Review for Crystal Square Apartments

I moved here almost a year ago...When I moved in there were three working elevators. For a short time there were four that worked. Since last December (or so) there have only been two working elevators. The wait for one can become quite long. The repair date of the these elevators keeps changing...(this is being written in May, 2008) Maybe by summer, or Christmas. Management doesn't care.

The garage is under the building and is run by PMI...there are whole colonies of birds living there (hence brid crap on your car if you don't learn which spaces have nests above).
The garage is nicely illuminated, but very dirty. Tennents throw trash and automotive debris around...like the used battery that has been on G2 since I moved in here.
If you are lucky enough to get a space (random & unassigned) on G2 you may easily unload your groceries (if you have a cart, or can find a big one in the garage somewhere) Otherwise you park on G3 & G4, which have stairs to the elevator...not conducive to carring a carton of water and a few bags of food.
Walls are not bad at noise abatement, but you can hear above/below noise very easily. This is attributed to being a "quirk" of a building built in the late 1970's. When some rude joker decides to serenade the world with his taste in music at four AM, it gets more like a tennement in NYC...and the desk (under new management) won't even try to help...

Speaking of management...plainly put, they are AWFUL. The previous team (from another company) was great IMO...the new people are rude, unhelpful and endlessly looking for new ways to make money...like $5 for a visitors parking pass (there are about eight visitors spaces in the garage) that MUST be paid by check...even charging for it is infathomable.
Our illustrious "ass't manager" has all of four years experience in the field and seems to have a bad day ten days a week. Bainbridge is the company managing us, and they are the worst...ever. They took over several months ago...(none of the tennents were informed until we all saw new faces at the desk) The actual people on the desk are nice...as are the maint guys...it is the management (as if they know the meaning of the word) who make it nasty to live here.
RENT...was moderate but now we are all informed that we will get a minimum increase of supposedly 8% this summer...(what they showed me is much higher than 8%.)

Apartments...My apartment is OK...but the back side of the building (facing the Potomac) also faces a cursed RAILROAD track...and there are one heck of a lot of trains on it...during the day they sound the horns, some with great abandon...recently, due to complaints, they no longer do so at night (nothing like a series of blasts on those horns at three AM to make sleep an unhappy proposition.) However, screeching trains brakes all night can make anyone cranky.
The other side of the building faces Route1/Davis Hwy...which is loud from the traffic...Which is better, sans view, then the trains and airport...the windows are pretty good about noise, but some days you just want to open your window...I once lived above Fifth Ave in NYC...IT was quieter!

AS apartments turn over they are being rehabbed with new kitchens and washers & dryers...the lobby is next (the halls were done last year)...so...noise will be an issue there too...one on my floor was rehabbed this week...I realize that they need the work...but between frequent water shuts offs (for the w/d installation) and the paint/carpet smells (never heard of "non-toxic" around here), it has been a bad week...and the hammering is incessant.

Crystal City Underground...THIS is the best reason to live here...Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts/a florist/harwarstore/shoeshine et al plus Rite Aid/Mortons/several deli's/valet/MDS&DDS etc all in this building...much less what is within secured walking distance...like Metro and many other shops etc. That is the high point. There is a massive outdoor pool, which is nice...although rather heavy (understandably) in chlorine.

In recent weeks I have informally surveyed several other tennents...of about eighteen I asked, twelve are planning to move this summer when the leases expire. Two will stay (financial reasons) and the remaining four all moved here since Jan and cannot yet leave, but all four want too!
Even several folks who work within a block or two and walk to work are planning to leave Crystal Square...that alone is worth noting.
IN SUM...I guess you could do worse....but if I were a perspective tennent, I'd look elsewhere...my apartment will be open in July...if you are a glutton for punishment.