Review History for anonymous

Cedars Lakeside


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anonymous

Resident 2007 - 2010

8/4/2010

I recently moved out of Cedars Lakeside after living there for 2.5 years. I should say upfront that this is the only apartment I have ever lived in, so it's difficult for me to compare it to other buildings with much authority, but I'll try to make this review as objective and useful for potential apartment seekers as I can. I initially chose to live here for three reasons. 1) As soon as I walked into the lobby, it looked more like a hotel than an apartment building. (Several guests of mine made the same observation over the years.) It's very nice and open and inviting; not just a wall of mailboxes and a cramped stairwell like other, lesser, apartments I've visited. 2) The apartment itself (I had a 940 sq. ft. 1-bedroom) was very spacious, and unusually shaped. It didn't look nor did it feel like living in a box. 3) Proximity to work. And there are several freeways within a mile or so, making it easy to get out and about. Most of my experiences here were very positive. The management were always extremely nice and personable, and quick to deal with any maintenance issues I had (though I should note the previous groundskeeper moved on, and I never had any maintenance issues since then). They hold events/festivities from time to time; things like open houses with free dinners, pumpkin carving contests (with rent coupons for prizes), and other activities, which gives living there a sense of community, to a certain extent. This place is a little pricier than some others in the area, but you know that going in, and I always considered this more of a positive than a negative. These two buildings and the people within them were mostly very nice. It's a diverse place -- I think people of any racial/ethnic background would feel comfortable living here -- and without much riffraff. Frankly, there are areas in Little Canada nearby that are undoubtedly more affordable, which attract a more questionable crowd. There were a few isolated thefts here over the past few years, but never to any apartment units themselves. Storage lockers, parked cars, and the exercise rooms (two HDTVs were brazenly swiped out of them) were targeted, but I certainly never felt unsafe living here, walking the corridors, or being in the underground garage. Use common sense (e.g., don't leave any valuables in your car, even if it's parked underground) and you won't have to worry about these sorts of things. The amenities changed considerably throughout the years. Currently, there is an outdoor pool (open maybe half the year), an office, a community room, a tanning room, and a GREAT exercise room in the 2799 building. The exercise room is fairly newly remodeled, with virtually all new equipment, including two treadmills, elliptical machines, an assortment of weight machines and free weights and two televisions (mounted with security to prevent further theft!). And it's very well air-conditioned. The only downside are the hours. It was initially a 24-hour room, but apparently due to noise issues it now closes at 10:30 P.M. As a night owl, I was one of many tenants who tended to work out late at night, and this sudden, unexpected change threw a wrench into my routines... On the important issue of noise, I must reiterate my inability to draw a comparison to other apartments, but I will say that there was very little outside noise due to music/loud people in parking lots, etc. As a whole, the place seemed reasonably quiet to me. My own unit was another matter. There is no concrete between the walls, and I shared a common wall between my living room and a unit next door. The previous tenants next door had what must have been an extended family living in a single apartment, including a newborn infant that cried at all hours of the day and night, which was the bane of my existence for a time. I would try to have company over and sit in my living room and we would be constantly interrupted by this crying baby as we tried to visit (in the middle of the day, in the evening, whenever). During the summer I found that turning on the noisy fan in the wall air conditioner would effectively drown out anything -- even that terrible, screaming infant -- but during the quieter, colder months....let's just say it gave new meaning to the notion of the long Minnesota winter! I never officially complained -- what can anyone do, after all? -- and they eventually moved out and were replaced by college kids who are very quiet most of the time. On the overall, I would recommend living here for the spacious apartments, great exercise room (when it's open), and the friendly management. If you're looking for an apartment in this Northeast part of the suburbs, this is probably a step above the rest. If on the other hand you're new to the Twin Cities, I cannot in good faith recommend Little Canada as a city. Parts of it are very nice, but Rice St. is pretty dreary. Especially if you're younger and still enjoy going out, there is very little that this area has going for it. But if the location works for you, then check Cedars Lakeside out.

    Review 39 out of 59

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