The Irene

I've been in the Irene two years, so I can give all of you apartment hunters a reasonable glimpse of Irene living.

First thing is that this area is very desirable and convenient location. The Irene is near the friendship heights subway and retail area. The neighborhood is quiet and very safe with a police substation and even a 24 hour private security guy. There isn't much nightlife in the immediate vicinity since everything closes early, but you can always take the subway downtown.

By touring the apartment you will see that they are huge compared to other places along the subway. Some of the apartments here have spectacular views (like mine) and mostly overlook quiet residential area. Large north-west facing windows provide light and glorify the sunset each and every night. Our hardwood floors are stunning, although unfortunately they require covering floors with a great deal of carpeting.

There are lots of closets and the kitchen is spacious and up-to-date. The fit and finish of the apartments is medium: The paint job was good, cable outlets and plugs are generally adequate. Lets not forget the seemingly elegant plastic florescent-bulb fixtures, which had to go. We replaced ours with some nice modern lights from Ikea. Our apartment was in great shape when we moved into it.

Common areas of the apartment are decently maintained. The lobby is elegant and clean. I'm not sure what the door men actually do, but the old folks seem to like them. Courteous, friendly, and helpful staff members are always around. The common room and library is a nice touch.

You have all the standard luxuries: gym, outdoor pool (for summer), a nice rooftop deck, tennis court. Longer roof hours and a rooftop hot tub would be a nice addition. Parking is extra, but the garage is very secure, decently ventilated and mostly underground.

Building management was Excellent when I moved in with Tony P. who gave ample communications to residents about problems, projects and inconveniences. Unfortunately since his reign, the building maintenance hasn't been as good. Now when something breaks it takes a while to get it fixed. Lightbulbs will be broken for longer, and the attention to details isn't there.

Staff are always friendly and responsive. It did take them a while to fix a roof leak issue we raised, but they did inspect it right away. Residents say hello to each other, and many are long-time residents. More young people have moved in this year and there have always been lots of diplomats and elderly.

The main downsides to the building stems from the fact that it was built in the 60s. If you need ethernet jacks and electronic temperature controls you won't want to live here. The apartment windows are single-pane, the Heat/AC units are annoying and don't allow for great control. The elevators are sometimes slow, but that usually has more to do with the agility and "walker-handling" of the residents. You can't complain about the elevators if you choose to live on a high floor. The plumbing works but It's loud and the water doesn't taste great. On the other hand, all of the utilities are included so you don't have to pay extra if you want to blast the heat to compensate for drafty windows.

Oh we had a fire and the fire alarm sensors have been known to trigger false alarms, which have rudely woken me a few times in the past. I do worry a little bit about the aging wiring and machinery plus the dangers of gas appliances and senile neighbors. Older, more disabled residents can't safely descend over a dozen flights to get to safety.

The rent has been steadily going up for me and the quality has gone slightly down. I would still suggest the Irene for AU Students, elderly, international visitors, and anyone else who can afford to live here (but won't drive up the rent). I'll probably stick around til my lease is up and I decide to buy a condo. qmzu4EHcaGAPVCPw2Fai

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