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Ups & Downs, but still a great deal!
From:
forkliftdriver
Date posted:
6/15/2008
Years at this apartment:
2007
-
2008
I lived here when it was Grosvenor House (it wasn't just old people then) and moved back when Archstone bought the building, I'm a 39 year old guy and single. Overall, this is a fantastic place to live and I'd highly recommend it, but unless your living in Buckingham Palace there is always room for improvement.
The Laundry: I agree with the other reviewers, the laundry room is detestable! Lint traps are never cleaned, some machines are obviously on their last leg. The biggest problem are the people that come in and use five machines at once and then leave to go out to dinner. I find myself putting off laundry until its an absolute necessity and then I can only do it late on Saturday nights. There are also some creepies in there during the day, some of them don't even look like they live here, possibly street people that know someone here; bottom line, this laundry is not worthy of a 5 star luxury highrise, something needs to be done at once! Note: there are no laundry connections in the units, this website will not let me deselect it.
The Views: Spectacular! But gone are the days when the Grosvenor House was the only highrise in Belltown with 180 degree views of the sound. My Cascade Mountain view is shrinking by the day and eventually it will disappear completely. The southern downtown view is most threatened due to the office tower that will supposedly go up on the 5th/6th Battery/Bell block.
Location: Superb! I can't think of anywhere better, Belltown is truly a happening neighborhood now and I've been in the regrade since it was a drug infested ghetto. It is in good proximity to any downtown district, I especially like it that I can walk home with ease from the Capital Hill club district.
The residents: I prefer the original diverse mix that had everything from fratboys to artists, men and women of all ages, blue collar and white collar....it was a good mix. But since Archstone favors yuppies and well-to-do corporate types as opposed to college students and has raised the rents to reflect this, the atmosphere has become stuffy and less friendly. Sure, there have been fewer late night parties, but I miss the youthful vigor and friendly demeanor of the twenty-something crowd. I wish Archstone would have a barbecue or other social events to encourage some bonding. There have been two morning coffee events but since I work in a trade, I had to leave for work long before the 7:00 start time.
Noise: This apartment building is one of the few that are condo-style in nature with concrete flooring from lobby to roof. It brings down insurance rates and compared to other buildings, noise is at a minimum. However, the doors to the apartments are designed to slam shut and nobody in this building seems to have learned how to quietly close their doors, the sound is deafening and if your a light sleeper like me you will have problems! This issue alone almost trumps the benefits provided by the concrete flooring. You can hear the doors slamming 3 doors down and if your next to a stairwell, stock up on the strongest ear plugs you can buy! I stuff a thick piece of cardboard between the door and the frame and I keep two fans going to sound out the white noise, I can still hear the slamming but at least my wall won't vibrate in symphony with the rest of them. Bathrooms are always noisey thanks to porcelain and water being great conductors of sound. I've never lived anywhere where distant flushing and other "noises" could not be heard. I have found taping over the vent (which appears to have no purpose outside of funneling odors and noises into your space) with a piece of cardboard cuts down on this issue considerably.
Maintenance: I've had few issues with my unit but when I did they were extremely prompt in fixing them and arrived within an hour. Travis and Drew are competent and friendly young repairmen and always courteous when I've met them in an elevator or hallway. The grounds people are also friendly and always smile or ask how my day is going.
The office: Excellent! They have been quick to address issues like the resident on my floor that allowed her dog to run up/down the halls without a leash. Anyone that complains about the leash rule has no idea what it is like to encounter somebodies filthy slobbering mutt outside their apartment door. Kudos to the recently implemented package retrieval system. I no longer feel like I'm bothering someone when I need something out of the package room. I also no longer worry about another resident "claiming" my package.
Concierge: the "house detective" snoop must have departed because never have I felt like I was being watched or that my privacy was being invaded, no comments have ever been made about my parcels I was picking up, my dates for the evening or my redneck heavily tattooed appearance.
Parking: Total nightmare and I'm glad I sold my car. But I do want to comment on a few things. The parking spaces are so tiny that anyone that is horizontally challenged will have a heck of a time getting in/out of their vehicles. I'm a lean athletic guy and I still had to climb over to the passenger door to get out, assuming nobody was parked next to me. I hate it that this garage is not for the exclusive use of the residents, I fail to see why it should be open to the public. No unit in this building can be had for under 1000 bucks, it should at least come with one free parking stall.
Conclusion: I love it here. I feel safe. There has been an occasional (once since I've been here) robbery...nothing like you see in the suburban apartment communities. Its clean, no bugs whatsoever! Yes the building is old and if brown water coming out of the faucet horrifies you, then it might not be the building for you, it all boils down to what you can live with vs. what you can't.
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