I've lived in this building for almost…
I've lived in this building for almost three years, and while there are a few positives, there are also many significant issues. Here's a breakdown:
Good Things:
1. The building itself is beautiful.
2. The gym is well-designed and visually appealing.
3. The lounge is nice.
4. The lobby is very welcoming.
5. The best staff members are Ray and Katherine.
6. The pool is amazing.
7. The rooftop is stunning, but the $3,500 cost is excessive, especially considering the restrictions on the number of guests you can bring. They've started charging to keep Section 8 residents out, which I understand, but I believe only non-Section 8 residents should have access to the rooftop.
8. The building is pet-friendly.
Bad Things:
1. There are many Section 8 and housing residents paying very low rent. Unfortunately, some of them appear unkempt, and it's concerning to see people who seem out of place in a luxury building. This creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for those paying higher rents.
2. Police are frequently called to the building due to incidents involving lower-rent tenants, which is unsettling.
3. The front desk often allows people up without notifying you, posing a potential security risk.
4. The washers and dryers are low-quality and can damage your clothes. For a luxury building, the appliances are disappointingly subpar.
5. The walls are thin, so you can hear everything your neighbors are doing, including arguments and intimate moments.
6. Many floors smell strongly of cigarettes and weed.
7. When moving in, you must pay a $1,500 deposit to hold the elevator, and you only get four hours to move everything in.
8. Expect to be charged $1,000 for any furniture delivery. I was charged this amount just for having new sofas delivered.
9. There's a $500-$1,000 fee for disposing of old furniture.
10. The elevators frequently break down.
11. The building's exterior windows are often dirty, and they're only cleaned once or twice a year.
12. The dishwasher is terrible.
13. Door handles break often due to the cheap materials used throughout the apartments. The appliances and hardware are not built to last.
14. The new management is awful--unresponsive, rude, and unreliable. The management changes frequently, but the current team is particularly bad, especially Ana Cuellar and Jeanette Hiciano, who should be replaced immediately.
15. The staff is generally rude and unhelpful.
16. There have been incidents of package theft, and the package system is disorganized, with packages frequently lost or misdelivered.
17. Getting your security deposit back is unlikely.
18. The gym membership costs almost $200 per month, which is outrageous given that it's only open to residents and lacks many essential machines. The gym is mainly useful for taking photos and videos, but it's too small to justify the cost. I paid for it for nearly two years and hardly used it--what a waste of money.
19. Staff turnover is high because the management rarely hires good people, and when they do, they don't last long. The best employee they had, Hollywood, was fired despite being the best they had.
20. You have to go downstairs to get food deliveries, which is inconvenient, and sometimes your food gets stolen because the front desk doesn't always notify you when it arrives.
21. The lights frequently go out because they're cheap.
22. Rent increases every year by $500 to over $1,000.
23. The living rooms are small, even in the three-bedroom apartments. Only the penthouses have large living rooms, and they're only available in the West Tower. For $17,000 per month for an 1,800 sq ft three-bedroom apartment, the design is lackluster, and the living space is not worth the price considering all the issues in the building.
24. There are no Christmas decorations or lights, while the building across the street is beautifully decorated.
Overall, living in this building is more of a headache than it's worth. If you want a truly luxurious experience, avoid this building and consider 50 UN, 50 West, or 53 West 53. I'm now living at 50 West, and it's a much better experience.