I have lived at Riverside for almost two years. I'll be moving out at the end of the August. This is my PERSONAL experience with the complex.

Pros - large apartments with plenty of closet space. I was actually very pleased with this aspect of the apartments. Considering I moved in blind (without having seen the place first), I was expecting the worst, and what I moved into exceeded my expectations as far as size.

- ample parking. Maybe not as close as you'd like, but it's not like it's a huge facility anyway, so you are always relatively close to your building. In addition, guests will also have no problems parking.

- maintenance staff. These guys were great. Everything I ever asked to have looked at was done within 24 hours, including the replacement of our microwave when it died.

- Metro shuttle bus. It only operates during peak hours (6-9:30, 4-8:30), but still a nice way to get to the Metro (Huntington Station, end of the yellow line), especially when the weather is inclimate.

- other pluses: the package room (although I think it could be open more hours), laundry facilities in building (I RARELY had a problem getting washers/dryers), ability to pay rent/request maintenance online, and it's generally quiet. Can you hear a little in the hallway sometimes, or above you, or outside' Sure - it's an apartment building with hundreds of people in it. People expecting absolute silence are daft, IMHO. Also, I never had any problems with safety, although I think I had something stolen out of my car once. But it's not a high crime area.

Negatives - management staff. Or at least the ones I usually had to deal with. I switched roommates on my lease at one point, and that was a nightmare of incompetence. Stay away from Boris. Seriously. They were usually friendly enough, but the aggrevation of actually getting what you needed was pretty high. With the exception of maintenance.

- shuttle bus driver. The old one was great. This new(er) guy scares me - he's surly, an aggressive driver, and plays his music so loudly I can hear it over my iPod. He should be fired. I often walk (it's a 15-20 minute walk) if I can.

- construction in the area. Not that Riverside can really do anything about this, but if you are looking for a quiet, peaceful, low traffic area, this is not for you. They've been doing work on the 495 since I moved in. Two years ago.

- power outages during storms. I don't know if Riverside has any fault here, but this place as an inordinate amount of power outages during inclimate weather. Including one this week.

- the fact that residences in buildings 2 and 3 have to pay to use the new fitness center. Because the old one (which is still free) is crap. They built the new one, and the residents in the new apartments have this included in their rent, but us lower citizens have to pay (or make due with substandard equipment). For a place that advertises having a fitness center onsite, they should make it eiher part of the rent for all, or charge it to everyone, because the free gym is worthless.

Overall, I would recommend this place. I payed right around $800 this year for rent AND all utilities living in a 2br/2ba with a roommate, which is pretty reasonable (in my opinion) for the area, and you get enough amenities for that price. Are there some issues' Yes, but for me they weren't major enough to prompt a move (I am moving, but not because of Riverside). If you can deal with living in a construction heavy area, and don't need to deal with the management staff often, this is a nice place to live.

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