I lived at the Park Lane a couple of years back. Architecturally, that place remains the prettiest place I've ever lived. What with glazing bars on the windows and nice moldings all over, not to mention the French doors that effectively divided my large studio into a bedroom and a living area, it was a lovely place. The sun room was also charming and, as one poster pointed out, made a neat dining room. Even the neighbors were friendly.

However, I had a hard time actually living in this apartment. Though I was made aware of the RUBS bills (for heat, calculated by the apartment's area), I was unprepared for the hundreds they tacked onto my monthly expenses. And it's not as if I had any control over how much heat I "used," since it was impossible to turn off the old (though charming) radiators. I roasted during the winter and paid for the privilege.

Also, while hardwood floors are doubtless a prime selling point, they were sticky and kept peeling. It was disgusting.

Even more disgusting were the 2 1/2" cockroaches that infested the place. Whenever I requested pest control, the management would send out (too many days later) someone from an environmentally friendly, cruelty-free exterminator who would squirt corners of the rooms from a can. Whatever was in that can did nothing to control the cockroaches, which were big enough that I could hear them scuttling across the room. Now that I think of it, I spent a lot of that year chasing after cockroaches with a broom.

They also ruled the laundry room, which consisted of two washers and four dryers for the entire building. Located underground, down some jerry-rigged stairs, the place would have made an appropriate setting for a mob hit. I'd say the same about the shower booth (a separate, closet-sized room), because the bathroom wasn't fitted with a shower. The tiles were crumbling, and the water supply was so attractive to mildew and critters that I kept the place coated with a film of bleach and Raid at all times.

The lights to the back entrance often went out and wouldn't be fixed for weeks, which made taking out the trash extra creepy since drug busts were routinely made on adjacent Cooper Ave., and when I lived there, two bodies were discovered in Overton Park, right across the street.

On the whole, the Park Lane was not a terrible place to live. Thing is, it had such potential, if only the management were more conscientious about maintenance and had just worked the RUBS charges into the rent, rather than luring prospective tenants with artificially low rent and then tacking on unpredictable heating charges due with the next rent payment. The gracious architecture can be distracting, so proceed with caution if you're not into having surprise "roommates" and expenses. qmzu4EHcaGAPVCPw2Fai

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