I don't know the basis of these other reviews, in my experience it has been fine and I would absolutely recommend it. We can be adult about this, its not perfect, nothing is. You are paying very substantial rent, and it is by no means cheap, but it is worth the premium for what in my experience has been a totally safe, secure apartment in downtown Philly. If there have been saftey and security issues, I haven't heard of them. I've lived here two years without a problem. There is controlled entry with a key fab, in addition to round the clock door staff (even if they aren't exactly super-cops, at least there is someone there) and cameras. Particularly up here on this higher (above 8th floor), not may problems reach you. The apartments themselves are very nice, they are immaculately clean, with relatively new appliances and having gym and laundry in building is wonderful. Likewise, I have had no problems with the staff.

There are downsides, but I consider them totally trivial. First of all, it is damned expensive. I live in a decently big 1-bedroom, maybe 850sq ft, and pay nearly 1400 a month. There is a principle of getting what you pay for, and you are paying for the location, a long list of the amenities, the nice clean apartments, the name, plus a premium for an attempt at class and prestige (the keep the hallways looking like a posh hotel). I may actually pay more being at a higher floor, but please note that if you are below the 15th floor on the west side of the building - your only view is the next building (but if you hang your head out the window - you actually get a really nice view looking north)

Regarding parking, you can pretty much forget it. There is a structure right across the street where you can rent a space, but the price is tantamount to leasing your car an apartment, so its pretty unreasonable to do. I've never tried Parking on the street as a long term strategy, I know its possible, but I'd image its competitive to say the least in this area. But you are a block away from the PATCO high speed line, and 3 blocks away from the broad street line, and 5 blocks away from City Hall, which has every line and rail imaginable.

Regarding Noise, I've found it to pretty quiet. The walls are reasonably thick, although you will hear a sufficiently loud party down the hall, so a lot of this hangs on neighbors. Also in Philly they do trash really early in the morning and trucks drop dumpsters hard on the ground, causing these very loud bang noises. I'm sure in any center city apartment you hear them all the same, but they are definitely audible with the windows closed, and might wake a really light sleeper.

Regarding maintence, albiet sometimes taking a while, they are attentive to fixing problems. Regarding pests, I have had absolutely no pests of any kind, which is not to say that its the case for every apartment. Regarding power and water, there have been a few shut-offs. The water shut-offs were for upgrades, and while being a pain, they put things on our door and in the elevator notifying us far in advance. There are also some hard water issues, worth noting, it takes more work then normal to keep the tub clean. Regarding power outages, in two years, they have been 2, each lasting less than 24 hours. They had an emergency generator which kept the elevators, the first floor, and a modicum of heat still running. Of course, these occasions were an absolute fiasco, a lot of tenants got very militant taking it almost personally, and laying into the staff.

Regarding managment, it is corporate, so I'm not suprised that people have had unpleasant experiences. I haven't moved out yet, but I would not be suprised if I didn't get my deposit back. They sent me a thorough list of potential charges for after I move out, and it seems that if you leave your apartment anything less than TOTALLY immaculate, they are going to keep a large share. Likewise, the penalties for late rent are very draconian, talking 3 digit penalties. But pay your rent on time, and you never have to worry about it. The rent also increases year to year as you renew, so keep that in mind, and the shorter the lease, the higher the premium.

The staff I find very, very nice. Door staff are very friendly and kindly. With managment, dealing on the phone is slow, and they are infinitely more accomodating if you just walk to the office in the building on the first floor. They are very attentive, but understandibly, certain things they can't do and are subject to the parent company which like any bureaocracy, is a pain to deal with. Rent and lease issues, in my experience, I have been able to deal with just talking to Drake staff, never dealing with the company.

Keep in mind, that there may be a bias toward those with an unpleasant experience posting to this site. Plus the some of clientel this place attracts (although it actually is a pretty diverse building) can't stand inconvience, and take the 4-safe-walls aspect of their apartment largely for granted. This is not a cheap apartment building, its a premium apartment building, thats what you can expect. No it is not absolutely without flaw, but this is the best apartment I've ever lived in, and if you just want a reliable, secure place in center city philadelpha, and you can afford it, you should absolutely do it. I've racked my brain and these are the only complaints I can come up with, and to be honest, they are trivial. If I haven't mentioned it, I will vouch that its fine. This is a great apartment.

User Responses
From: garethml	Date: 07/11/2009
Excellent review. I also lived above the 8th floor and agree completely.

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