Review for Chilton Towers Apartments

Pros: The apartments themselves are nice. The elevators are speedy (there are 3, and they are always distributed evenly among the 15 floors so that it takes no time for one to get to you no matter where you are). Maintenance is responsive. Building staff are extremely pleasant and helpful. All untilities are included in the rent. Amazing insulation (noise stays out, heat stays in). Very sturdy building construction (you don't feel like you're disturbing your neighbors below when you walk). Grounds are well-kept (clean and landscaped). Bus stop right out front. There is a little store 1 block from the building in case you need something little like milk or paper towels (cash only). Wide variety of choices for food delivery (not just pizza and chinese). Residents are mostly very friendly but always courteous.

Cons: The neighborhood is a little scary, but I have never had any problems (although I see A LOT of broken glass on the streets, so cars are clearly broken into with relative frequency). Parking sucks. No garbage disposals in the kitchen sinks (boo). Water pressure sucks. Water temperature sucks (worse than bad hotels). Climate control is impossible (building staff controls whether you get heat or a/c out of your vents, and the a/c is not even remotely close to cool). Package pick-up is difficult, because the office is open during the same hours that most people work. The cable in the area sucks, and you can't put up a satellite dish. Don't even think about sleeping peacefully with your windows open unless you are one of the lucky ones who goes comatose when you sleep (where exactly are these hundreds of dogs that howl in unison at ridiculous hours - I never see them in the daylight; and the train...oh, the train; and the police sirens...ugh; and the loud stereos and exhausts from the...diverse...eh hemmm...residents of Elizabeth). Did I mention that parking sucks (you do have one assigned spot, but if someone comes to visit you or you have more than one car, forget it)?

FYI: At morning and evening rush hour, the 112 bus (which stops in front of the building) takes a little over an hour to get to and from NYC Port Authority. The train is a much nicer/quicker ride, but, again, the station is too far away and located in the worst part of Elizabeth possible. I definitely don't feel safe in the part of town where the train station is located. Fortunately, Chilton Towers is a considerable distance from that area.

One more thing about the neighborhood, since that is most people's biggest complaint about this place. If you simply go directly to and from your car, and you mind your own business, the area is not a problem. I can't promise you won't get your car broken into, but that's what insurance is for. This may not be the best place for kids if you don't want to drive them somewhere to play outside, but it is perfect for a single professional or young couple that want to be close-ish to the city without paying the big city prices. To put this into perspective...I am as white as the driven snow (Irish, to be exact), and I grew up in an extremely white, affluent suburb in the midwest; clearly, if anybody is going to be (or feel) unsafe in this area it's me. As such, if I am not afraid to live in this area (which I'm not), then you shouldn't be either.