One thing comes to mind when writing a review for this apartment community: location, location, location. Seated stylishly in the heart of downtown, Manchester Place is the place to hang one's hat. This complex was built only a few years ago. I remember driving past it on a regular basis as I crossed Bridge Street and into town. I watched the foundation and iron work slowly rise and reveal a building that sticks out among the others in Manchester...in a good way, that is.

The good: Modern, clean, efficient and safe, Manchester Place is a rental opportunity that's not easy to dismiss. Modern architecture fleshed out in sturdy concrete and iron construction. No flimsy prefabricated walls or creaky floors here. You will hear residual noises from traffic down below, but you'll seldom hear your neighbors. This is a huge plus for me; I abhor hearing the soundtrack of other peoples' lives. Perhaps one of the most winning features of the apartments are their giant windows, which stretch nearly from the ceiling all the way to the carpet. If you rent on a high floor, the effect is engaging, giving all your rooms a sense of depth and cliff side openness that is unusual. Granite counter tops in the bathrooms and select areas of the kitchen. All rooms are painted in a pleasantly neutral tone rather than the usual stark white. Covered parking, fast elevators, refuse chutes, courtyard and an outdoor lounge on the top of the building. Competent and friendly management staff; Kevin, Lia and Grant are very helpful and set an example of what management should be.

The bad: One of Manchester Place's flaws lies in it's loading bay, which doubles as the dumpster area, too. On an architect's CAD layout, this looks like an awesomely efficient idea, but it has its painfully obvious detriments in the real world: tough to back into with a U-Haul on narrow Kidder Street, and is a little odd being surrounded by refuse containers when moving your belongings out of the truck. Guest parking is non-existent (guests have to hunt for parking along the streets surrounding the complex). Only big buck payers on the top floor get a balcony. Dogs occasionally yelping their lungs out in the courtyard *is* annoying. Be prepared to be hit with a "bulk address" cable bill that is smuggled into the overall per-month rent figure. This floored me, personally, as I haven't watched tv in over eight years, and don't plan on it anytime soon. If I don't want to pay for cable, I shouldn't have to. This is perhaps my biggest grievance regarding this apartment building.

Overall: Comparing the quality of other apartments I've lived in, Manchester Place is a cut above most. The location of the building, the sturdy construction and the attention paid to modern aesthetics has won me over, despite some nits I may have. If you are looking for upscale living directly in the city of Manchester, this is the place to be.

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