or greater, no CC or coins.

Overall I'd say this is a great place to live. Despite the block the Atrium is on looking a little rough, it's still one of the safer areas of the city, and you're only a few blocks from all the exciting parts of the Inner Harbor. The residents are all nice people with their heads on straight; no "riff-raff" so to speak, most residents are professionals or med students. I'd recommend this place to anyone.

If you have questions post them in the comments I'll try to answer for you.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates