This place is amazing. If you live in Philly and have a car, you know how expensive it can be, especially since it's such a convenient city to walk. Westminster's location makes it possible to walk *everywhere* which means you won't need a car. If you do have one, you can get a resident tag from the city and avoid tickets when parking on the street. Street parking is adequate, but not ample. You'll be able to find parking within a block or two of the building, for sure. But not always right in front. We can get to museums, shops, rittenhouse, food stores, public transit (trolley or 30th street, plus a zillion busses) in a few short blocks, and the neighborhood is wonderful.

There's a great sense of community in the area, with a kid's park hidden a block or two away, beautiful tree-lined streets, and lots of homes and apartments surrounding. The river walk has been renovated recently and is gorgeous. It's a straight artery along the river, and it's great for a nice stroll or a bike ride. Head north and you're connected directly to the Art museum. Keep going, and you're in fairmount park.

Check out the Philly murder map, and you'll know that deadly crimes are virtually unheard of in the area. Our neighborhood watch reports that the most common crimes are ipods being stolen out of people's cars. So if you move here, don't leave your ipod in your car.

Okay, enough about the area. Let's talk the apartment and amenities. The lobby is 70's retro chic, but don't let that faze you. The apartments are open, bright and spacious. White walls and carpet leave you with a blank palette to create your own style and space. Built in bar with cabinet space and closets give you tons of storage. Other people have mentioned that running the AC and heat are expensive propositions - they are if you run them all the time and forget to turn them off. That said, keeping the windows open in the summer (use an external fan instead of the built in fan) and on cool days to air out will save you lots of energy, and because the neighborhood is so quiet, unless you sleep odd hours, you won't have trouble getting used to city sounds.

Our electric bill in spring and fall is about $50, and we're tech geeks with a game system, two laptops, stereo speakers and a bunch of other gadgets we like to try to remember to unplug, but often don't - so that should tell you something.

Alright, how about maintenance' The landlord is AWESOME. If we have a problem, we just drop by and mention it or leave a note, and it gets fixed within a business day. We had a problem with our stove (the large burner wouldn't go on - it's electric), and were told that since it was a weekend, it wouldn't be fixed until Monday - was that okay' Of course! If it still wasn't fixed, we'd have the entire stove replaced. Likewise, our disposal stopped working. Again, within a business day, it was fixed and we haven't had a problem with it since. When we get packages delivered, the rental office will sign, accept and drop off packages straight to our apartment.

The building is old and while the apartments themselves are gorgeous, you'll notice a lot of that aforementioned 70's retro chic. The built-in cabinets are huge, but brown. Counter tops are likewise straight out of the seventies. Don't come here if you're looking for lots of fancy details - you won't find them. My inner interior designer cries a little bit when she looks at our bathroom, but you know what' For the price, the maintenance, the on-site laundry, the neighborhood, and everything else we love about living here' If an outdated bathroom is the worst of our worries, that's pretty damn good.

Speaking of old buildings, it's awesome that we live in an old building. The insulation is amazing. We NEVER hear our neighbors. We can hear people opening their doors in the hallway when we're sitting near our front door. Otherwise, it's unbelievably quiet, and with the windows closed we like to keep music on, because it's a little too quiet.

Likewise, if we had the AC on earlier to cool off the place, we just shut the windows and it stays cool for a long time, even if it's hot and humid out.

How about cleanliness' There's a trash chute on every floor. We've never had mice, rats or roaches. Every apartment building has its own distinct "smell" to it, but at Westminster, it's just the smell of cooped up cooking - nothing offensive, just smells like whatever people are making for dinner that week. It's also not a particularly strong smell. Compared to other center city apartments within the cost range of Westminster, that's saying something. It doesn't stink. Likewise, the carpets are professionally cleaned every few months. Lighting is maintained and residents contribute furniture, reading material, flowers and other domestic touches to the lobby area. Again - there's a real sense of community here.

The bottom line is that the kind of place you want to live is going to depend on your own tastes and needs. For those who want or need an apartment that's spacious, well-maintained and nice to live in for a price that will fit just about anyone's budget, Westminster is definitely that place. If you're looking for gyms, granite countertops, loft-style condos, and brand new bathrooms, you'll get a pricetag to match. Or the neighborhood to match.

But, as others have said, good luck getting in. The landlord likes to keep the place filled up, so you'll need to call every few months to see if there are any openings. People move in and out often enough, so you have a good shot, but you won't be able to rent something tomorrow, unless you're lucky. Likewise, the screening process goes both ways. The building is occupied by older residents and professionals. Everyone keeps to themselves, is courteous and polite. If that doesn't describe you, save yourself the time.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates