Presidential City Apartments
3900 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
215-883-2000  WEBSITE save favorite
AVERAGE RATING
recommended by:
34%

overall rating:
2.3
2.5
2.5 Parking:
2.4
2.39 Maintenance:
2.4
2.36 Construction:
2.7
2.7 Noise:
2.7
2.66 Grounds:
2.7
2.68 Safety:
2.4
2.4 Office Staff:
< | >

Okay place for college students but nothing spectacular

From: hlaalu
Date posted: 1/26/2008
Years at this apartment: 2007 - 2008
 
1. Parking- the lanes are too narrow for most cars to back out of easily and no one follows the lines at all. In the 7 months I was at the apartment, there were 2 nights when I came back at 11pm and had to drive around for 10 minutes before finally getting one of the last two or three spots in the whole complex.
2. Noise- I was fortunate enough to have quiet people around me although I could still hear the people walking around upstairs and on occasion a conversation from the people next door. The doors in the place barely provide any sound insulation so you can sometimes hear people all the way down the hall. On occasion an angry driver would honk quite loudly in the parking lot in the middle of the night and drunk students would be having loud conversations outside; the sound echoes up the sides of the building. Also, in the time I was there the fire alarm went off twice. Other residents were complaining that it happens fairly frequently.
3. Grounds- The grounds are pretty nice, plenty of trees make you forget that you're in the city. There is a small fitness center for each building and a pool which yoiu have to pay for.
4. Safety- Didn't have any security issues while I was there although the security guards at the front gate tend to just let anyone in without checking at night. Makes the whole fob system rather pointless.
5. Construction- The buildings are fairly old and not maintained very well. The elevators in my building (Jefferson) broke fairly constantly. The fire stairs are very dark and littered with cigarette butts. The floor in my apartment was cracked in many places and the paint was peeling from the window sills.
6. Location- The location is pretty convenient, easy to get on/off the Schuylkill and a short walk from the new Target. Drexel/UPenn are a 10-minute drive down West River. One problem is that getting down or across City Ave can be a nightmare, especially during rush hour (plenty of angry drivers who will run red lights and cut you off trying to make the left turn into the place). A major issue for the location is that it is on the Philadelphia side of City Ave which means that if you have a full-time job you have to pay the ridiculous 4.3% wage tax.
7. Cleanliness- I didn't have any problems with rodents or anything like cockroaches although I did seem to have a large population of stinkbugs that I could never get rid of.

Overall- The place is sort-of in between a college dorm and a regular apartment. It isn't the worst place to live, especially if you're a student who needs cheap housing. Just be aware of what you're getting into. Anyone who can afford better shouldn't live here. Especially considering the added bonus you'll get for not having to pay the wage tax if you live outside Philadelphia. The "luxury apartment" sign on the side is very misleading, the place is modest at best.

Recommended: NO
Overall Rating
2 out of 5
Parking:
2 of 5
Maintenance:
2 of 5
Construction: 2 of 5
Noise:
2 of 5
Grounds: 3 of 5
Safety: 3 of 5
Office Staff:
3 of 5
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