4801 Connecticut Avenue NW

I had a terrible experience with the staff when I lived here from June-​September 2012… to the point that I couldn’t wait to move out.
I was in a 2-​bedroom apartment, which was nice. Hardwood floors, spacious rooms and a small, but suitable kitchen. The gym was small but functional (with the exception of the treadmill, which was broken most of the summer), and I enjoyed the rooftop deck. The apartment was also affordable for the area, though a 10 – 12 minute walk to the metro.
HOWEVER, no matter how suitable I found the apartment itself, the staff made it hard to bear. The women who work behind the 24-​hour desk were always curt with me in my interactions, from asking for packages to asking about the loading dock. I don’t think that I am a particularly offensive person, so I never understood why they were so unpleasant. Rolling eyes when I ask for help? No thank you.
The manager, Mr. Forte, was especially rude when I needed his help to procure loading dock time. He was completely inflexible on the issue– power hungry if you ask me– and refused to help me find a time to move out the few items in my apartment. Instead of working with his tenant to find a solution to my issue, the man maintained a «there’s nothing I can do about it. rules are rules» attitude. He was so curt and offensive in his interaction that he made me cry. TWICE. That’s just not the way to do business or to handle customer service.
If you can find a way to avoid the staff at all costs (and close your eyes when you walk through the ugly lobby), the apartment itself is fine. But if customer service means anything to you, I’d look for other options.

I’ve lived here for over a year. It’s fine. Nothing special. It’s a solid deal for the price. Wish it were a bit closer to the metro (about a 10 – 12 minute walk). But there’s a lot of stuff around here. The only thing really missing is a neighborhood bar.

I am a current resident – I have lived here for about 5 months.
I heard about this place through a friend of a friend, and she seemed pretty happy with it, so on a whim, I called them. Out of the 6 apartment buildings I called to arrange a visit, this place was the only complex that called me back. So, they got major points there. (I called another place THREE times with no call back!)
I am renting a studio-​style apartment, but it feels a lot bigger. The kitchen is closed into it’s own separate room, as well as the bathroom and a ‘dressing room’ which is even bigger than the kitchen. I do not have a bedroom, but rather one central room. There is not a lot of space, but its better than some studios in dc. I would NOT recommend two people sharing a studio, definitely a one person setup. There are 5 windows, one in the kitchen, one in the shower (perfect for you exhibitionists out there), and three in a row in the main room. Very cute rooms – black and white tile squares in the kitchen, new wood floor (at least in my apartment), and LOTS of closet space and cabinets.
Anyway, as with any apartment renting situation, I was afraid of getting into something that I wouldn’t be happy with. My biggest fear was having a roach/​mice problem. Rest assured, no roaches, no mice. The only bugs I have were on my first week of renting out the room– I had a bunch of nats! Not sure what that was about– they were all super-​impaired nats too, they wouldn’t really fly, sort of like they were all half alive. I know my room was freshly painted, and on my visit the windows were open to get the fumes out, so I assume the nats came in and then they sprayed for bugs? Either way, they were weird, but they all died out after a week. I’m just glad I don’t have roaches– and I am a messy person. I leave dirty dishes out longer than I should, and so far so good.
The community atmosphere is nice, everyone says hello on the elevators, and I have had small talk with neighbors on my floor. Everyone has cats (very cat friendly building). I have never seen anyone under the age of 20 in the building– definitely a 20s, 30s, and 40s crowd. Very quiet, I never hear anyone above or below me– only people in the hallways if they are talking loudly.
They have a basement laundry room, with several washers and driers. If you don’t do laundry on a sunday or monday night, you are usually guaranteed that one will be available. They also have a bill-​to-​quarters machine here, which I love.
Exercise room available, never used it. But it’s there. :)
Roof top deck, which I use to impress my guests. There’s nothing better than opening a bottle of wine and then saying, «lets go upstairs to the roof and drink it up there!”– They have little tables and lawn chairs for sun bathing up there– as well as a hot tub. However, I wouldn’t recommend the hot tub. I have never seen anyone remove the cover, so I assume that also means it is not cleaned much!
They have 24 hour security cameras/​front desk service. Which, the people at the front desk are all extremely nice and chatty. I have never felt unsafe here, its nice to see the cameras all around.
Okay, time for my complaints:
–The walk from the metro is pretty long, even though it is only 6 blocks. Takes about 10 – 15 minutes, and on a cold day, that seems like forever! I don’t have a car, so I try to consider it my forced exercise. There is a bus stop right outside for people who are into riding the bus.
–They turned the heat on a little early (Oct 15^th)– I have had to keep my air off and open the windows for cool air on the random hot fall days.
–The service elevator (the one you are supposed to ride in when you have laundry and trash) STINKS. Like. Badly. I always break the rule and use the other elevators because I cannot hold my breath that long.
–Internet is very slow. Its cheapish and convenient (20 dollars a month with rent) so it’s hard not to pay it.
–My boyfriend had his car broken into (he was parked right outside). This is a safer area of DC, but I guess it’s still DC. There is parking available underneath the building, but its expensive. I’d recommend it though if you have a car!
–While I have never seen any roaches inside, I have seen some OUTSIDE on the sidewalk. How do they keep them from coming inside?! It worries me. Same goes for mice, I have never seen them directly outside of my building, but I have seen THREE mice outside in front of 4607 and 4601 apartments two blocks down. Soooo yeah, I won’t be trying to live there anytime soon!
–Besides the lobby floor that has been decorated and wallpapered, all the other floor hallways are pretty ugly. :)
As you can see, my complaints aren’t too bad. Overall, I have been really happy with my apartment– it’s pest free and safe. If the rent was a little lower I’d be really happy (1100 per month for a studio)– but from what I can tell, thats a good deal for around here. Definitely a good place to start out or live on your own.