I have a lot of rambling thoughts here but here they are.
I lived in the Duchess for 13 months; from August '20 to September '21. I had a one bedroom on the 12th floor.
Overall, my stay at the Duchess was favorable. I would have stayed longer except that my project ended and I needed to leave. Incidentally, had I renewed, the rent was $600/month more than when I originally paid ($3,100 now). But ultimately, price wasn't the reason I left; I had no reason to be in NJ anymore.
I never used any of the amenities except the community printer on floor 3 (which you pay for but the cost is negligible). The pool always was well maintained but I would never use it (as I preferred to avoid the residents).
The staff was excellent, especially the concierges like Nicki and Javier, who are quality people. For example, an adjacent vacant unit had a bad battery in the smoke detector, and Nicki changed it for me at midnight on a Sunday.
The Duchess went through 3 GMs since I joined, the latest was Felicia who is strict but very fair. She is super responsive and gets things done. Her assistant is Benedicta, who is a sweet lady and is also responsive via email almost 24x7.
The Duchess has three unique features that I couldn't find elsewhere. First, there is a drinking-water filter tap in each kitchen. It's absolutely great to have filtered water all the time. It also has free-standing showers (which is great if you are a shower person). And last, it has an in-building parking garage for $200/month (which is a fair price). Before I forget, there was good water pressure on the 12th floor.
The Worst part about the Duchess was the tenants and their pets.
A good portion of the tenants are professionals with solid careers and etiquette. But the building also has a mix of unsavory actors. Young and arrogant people with their parent's money, or money from sources that I could not determine. They likely could afford to live in NYC, but I'm guessing they stay in the Duchess so they can have a car and larger apartment.
These bad actors people didn't wear there masks in the elevator (prevaccine and with Covid spreading in the building). Some of them wouldn't say hi, hold a door, or had any manners at all. They really brought down my satisfaction with the building.
The garage regularly had a smell of weed in the evening. And there was dog poo and pee daily in the garage and parking lot. Literally, every morning, someone with a small dog would leave dog poo behind my car. Was it deliberate? Probably.
More about the parking lot. Many of the Duchess tenants have fancy cars, like Rolls Royces, Lamborghinis, and Bentleys. Frankly, if they can spend that much money on a car, I have no idea why they live in rental-only building.
I gave four stars (versus 3) because of the staff who really try hard. Sadly, it's the tenants that plague this rental-only building. If I had the money and did it again, I would rent a condo in a very strict community with harsh rules. But if not, the Duchess is something I wouldn't love, but could accept.
Btw, I should add, I almost rented at the Modern prior to the Duchess, and the tenant community there is far worse.
Finally, I just might be an annoying neighbor with unrealistic standards. But that's my opinion. read more