Review for Charles River Park Apartments

I moved into 1 Emerson Place in August. Here is my review divided into categories:

NOISE
When shown the apartment by a member of the leasing staff, she assured me that the walls are concrete and that very little can be heard of nearby neighbors. This is NOT true. I can hear the alarm and radio of the person in the apartment next to me. I can hear people slamming doors. I can hear people dumping their garbage in the garbage room. I can hear the dinging of the elevators. I can hear vacuuming of the hallways. I can hear the TV and the conversations of the people across the hall from me. I once heard a lady arguing with somebody in Spanish through the vents in my kitchen. I hear the helicopters landing on the MGH helipad. I can hear the person above me walking around and dropping things.
There is and will be construction going on of 3(?) new buildings. I think one is supposed to be completed by the end of September, the other the end of December and the third in May of 2008. The leasing staff told me that there will only be noise from 8am until 5pm on weekdays and occasional late work, as well as occasional work on Saturdays (quiet work, she assured me). Well, it turns out that the work starts as early as 6am on weekdays. The crashing and banging is not what bothers me but the CONSTANT sound of trucks backing up (beep..beep..beep..beep). In addition, when it's windy and I'm walking on the property grounds, I get a dust storm in my eyes because of the construction.
The management does post construction bulletin updates in the elevators of my building every week, which is nice (the expected noise level has never gone over medium since I've moved in). To make up for the construction noise and inconvenience, we get free breakfast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It consists of bagels, cream cheese, croissants, muffins, coffee, and tea. However, if you get there after 8am, only coffee and tea are left (why don't they refill it for the later risers??). I know that when the construction is completed (May 08?) the property will be beautiful and a pleasure to live on, but it's pretty lousy to live through.

PETS
Only cats are allowed in my building. Frankly, I'm glad about that (I have a cat). Dogs (even nice and small ones) bark. Since pretty much everything can be heard through the walls, it's a GREAT thing that dogs are not allowed. The day I moved in I think the people across from me were dog-sitting and I heard dog barking at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully, the next day the dog was no longer there.

SMOKING
Smoking is allowed in your apartment. This would be fine and dandy, but the smell and smoke leaks into other apartments and causes them to reek! When anyone smokes in an apartment adjacent to you, you will smell the smoke. It seems that somebody (I’m not sure who) is smoking pretty frequently and at least once a day I smell smoke. I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and it makes me cough and nauseous. My cat even starts to cough and sneeze (she normally doesn't).

POPULATION
From what I can tell, the population of my building varies from Massachusetts General Hospital staff to families to young couples to old couples and young/middle aged singles to college/grad students. It seems that so far everybody is nice. The lobby of the apartment is beautiful and modern with a flat screen TV and comfy chairs. The only weird thing about it is that these sketchy guys can usually be found sitting in there at all hours of the day, just watching TV. I think they may be maintenance workers or friends of the concierge. It's kinda creepy.

AMENITIES
Residents of Emerson Place, I believe, are treated like second-class citizens. The residents of Longfellow apartments get the fitness facilities, basketball courts, tennis courts and pool access all included in their rent. Emerson residents have to pay EXTRA for these things. I understand that the rent in our buildings is slightly less expensive, but come on! We're residents of Charles River Park too and our rent isn't cheap!! The apartment I'm living in now is about $2100 per month. One bedroom apartments in Longfellow were offered to me at $2300 and $2400 per month. That's really not THAT much of a difference to warrant free amenities!

THE UNIT
I actually really love my apartment. It's a 1 Bedroom and it's HUGE. Something like 830 sq ft. The living/dining room area is huge. The kitchen is brand new with modern appliances, granite countertops and enough space to prepare great meals. There is a ton of cabinet space (some of mine are empty!). Closet space is also aplenty. There are two entryway closets as well as a walk-in closet across from my bedroom and a nice-sized closet in my bedroom. I have more storage space than I can ever ask for. I also really like the enclosed porch/alcove area. I've made it into an office and put my bookcases and desk in it. It's also nice having large A/C and heating units in the living room and bedroom provide ample cold/hot air. I am told that the power they run on is included and not a part of my electric bill.

NEIGHBORHOOD
The neighborhood is perfect for me. The Charles River Park community is complete with a convenience store/deli/liquor store/bakery (J. Pace and Son), a nail salon, temple, church, walking paths, parking lot (I don't have a car so I can't comment on the parking costs/situation), fitness club, pool and cabanas, spa, and a children's playground. We are right next to the Charles River Plaza shopping center which includes Whole Foods, CVS, Bank of America, and Cold Stone Creamery. The complex is within short walking distance to the Green (Science Park), Orange (North Station), Blue (Bowdoin or Government Center) and Red (Charles/MGH) T lines. There is also a free shuttle from Emerson Place to the entrance to Charles River Park on Staniford Street that runs until 10pm. Charles River Park is short walking distance to Beacon Hill, North End, Government Center, Back Bay, Charlestown and Kendall Square neighborhoods.

If allowed, I'll update my review as things change.