My wife and I recently purchased a unit here after she had lived here for 5 years. I'll try to comment on all of the opinions brought up in this forum.

Parking - In 5 years, I have ALWAYS been able to find a spot. Yes, sometimes I have to park in front of the Philadelphian, 2 blocks away, but nevertheless, I parked my car. When people say that parking is a "nightmare" I can only assume that because they can't find a spot directly in front of the building whenever they want to park, they are upset. WELCOME TO LIVING IN THE CITY! If you expect parking at your disposal, move to New Jersey. It's not that bad. What's bad is, the price they are trying to sell the spots under the building. I downright laughed in their face.

Mice- Yes, we have seen mice, but not since we moved in to the unit we purchase. They must have done something about it.

Cockroaches - never seen them.

Staff - most are friendly, none have ever been rude to us. What do I expect for $10 an hour, pretty much what I'm getting from them. A few are extra nice. The maintenace crew has been very receptive, but they will be gone now that they are condos.

New Ownership - CHEAP!! They are in it to turn a QUICK few million and get out of town. They will put just enough into the building to dress it up and we will probably have problems 5-7 years down the line with most everything they put it. They still haven't done a thing to the lobby except put up a picture of what it "will" look like. Take caution if buying a place about any "repairs" they said they made to your place.

Noise - O.K. Don't move in if you want to live in an ultra quiet place. We have had our problems with people and their loud radios.

Tenants - some are kind of rude, but most seem very nice. You will probably get the elevator door shut in your face once a month. You may never get to know your neighbors, it just depends on your personality and who you move in next to. Very diverse group of renters/owners.

Gym - I haven't worked out in the new gym. equipment looks nice, but I'm out of shape, what can I say.

Bus- It's not that the bus schedule is unpredictable, it's just that it only runs once an hour during off-peak times, so it may not be as convenient as one would like. There have been times where the bus wasn't running due to mechanical problems, but not a whole lot. The bus is very good about the 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 5:00-7:00 p.m. 30 minutes quick center city loops for the residents who work downtown. The 7, 32, and 44 city bus also run regular near the building.

Heating - the heat pumps do kind of suck. This may be something that the tenants look into once they take control - central steam heat. The reason they put in the heat pumps in the first place (I speculate) is to pass the bills on to the residents rather than paying for steam on overhead.

Fire alarms - Yes this is starting to suck. There have been at least 3 alarms in the past 2 months. One was burning popcorn, one was someone pulled an alarm, and the other was'' I think someone is pissed at management and pulls the alarm to piss off people so they don't buy. Bastards.

Cleanliness - Not too bad in common areas, the back hallway though gets downright nasty sometimes. I attribute this mostly to residents, not that it makes it any better. They leave pizza boxes/other boxes/trash in the small room where you throw the trash down the chute on each floor. This really pisses me off. It doesn't happen that often but when it does %##$! The staff does a pretty decent job of cleaning all around though.

Shops on site - they have a bike shop, been in twice, nothing really to say. They have (had) a coffee shop with a really good breakfast, I think they are remodling right now. But, something strange goes on here. They host a lot of small luncheons or brunches for many other people that don't live in the building. They don't cause a problem or anything, it's just strange. There is a small store that a husband/wife run. It pretty much sucks. They did re-tool the inventory about a year ago and it got better but they rake you over the coals on prices. Nothing is labled. It's actually kind of funny, you bring up a gallon of milk (which may or may not be expired), place it on the counter, the dude sizes you up and out comes a price: $5.95. BANG! Chips: $3.25. BANG! Bacon: $5.50. You might as well have Le Bec Fin delivered.


More to come..

User Responses
From: shaddup	Date: 01/26/2006
Don't like the shuttle schedule? Buy a Transpass! A Zone 1 is $70 a month. And tip the drivers at Christmas and when they help you load your groceries on the Saturday shopping trip! Cheapasses!

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