Great experience!!
From:
jasonb_kc@hotmail.com
Date posted:
8/19/2003
Years at this apartment:
2002
-
2002
I was here for an Intel summer internship for 3 months. I signed up for the apartment via their website, and never visited them before arriving in Portland by a driving trip from Kansas City. As you could expect, I was nervous about what Id soon be living the next 3 months of my internship experience.
I cant remember the names of the office staff (Noel' Carol') -- but they were ALL very friendly. Apparently, many other summer interns came to Intel and lived there.
The 1-bedroom that I had was very large. Of course, no air conditioning, and it happened to be during the hottest record breaking summer around. Most apartments in Portland do not have air conditioning, though. My apartment was on the top level, and the vaulted ceilings seemed to store heat like a toaster oven. Opening the front door and a window would help empty the hot air out. At night, leaving the windows open a crack assisted in cooling the apartment off, but by dayfall, it was hot again.
The facility was very clean, and the apartment was the cleanest Id ever moved in to before; I think the carpet may have been new, or at least cleaned and seemed like it was new.
The only maintenance catastrophe I had was due to my own fault of using too much soap in the washing machine. (That was also nice to have washer/dryer). I was on the top floor (third floor), and never heard the next door neighbors, though I knew they existed by seeing them.
The people living at the complex are very friendly. The pools and "rec room" are also clean, though I never had time to use them.
The office staff were always very friendly and somehow managed to learn my name, which made me feel very welcome. They kept delivery packages secure in a "mail room", so you dont have to worry about being home to get deliveries (theyll sign for your packages, too). The rental office is also air conditioned, so absorb the cold air if youre there during a particularly hot summer. ;-)
I received my full deposit back, though when they mailed it to me, they had not signed the check. It took about 45 days before I finally had my money back (Oregon law requires it be returned within 30 days), but it was an honest mistake on their part. I had to send the unsigned check back and wait for it to come back signed. They were *very* responsive about this issue and it did not seem intentional.
If I returned to Portland, I would pick this complex without checking any others first. They are expensive, but well worth it. They also included free cable in my apartment, which was nice when it came to getting a cable modem. During the summer I was there, some odd cable issues were happening, where the cable modem would "disconnect" -- apparently part of the complex had a wiring problem that the cable company had to repair. They accused the apartment complex of having "bad wires in their attics", but I think it was finally discovered to be a cable company fault, as several other renters that had cable modems also had the same issues in different buildings. (Luckily, I was able to find this out by an Intern list for Intel employees).
Its a walk away from Jones Farm campus at Intel, if you are so lucky to work there!
The property is well managed. They quickly replaced a lightbulb that was out in my carport and responded with lightning speed when my washer flooded. (Apparently, a dash of soap is all that is needed in Oregon, whereas in Kansas, the hard water requires at least a cup of soap -- keep that in mind if you are from out of town!).
The staff also seem to be involved with people who are from other countries. I overhead one of the office workers (Noel') mention how she was taking a group of women from another country (India') grocery shopping. I think that kind of "volunteer effort" is an extra icing on the cake for the dedication of the staff.
The maintenance staff were also very friendly and responsive.
The only bad thing I could say is that I had to climb all those stairs to get to my apartment, and the stairs are the kind that seem like you can fall through them (not enclosed). The other thing was that the spiders liked to build webs on the stairs, so in the mornings, you have to be careful not to walk through GIGANTIC webs (once I went through one so large, I had to go back in and take a shower!). Its not that bad at all (rarely did I find any spiders in my apartment).
I Highly recommend this place! You will find that the complex is very large. There is also a "new section" and an "old section." I cant remember which section I was in, but no matter what, you will probably have a good experience.
|
|
I'm the author!
Free estimates on moving trucks
Find apartment share/roommates
