From:
-Anonymous-
Date posted:
1/4/2005
Years at this apartment:
2002
-
2003
Chestnut Hall is a pretty crappy place, but I still recommend it for lack of better alternatives.
I lived there for a year. Here's my view of its pros and cons:
Pro #1: Location Chestnut Hall is almost on campus. Unless you need to go to class at DRL, you can easily walk to class. CVS and Freshgrocer are just around there. Within 5 min walk you can get to Chili, Boston Market, Hong Kong Cafe, Pattaya Grill, New Dehli, Hanwool, etc. And it's still on Chestnut St, not Market St--if you know what I mean.
Pro #2: Price Let's face it. Not everyone can afford the Left Bank. If you don't mind getting a roommate, you can have your own room for a decent price in the area. Of course if you have more dough and want to live close to the west part of the campus you can rent a unit on the top floor for yourself.
Pro #3: There are laundry facilities on every floor. This is definitely not the case with dormitories on campus.
Pro #4: Safety (relatively) At least there's a manned front desk there and the police station is just a block away. I found the front desk receptionists to be quite personable (during 2003).
Pro #5: Neighbors The majority of the residents are (Asian) Penn undergrads or grads. So this place has a dorm feel and I've found people on my floor to be quite friendly and quiet.
Con #1: Noise My window faced the intersection of 39th St and Chestnut St. Gosh it was LOUD there. Every single hour there was a fire truck coming down 39th St, slowing down at this intersection to make a left turn on Chestnut St, and finally going away--all with a shrieking siren. Sometimes the alarms of cars parked on 39th St got triggered and they went on for half an hour continuously. Both of them have made me indifferent to the sounds of people shouting from the street and drunkards from bars at night.
Con #2: Management I don't like the management at Chestnut Hall. I'd avoid dealing with us at all costs. I feel they treat the tenants like kids rather than adults and do not give us due respect as customers. And Woody surely didn't have any fans. If you have a problem it's your problem. They are not there to help. They are simply very concerned of collecting rent checks every month.
Con #3: The building itself The apartment building is old and therefore has many problems. I've had rats and bugs in my apartment. Maintenance was reasonably responsive though.
Con #4: Trash disposal Yuck! You cannot use the chutes but rather have to leave the trash in one corner to be collected. Over the weekend it gets really gross.
Con #5: Parking There is none.
Recommended: YES
Overall Rating
Parking:
Maintenance:
Construction:
Noise:
Grounds:
Safety:
Office Staff:
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