I have lived at the Monticello for over 3 years now and though I have seen the occassional bug (maybe once a month) I have noticed that the frequency of that problem depends almost entirely on the cleanliness of those in the apartments on either side of me. I have NEVER seen any kind of rodent inside or even near any of the Southern Towers buildings. Management treats the entire building and also individual units for pests often to prevent problems, but I understand that they will take additional steps for individual units when they are informed by the resident that there is a problem. I suspect that many folks don't report a problem with bugs or that (more likely) the problem is caused by a nearby resident who simply doesn't maintain a clean unit.
There is a great on-site security team that patrols the entire property 24/7. They are very friendly and certainly make me feel safer. I've never had any trouble finding parking, though when I get home late (after 9 or 10) I may have to walk a bit farther than usual, which is still not at all far (maybe 1 minute to get to the door).
In nearly 4 years I've only had to call for maintenance twice...once for a worn blinds cord and once for a clogged drain in the tub. Both times, I received very prompt service that solved the problem.
There is a BB&T and a 7-11 on the property...sure is nice when I need groceries and don't feel like driving to the store. There is also a dry cleaner in the building. The Monticello has several doctor's offices in the building (lobby level) and Southern Towers as a whole, has dozens of businesses on-site...dentists, OB/GYNs, Salons, X-Ray services, etc. Residents are provided a list of these businesses when they move in, along with contact information for each one.
Also, having an excercise room on-site is fantastic. It's small (2 treadmills and two excercise bikes), but it's clean and FREE! I workout 5 days a week, and there's no way I'd do that if I had to drive to a gym.
One thing that has consistently impressed me about Southern Towers is the wonderful job that management does of clearing the property and lots of snow/ice in the Winter. They have snow plows for the streets and sidewalks on-site and really keep the surfaces as clear as possible. I never worry about whether or not I can get my car out...I worry about what the roads OFF Southern Towers property are going to be like because they are never cleared when ours are.
My apartment is on the top (16th) floor, which offers an incredible view. From my living room window, my view spans about 15 miles. I can watch 9 fireworks shows from my couch every July. I opted to have a unit that faces east so I can have the sunlight in the morning, and though I've never seen it, I understand that my neighbors on the west side have a spectacular view of DC.
Overall, moving to Southern Towers is one of the best things I ever did. There's no way I could find as nice or as large an efficiency so close to work (3 miles from Old Town), have all utilities included, and still pay well under $900/month. The staff I've dealt with have always been friendly and helpful.

User Responses
From: George1956	Date: 04/08/2009
I wasn't aware they efficiencies on the Penthouse level, however, if they do you can bet they make sure that the Penthouse people don't have roaches, you're just lucky to be living next to them, living in an efficiency, those people pay way over $2,000 a month rent. I previously lived on the 15th floor of the Sherwood and there were plenty of roaches and sometimes small mice. The old casement windows in the apartment were painted shut, (after 40 years, or more of coats of paint). When I lived there 1 or 2 of the elevators were always out of service, which caused me to wait anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes for one, (when they were broken). False fire alarms were constantly going off, (which made the tenants walk 15 floors down to the outside exit). When you got off work you better had drive directly home and got there before 6:00 p.m., because if you didn't, you would find yourself parking at another Southern Tower building. (A lot of people used Southern Towers parking lot as a place to park their cars, (even though they didn't live there), to catch the express buses to the Pentagon, that way they didn't have to pay for parking, or fight the bumper to bumper traffic in and out of D.C. (And, let me tell you, it was way more then a minutes walk from another building). So, consider yourself lucky that you live next to the higher paying tennants and reaping their benefits.
From: ashrewsbur	Date: 04/08/2009
George1956: Hmmm...Maybe the 16th floor for the other Southern Towers buildings is the penthouse level. The Monticello does not have a penthouse though, but it does have a completely different structure than the other 4 buildings and is mostly 1-bedrooms and studios (I'm in a larger studio)...so the fact that I don't have a problem with pests definitely isn't because I'm in any "high-rent district", lol. Maybe I've just lucked out for 3 years, but my experience here has been great for the most part. When it wasn't great, it was usually due to a neighbor, who has thankfully moved since then. Sure I could move to a place that's newer (I do have an occassional problem with one painted window not opening, now that you mention it), but I've found after much research that I'd pay about $200/month more, along with utilities. I prefer my less expensive place that's close to work. To each his own, right?
From: sydneysgirlwanda	Date: 04/10/2009
I affirm this review, because my experience since I moved here (Augusty 2008) has been quite similar. Thanks for being honest. I live in Monticello on the 15th floor, and I really enjoy living here.

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