I lived at Mason Hall almost 2.5 years and for the money, it's a good value. It's in the North Old Town area and is within walking distance of a Dominoes Pizza, a Russian Market Store, a trendy Rustico Restaurant and Bar, Vaso's Kitchen (Greek food within walking distance) and a few other shops nearby. It's one of only 2 complexes that haven't been converted to condos in the area and after living 2 years in Crystal City this by far is superior on most fronts.

Pluses: Utilities included (although I think this was changing when I moved), recent game room addition before I left, close to some restaurants and stores, quiet area with no excessive noise (less an occasional roar of the railroad since it is adjacent to railroad tracks), library, and attentive maintenance. I had a problem with my air conditioning and it was no time until I had a replacement unit. Donna Wayne is the most helpful and best manager I've ever dealt with. She'll hold packages for you, assist you with any problems, and is good about getting notices out (e.g. water outages, etc.). I miss having her as a manager!! There are also doughnut Wednesdays once a month (monthly perk) although I've always been at work since these are around 7 or 8:00 am. There are also a few community parties for 4th of July etc. if you are in town.

Minuses: Parking sucks. If you get there after 9 or 10:00 p.m. good luck trying to find a spot. You most likely will have to park on an adjacent street and have to walk a good walk back. I think I usually parked on Bashford Lane like some homeowners in the area did. There are no reserved spaces except for handicap and resident of the month (which is like a random drawing). So it's first come, first served. Additionally, the parking spaces are kind of small and people with 4x4's will try to get in these tiny spots (even the ones marked for compact cars). I've had a few dings due to inconsiderate neighbors. Public buses also go through the parking lot taking a short cut as mentioned in previous reviews. I had a few roaches now and then (usually just one big roach a couple times) and it isn't as problematic as some reviewers lead you to believe. Even if it were, you could just let Donna know and I know they'd fix it. Trash room is kinda of cramped and can get smelly but it is emptied often. I've personally seen the guy empty more than once on one day. The elevator nearest to me occasionally breaks down and it can be a hassle but it is only a 4 story building and not some high rise so when it is down it's a minor inconvenience. This isn't close to the Metro (I think Braddock road is the closest) and would be a good walk if one attempted to do this. Also, although it's near Old Town, it's about a mile to King's Street and a mile and a half to the Torpedo Factory (trust me, I've done the walk). Train noise might bother some but it isn't every single night as some reviewers have made it sound like. I lived on the side facing the railroad tracks. Studio apartments (that's what I had) are small but for the price it's really reasonable given the area. Getting to the complex can be a chore unless you take the Abingdon Drive exit off of the GW Parkway. You used to be able to make a left off of Route 1 to Slaters which then runs into Abingdon before they built the new bridge. However, you'll now have to go around the car wash area on route 1 and back track to get back to the Slaters exit. Construction in and around the area has been a headache the years I've lived there. Kitchen appliances are older but work. There was no dishwasher in my apartment but since I'm single dishes wasn't a problem. Laundry was at $1.75 a load I think and sometimes it got crowded so I'd do mine extremely early on Saturday (7 am) or later on weekdays (after 10 pm). There is only one laundry room on the 1st floor and it can be a headache but it is doable.

Given all of the above, and the fact Mason Hall is an older building that almost resembles an old barracks, I still rate it high because when I lived close to the metro in Crystal City I had some of the same problems and was paying twice as much even though it was close to the metro. Also management at Mason Hall is extremely attentive and fix problems right away whereas management at Crystal City sucked and they didn't care about keeping good tenants. Most of the dwellers here are a mix of older people, college age students, and middle age professionals. I've never had any problems with any other residents except the car ding thing and parking could be monitored better as I have on occasion felt people may have had visitors on the weekdays/weekends even though it is only supposed to be one spot per unit (at least that's what my lease said). Given all of that and the fact it's not close to a Metro station (I think Braddock Road is the closest) it's still a good value for the money spent and I've never had my rent raised more than 50 dollars a year even when my lease expired and I was on a month to month basis. Furthermore, I got all of my deposit refunded and Mason Hall Apartments didn't try to nickel and dime me for things that are usually considered normal wear and tear. I've lived in other places that have and that really says a lot about this place. You will feel safe here and it is a reasonable commute to Northern Virginia businesses and DC if you work in those areas. I worked as a contractor for Coast Guard in DC when I first started living here and it was a decent commute. Towards the of end of my stay, I had a government contractor job in Bowie, Maryland and I wouldn't recommend that commute, but I did stay with Mason Hall because it is a great bargain and I love the management. You can't go wrong here to me except for the parking nightmare but even that is doable if you get home before nightfall. Highly recommend! The only reason I moved was I got offered a job out of state in Missouri! :) P0MtU6TIdDkM23RTonAS

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