I originally signed an 11-month lease in August 2025 for apartment #21D ($4000/month). I…read moreunfortunately had to leave my lease (without penalty) in October 2025, and moved out a month later in November. This was because one of the tenants on the A-J side of the floor would SMOKE INDOORS (marijuana, cigars, cigarettes, etc.) nearly every single day, if not multiple times a day, and the strong smoke smell would fill not only the entire hallway, but also come through the bathroom vent into my unit. I would wake up in the middle of the night from the odor and call the front desk each time to have it confirmed real-time by security/management staff. It was nauseating, frustrating, and definitely an environment I was unhappy living in.
Not only was this a breach in the Smoke-Free Rider of the lease agreement, but also violated New York habitability laws. One night it got so bad that I called 311, breaking down crying because all I could smell was pungent marijuana air in the middle of working remotely in my living room... they told me that since the smell was coming from inside another unit, I needed to contact City Tower directly, which is what I had already been doing. Despite consistently emailing management (Elvis Perashi & Liz Reynolds) for two months straight, they continued to dismiss my concerns about not having a smoke-free environment, refused to offer any alternate housing options, saying that they were "working hard to locate the source" (even though it was blatantly obvious it was coming from the neighboring unit adjacent to the bathroom vent).
They continued to brush me off, UNTIL I consulted an attorney recommended by MetLife legal insurance (lawyer immediately accepted my case because of how bad my living conditions continued to be, and I thankfully didn't have to pay anything out of pocket). That's when they FINALLY took me seriously and offered 2 alternate studio options or the ability to break my lease without penalty, which was what I had been asking for the entire time. However, at first, they not only ignored my persistent requests to switch units, but also after I finally spoke to them in-person, they stated there were only studio units available the following month, and they were unsure if I'd be allowed to switch units solely for the reason of "we don't allow downgrades, only upgrades where you pay more." Evidently, they only care about earning more money, not their tenants' quality of life.
As a non-smoker, my quality of life was negatively impacted, including an increase in headaches from secondhand smoke, as well as dreading the walk to my unit while holding my breath. Opening the window was not a comfortable solution; low evening temperatures and winds would make my unit cold at night, thus inconvenient to fall asleep. I even had to purchase an air purifier to help with the smell and attempt to preserve my health.
I should NOT have paid $4000/month plus utilities for a place that didn't immediately confront the smokers in a smoke-free building. Elvis Perashi & Liz Reynolds only sent out an email to the 21st floor 'kindly reminding' tenants about the no-smoking policy after I had complained every day for a month, and requested this email to be sent. The email was ignored and the smoking continued to come through the bathroom vent. Management eventually figured out and confirmed the source but it should NOT have taken this much time and tomfoolery. Who knows, if something like this happens again will they actually take action/provide alternate housing or let it go on for as long as possible until contacted by legal services?
I stopped by to the 18th floor leasing office in-person several times because I my emails back and forth were not resulting in any progress - I would recommend doing this if you want them to take you seriously about ANY issues. City Tower management will brush you off and delay any potential mitigations or solutions if you only contact them via email.
For the most part, tenants here are not very friendly (ESPECIALLY those on the 21st floor, they won't even acknowledge you or smile back)... there was also a minor pest issue in 21D where little black bugs would come out of the unsealed cracks in the floor/walls every week or so. When I moved in, there was also cracked appliances (refrigerator shelving) from the previous tenant, which I never bothered to bring up but it's definitely something to consider in terms of quality.
Other than that, some of the pros are the lounge area (except during winter months when all the plants outside die and the indoor area becomes crowded). Additionally, Augusto, Ed, and Daniel were standout security staff that made the few months I lived here more bearable. Overall wouldn't recommend living here; it's not worth the headache and price tag.
Protip: if you do decide to inquire with them, negotiate! They originally offered me $4050 for 1 year, and I think I could've gotten $3900 or $3950 (instead of $4000) if I kept asking.