9yr resident here. I'm preparing to move out ONLY because work's relocating me somewhere else in…read moresocal. Seriously, they're dragging me kicking and screaming out of here.
This was my first apartment after moving out of my parents' place back in 2011, so I've gone through that whole process of being a naive, fresh-out-of-college grad to status as a full fledged veteran resident right here at Oak Park. For that, this place will always occupy a soft spot in my heart.
Living somewhere for nearly an entire decade, things will fall into a state of disrepair over time, just by natural entropy. So over the past ~3 years, I've been running into random issues. Dishwasher broke down at one point, drains got clogged, leaks in the plumbing under the bathroom sink, etc.
Every single time I've ever had an issue, I've always been able to pop into Mirna's or Danielle's office, interrupt them no matter how busy they are, and quickly state the problem I'm having. They've always given me their full attention, logged the work order, scheduled the repair work on the spot, verify if I want to be present to supervise or if they have permission to perform the repair while I'm not there, and my issues get fixed within 1-2 days. Literally that same day or the very next day, even weekends. Those weirdos are here Saturday and Sunday and I've gotten my random crap fixed on weekends within a day of having something break.
So all that said, the only real minor con I have is that the smoke detectors are somewhat sensitive (I can, ahem, confirm this, cough cough, personally). I cook regularly, and I have to be pretty careful about searing steaks, for example. Come to think of it, some people might not even see that as a con, since despite an alarm going off randomly every month or so, fire department response is basically immediate and we've never had any fire related events.
On top of that, it's hard to beat the location. Oak Park is perfectly central to Downtown Monrovia. Paradis Ice Cream and various boba spots are littered just down the street. There's a public library and movie theater within easy walking distance, and it's just a nice, quaint, area overall littered with random local foodie gems. The weekly farmer's market/fair takes place right outside on the main street. It used to be really bustling before Covid19, but in recent weeks it's been substantially picking back up (if that's your thing). Right now they have mask checkpoints and designated walking lanes, but the food trucks and produce vendors and a bunch of the tents that sell various knick-knacks are trickling their way back in.
Man, typing this out, it's just reminding me how sad I am to have to leave. Like, look at my review history. This is the first positive review I've ever written. If something pisses me off, I'll say it, I'll be brutal about it, and I'll leave forever. After the ~9 years I've lived here, I can't find anything to be mad about. I'll definitely miss this place.