I am providing an assessment of this property from my perspective. Overall, I think this is the best value for the money that you will find being this close to Old Town. As you get closer to Old Town, the rental rates climb dramatically. The property is a 10 minute walk to the Eisenhower Metro station as is the Hoffmann Center, with one of the best movie complexes in the area. With 22 theaters it offers most of the mainstream movies as well as a good selection of independent films. It s a 20 to 25 minute walk to King Street Station and the VRE. With just two stop signs, access to the beltway is easy. This is a great location from which to go jogging, as there is a long, two-mile stretch of Eisenhower Avenue from the complex to Cameron Run Regional Park (with a further running/biking trail), with just two traffic lights along the way that see almost no cross traffic. The area feels safe, as I have observed a high presence of Alexandria Police patrolling the area (outside of the complex). The management has been helpful, especially with providing information (locations of shopping/entertainment areas, bus maps/schedules, and the like) at move-in. The gym is decent. It is carpeted with three treadmills, at least three stationary bikes, at least one elliptical machine, and a rowing machine. Most of the cardio equipment is manufactured by Lifecycle. It seems like there are always two or three people in the gym (at most hours), but never crowded. The gym also has at least nine weight machines, most manufactured by Cybex. There is also a basketball court. I never used the pool, and have no opinion on it. The type of people renting at Avalon Court is a mixed bag. There are young professionals, older couples, and young, immature people that act like college students or interns. For a while, my neighbors fit into the latter category. I never heard them talking, nor did I hear their stereos, but I could hear them closing (maybe slamming) the cabinet doors and drawers in the kitchen. As for external noise, I had a north facing apartment, looking over the railroad tracks. The view was beautiful when the trees were in full bloom. The metro rail trains were loud at the beginning and end of the day, as the tracks leading to the WMATA yard/maintenance facility adjacent (to the west) to Avalon Court force the trains onto curved tracks, resulting in a low pitched squealing noise. At times, I would notice freight trains passing by in the middle of the night. (I did not notice this so much in the winter time when the furnace was running.) The trains do not blow their horns, because there are no intersections with roadways for miles. On the flip side of this, I m sure the south side of the complex is plagued by noise from the beltway. I would recommend trying an apartment with a courtyard view, if noise is an issue for you. At least 80% of the mail I got in my mailbox was for the past five tenants of my apartment. (I assume the mailman is retarded.) The trash/recycling center is about a quarter of a mile away. The advantage to this, is that you don t smell or see the unsightly dumpster. (This distance may be an issue for some.) The computers in the business center need some attention. The virus definitions had not been updated for at least 9 months. When I tried to update them, based on a warning I got from the software, I couldn t update them because the machine is locked down administratively. (They ve even locked out the oh-so vulnerable right button on the mouse key. Don t even think about trying to right click.) My final negative comment is about the poor construction of the building. The windows are incredibly drafty. So much that you can clearly see the vertical blinds fluttering all the time. I believe the management knows this, as they ve issued guidance that the thermostat is not to be set lower than 55 degrees to prevent the pipes from freezing. The furthest distance from my thermostat to any pipes is 30 feet. It s scary to think that the temperature is going to drop that quickly, but you definitely feel the different climate zones as you walk around the apartment. In the cold of winter, the furnace struggles (runs for hours solid) to maintain a temperature in the high 60s. I would imagine these apartments were cheaply built to make a quick buck. I expect they will be razed in the coming years to be replaced by high rises, as is happening just down the street. Overall, this is the best value for the price to Old Town.

User Responses
From: dixiediva82	Date: 06/24/2007
The Avalon is NOT "the best value for the price" at ALL. The are other apartment complexes that are built better, have more utilities included in the much lower rent and are not filled with cheap appliances, counters, and fixtures. Huntington Gateway, for example, has rent in a similar range and the only utilities a lessee pays is electricity. The apartments are sturdy, the windows aren't drafty and the appliances are not cheap and/or tiny like they are at the Avalon. At the Avalon, in addition to sky-high rent, one has to pay water, electricity AND gas.

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