I just moved into Blair Towers a few weeks ago, and so far, it's been a great experience. I'd recommend the Towers to anybody.

PROS:

* Low Noise: My neighbors are very loud. I think they communicate just by screaming. I know this because every time I'm in the hallway, I hear them yelling. But as soon as I close my door - nothing. It's like they aren't even there. So the sound situation in the apartment building is great. I also don't tend to hear much noise from the outside. It could just be because I face the back, but, there was a lot more noise in my last apartment complex. And it was in the middle of the suburbs! You'd never know, sitting in my living room, that you're in a busy urban area.

* Good Location: speaking of urban, the "lifestyle" of the new Silver Spring is the big selling point for The Blairs these days. They're smart to go that way. Sure, it isn't New York City, or even Bethesda. But it's an active area with lots of public transportation and convenient shopping and dining. It's a great compromise if you like city life but don't have wads of money to spend on rent. The restaurants are high-quality, too, and the Giant is recently remodeled. It looks small from the outside, but it is huge inside.

* Good Leasing Office: my dealings with the Blairs office were entirely positive. I can't say this for any other apartment I've ever lived in. The apartment I moved into was available a full month before I needed it. Any other company would have required me to pay for that extra month, or given the apartment to someone else. The Blairs didn't. They were just great.

* Building Maintenance: Yeah, the Blair Towers are about 50 years old. But they're well taken care of. The carpet in the hallways is nice, the elevator works fine, all my windows open and close properly. The lobby is clean and surprisingly pretty. Even the rubbish room is clean.

* Kitchen: Lots of apartment complexes offer new appliances, because they have to be competitive. But they buy the cheapest possible ones they can. Not The Blairs - my stove and fridge are not only new, they're really nice. And full sized! The garbage disposal is hardcore, too - I think I could stuff a whole chicken down there. And, the kitchen has a lot of cupboard and counter space. I've got plenty of room to chop veggies!

* Community: People are generally friendly. I've never had trouble finding a parking space, even after a late class, coming home around 11 pm on a weeknight. And, I feel safe on the Blair grounds. Some parts of Silver Spring are still pretty shady, but in and around the Blairs I always see security and everything is well-lit. The electronic controlled access is good, too.

* The bathroom has a heat lamp! I can't wait to use this on cold winter mornings.

* The hallways are nice and wide.

CONS:

Well, no place is perfect...

* Bugs. I had a roach in my kitchen. It was small, but still, ick! I hope this event doesn't repeat itself often. If it does, it will seriously alter my otherwise glowing opinion of The Blairs. But, to be fair, it is an old building in a highly populated area. Roaches happen, and just one, once, isn't a bad deal. It's not like I can hear them scurrying around at night or anything.

* Doors. The apartment doors slam. I think they're just really heavy. So generally, I don't hear my neighbors, but I do hear their doors when they come in and out. And I know I've slammed my own, by accident. It's annoying when you're concentrating on something (it startles you at first!) but you get used to it.

* Pets. No pets in Blair Towers - though they've just started letting in pets to Plaza, so we'll see what happens. I don't particularly want dogs to be allowed (I love dogs, but they don't belong in small apartments) but cats would be nice.

* Smells. Sometimes, you can REALLY smell it when people cook. I don't expeirence this when I'm in my apartment, but when I'm walking the halls, wow! Fortunately, most of the time the food smells good. But if someone is cooking something you really don't like, it's not fun. I think ventilation in the building is poor, because of its age.

* Bathroom. My bathroom is tiny, tiny, tiny - though the tub is a good size.

WRAP IT UP:

Overall, I like it at Blair Towers. It isn't the nicest place in town - if you want luxury, you might want to check out a couple of the newer buildings. But I get a lot for the rent I pay, more than I expected, and considering the good location and competent management, I plan to stick around for a while.

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