I lived in Halstead for over three years, and if I hadn't needed to move out for my own personal…read morereasons I probably would still be there to be honest. For reference, I lived in Lotus; I don't have experience in the Lofts.
Let's start with the pros of this place:
- Really convenient access to the metro! It's like a 8 min walk to Dunn Loring Metro, and a 20 min Metro ride (not counting waiting, but that's not Halstead's fault!) into DC itself.
- Really close to Mosaic, which has so many good restaurants and places to shop that even though I moved away I'm still finding myself back there on occasion.
- It's within walking distance of a Harris Teeter grocery store. I didn't think I'd miss Teeter but I live near a Whole Foods now. I miss Teeter.
- It's pretty quiet! You can't hear too much around you. Then again, I absolutely lucked out on my apartment being right next to the elevator. It's the little things, really.
- There's a lot of good restaurants around within walking distance. Special shoutout to Jinya, Kiin Imm Thai, a new Shake Shack coming in, Pasty Xpo, and others I completely forget about but I'm sure they're good too and I'm sure I enjoyed eating them. Oh Colada Shop! Yeah that's a great place to have a good coffee and some empanadas.
- The apartments are great. They're spacious, roomy and you can fit a LOT in there. Mine had a fantastic view of Mosaic, and I kind of miss it, since I'm now staring into an office building. I'm sure the people on the other side aren't thrilled at seeing me either, but thems the breaks.
- The Playland is great if you want to grill, chill or just soak up some sun.
- The staff is spectacular. Special shout-outs to Jasmine, Ann, and Beth, three of the best concierges whom I do miss deeply. They made my life so much more enjoyable, and they're such nice people and great to talk to. The fact they put up with me is a testament to their patience and kindness.
- Though I hadn't gone to the gym or the basketball court since the world turned upside down, in the Before Times I quite enjoyed them. It was kind of fun to play hoops even though my coordination is that of an infant.
- The maintenance team is top notch! They're very responsive and very nice.
- When I had a slight dispute with my move-out (nothing major, so don't worry), the staff was courteous and the issue was resolved promptly. The leasing staff is very nice, though there's been turnover since I've been there so I never got to know them well enough. It happens in this industry and is pretty normal; it's not anything to worry about.
So that's the good part. However, I do feel compelled to warn people about one particular aspect of this place, and that's the elevators.
If I was given the ability to go back in time and change two things from the past, it's a pretty easy answer for me. First, I would kill Hitler before he could cause catastrophic damage (because come on, this is a layup and so much good would come from that) and I would fail the designers of this place in school so they never get their architecture license or whatever and watch their dreams crushed before my eyes. Whoever thought that it would be good to design a place that has ONLY two elevators for ~250 units, and one of them be the service elevator, which is frequently locked down for move-ins and move outs, was truly galaxy-brained. What this means is that only one elevator will be operational for the entire building at times.
None of this is the current staff's fault; they didn't do anything to design this abomination. But it's something to keep in mind because you're gonna be waiting on weekends to go downstairs unless you take the stairs. God help you if you're on 6. Though I will say you'll get some really nice muscle definition and endurance training if you choose to walk up and down the stairs!
But even with that, I would recommend leasing here. From the location to the staff to the myriad of things to do around there, it's really a wonderful place to be. I made a lot of memories there, and you can too. Trust me. Would a guy with a Bob Vila avatar lie? Absolutely not. So go! Rent here!
Seriously I'm not kidding you should. Thanks for the memories, Halstead. I'll always treasure them.