I've only been at Potomac Towers 2 weeks, so maybe I'm not in the position to give a fair assessment yet. But here is what I think so far:

I have a studio (paying $1090/month with all utilities included), and it's quite spacious and attractive. It's L-shaped with a dining area, so it doesn't feel like you're trapped in a single room. There's lots of closet space. The oak parquet floors are gorgeous (I hate carpeting!) and I have a huge window with a wide windowsill-- perfect for plants.

My view overlooks the pool, and while I'm sure the pool won't be as nice to look at in the winter, I'm also looking at a large expanse of trees in the background. It's so nice to see all that green! Far in the background I can also see Georgetown and the National Catherdral, which is a neat thing to point out to guests.

My kitchen is small, but I'm really into cooking and I haven't found the size a problem yet. Despite its small size, there are plenty of cabinets and it doesn't feel cramped at all. More counter space would be nice, but I have a kitchen table so it's not a big deal. I think the 1 and 2 bedroom units have bigger kitchens with more counter space. The kitchen has a gas range, which is so much better than electric in my experience. No dishwasher unless you get a 2-bedroom unit, but I think a dishwasher is excessive for a single person anyway.

There are card-operated laundry facilities on each floor-- I did my laundry today and they were the first dryers ever to get my clothes completely dry the first time. The parking is great-- there's a huge lot with free parking for residents (you get a decal) and for guests (you can ask for guest permits). There is usually some free parking on North Adams Street as well.

Other facilities include a pool, gym, convenience store, and hair/nail salon. I've only used the pool once so far, but it was really nice. The gym is small but does the job. I always wonder who uses the hair salons in these apartment buildings, but I guess someone does. I think there's dry cleaning too.

The front desk is staffed 24 hours, and I feel safe as a young single girl in the building. The management and staff seems nice so far-- they were very accomodating when my move in was running late. There seems to be a lot of different people living in the building, everything from young professionals to couples with young children to the elderly. The area seems pretty safe-- it's in a residential area a few blocks away from the action on Wilson Boulevard. If you're not familliar with the Courthouse area, it's a great place to live, especially if you're young. There are lots of resturants, stores, and bars/clubs a short walk away.

The area (Courthouse) is convenient to everything. It's about a 5 minute drive to DC, and it's very close to Lee Highway, George Washington Parkway, 66, Wilson Boulevard, 395, and 50. The metro is pretty close, too. It's about an 8 minute walk away, though it involves crossing Lee Highway which can be scary. It's the ideal location for someone who has a car but sometimes likes to take the metro or walk somewhere. There's a Giant a few blocks down Lee Highway, and a cute little Italian grocery next to it. There's also a very nice Whole Foods on Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon that you could walk to. Still, if you're relying heavily on the metro and having stores in walking distance, I'd recommend the River House apartments in Pentagon City instead.

Overall, I think Potomac Towers is a really good deal for the area. I did a lot of shopping around before I settled on Potomac Towers, and I don't doubt that I made the right choice. I'll update this review if anything changes during my time here.

Update 8/19: I have been having some bug problems. Although the windows have screens, there are gaps in between the screen and the window. I had my windows open one night and a million bugs got in that way. Fortunately they're harmless little things that just fly around the lights. They don't bite or get into food so they haven't been bothering me much. I've been spraying Raid all over the place and I'm not going to open my windows until the fall.

Some more positive things-- from the parking lot you can hop on the Custis Trail which makes it easy to bike or jog to the Key Bridge, where it links up with the Mount Vernon Trail. The Mount Vernon trail is great and from it you can get to Theodore Roosevelt island in just a few minutes.

I also wanted to mention that I NEVER hear my neighbors. Maybe they're just quiet people, but I'm inclined to think the apartments here have good soundproofing because I've had people over late with music blasting and no one has complained.

User Responses
From: ray99	Date: 08/15/2006
Thanks for the detailed review. Would really appreciate if someone also posted whether there was any baby sitter in the building who could take care of my child for 2 hours once she returns from school.
From: engineer_chick	Date: 08/19/2006
I don't know anything about babysitters, but there's always people at the pool with babies or young children. Maybe one of them is a stay at home parent and could watch your daughter. There's also quite a few retired residents who might like having a little kid around.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/17/2007
I live on the 4th floor...it's a nice building. I've had a handful of minor issues, but nothing that would cause me to not recommend the place. It's getting a little pricey as each year passes, but overall it's a nice place. Can't beat walking a few blocks to Courthouse Metro. - a software engineer!

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