Crystal Towers seems does a great job fooling you when you first come to look at the place. The entrance area and the surrounding areas (where there arent any apartment units) are very nice, however the rest of it....not so much. The units are big, but very outdated. The walls, windows, doors, and pretty much everything else looks like it hasn't been updated since the 70s. Going with that 70's theme, the hallways that go to the actual apartment units look like a drunk person put together the crown molding, and the carpet and walls are older/dirtier than some 'hourly rate' motels. The staff that sits at the front desk is very nice and for what they can do [very little] they are very adequate. The managers, however, are downright mean people. They don't care about you at all, aren't willing to help, and twist everything that they said when you signed your lease. Also, that "refer a friend and save" promotion that they have through Archstone is a complete lie. They refused to follow through with any of the incentives. The washer and dryer in my unit don't work. The management refused to replace them because they said the machines work fine. The parking is an absolute nightmare, IF you can find a spot past 5 in the afternoon consider yourself lucky. The people in this building only move their cars on weekends...its really annoying. Parking is also expensive, and you aren't even guarunteed a spot. Ridiculous if you ask me. On top of that, there has been a string of thefts from autos in the Crystal Towers parking lots. When i approached the manager to ask what she was going to do to keep us/our vehicles safe, she said that it isn't her problem, and that they have no plans to get a security guard. The convenience store in the basement is just that....convenient. Extremely overpriced but the people who run it are very nice. The gym is ok if you just plan to run on a treadmill, otherwise, join a real gym. The pool is nice on a hot summer day, but they give you this little pass to get in there (which is roughly the size of a postage stamp), and if you lose it they won't let you back in without buying another one for $50. Pricing is about twice what it should be, the only thing that might be remotely worth the price is the area's conveniences....mall/metro right across the street, any kind of food within a few minutes, tons of stores, and a 2 minute drive to DC. Overall this apartment is something that I might expect in Northwest DC....crappy and overpriced but convenient to everything. However for Virginia, I give it two thumbs down. Save yourself the headache and move to any other building.

User Responses
From: tiger0208	Date: 08/14/2009
I agree with this poster about management not always being the most responsive you could hope for. They do tend to act like you are harassing them if you have a reasonable question but are not one of their favorites. On parking, however, this post is somewhat inaccurate. If you park in the garage you pay $90 per month and have an assigned space. Thus, you are guaranteed a spot. There are also parking lots outside of the building that are free but are not reserved. The outdoor lots are first come first serve and it is hard to get a spot on a weekday after 6:00 P.M. or so. It's true that many people who park in the outdoor lots only take their cars out on the weekend. That's because Crystal Towers is across the street from the metro and many residents take the metro to work during the week and use their cars for weekend excursions. What's annoying about that? If you rely on your car to go to work and come home late regularly during the week then you need to shell out the cash for a parking space. No building in Crystal City except for River House gives free parking. So we are lucky that Crystal Towers at least offers some free spots.
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/28/2009
just for anyone who cares...crystal towers has now begun to tow cars on a regular basis that have parking stickers. the towers charge $150 to give your car back when they had no grounds to take it anyway. i know of at least 4 people that this has happened to and i dont really know many of the residents. it has gotten absolutely ridiculous and i can't wait until my lease is up. if i havent emphasized it enought DONT MOVE HERE
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/28/2009
re washers and dryers... the dryer has two (2) lint filters and both must be cleaned. the one on the door after every load, the one behind the front panel once every two weeks I do that because it gets clogged. no one told me about it but common sense said to clean it !

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates