Short story: If you have another option for a place to live, even if it's in the depths of hell, take it.

Long story: There's no arguing this place is great looking, inside and out. The high lofts, exposed brick walls, and central courtyard filled with trees look great. The lights on the front drive, while looking a little like a strip club, provide some facade of glamour. Unfortunately, these aspects, and the advantage of being within walking distance to Pamela's, are where the positives end. I lived there for 2.5 years. A quarter of a decade of suck.

NOISE - Seriously. Paper-thin walls. Absolutely no insulation between. When I was there, this led to (1) a confrontation with an obnoxious, boot-knocking neighbor on one side and (2) a too lengthy, non-resolving sit-down with a tobacco-spitting divorcee on the other (how many times could that guy play Coldplay loudly without me wanting to shove the tobacco down his throat').

Staff - Generally rude, though it's hard to generalize considering how many times the management changed.

Parking - No good unless you want to pay, and even if you do, be prepared for vandalism and other people in your spot. The previous reviewer that mentioned his car being up on blocks - well, that happened at least twice that I can remember.

AC/Heat - If you live on the bottom floor, it's cold. If you live on the third floor, it's hot, hot, hot. I never turned on the heat a single time during the winter. In 2.5 years, no need for heat. Sounds nice, huh' Yeah, well it IS during February, but when July rolls around, be prepared to sweat your butt off. Generally, my AC never turned off during this time while being set to 78. This led to it freezing over and eventually not working at all. Awesome. That great loft that you loved so much' Forget about it. You can't even walk upstairs without melting.

Washer/Dryer - These come in each unit. Yippee! But, wait. There's no external dryer exhaust, which means all that water in your wet clothes, along with the heat needed to dry them, comes pouring out into your apartment. Smells nasty, and it makes things hotter than Hades. All the lint that comes from drying clothes' Well, there's no real filter. It comes pouring out into your apartment as well. Awesome. At least the washer works, right' Sometimes. Mine overfilled one Friday night and water was pouring all over the floor and down into the apartment below. I called the emergency maintenance number (the office was closed). The maintenance guy answered with the TV BLARING in the background and said he really preferred not to come that night because it was the beginning of a holiday weekend. Nice.

You may ask why I lived there for 2.5 years if things were so bad. Well, my wife and I only had one car, she needed it for work, and Shadyside Commons was within walking distance to work. The first few months weren't that bad, and constant change in management provided a glimmer of hope every few months. And then there's the fact that I'm lazy and don't like to move (Did I mention how much of a royal pain it is to move in and out of this place' Better hire movers. Then be prepared to hear them complain about how far the front and back doors are to their truck.)

So, let me reemphasize the relative ranking: Depths of hell >>>> Shadyside Commons.

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