Apartment Review for Riverhouse - Arlington, VA

Ok, I'll let you know first off that this is going to be a raving review. I've lived in 10 apartments across 3 states (CA, NY & VA) from my college days through to today, and where I am currently living is far and away the best experience I've ever had in an apartment. I'll list what I deem some of what makes Riverhouse great: 1) One block from the DC Metro. 2) Huge apartments. Newer buildings tend to pack in the units. This building was built back when hallways and apartments were more spacious. They also do a great job keeping with the upkeep (new carpets/windows 2004/2005) so that it all looks current. Also, the windows are Huge and you can open over half of the window coverage area. 3) Large pool. Many apartments have pools, but they can get crowded. There are 2 pools and one of them is huge with lifeguards on duty every weekend. 4) Large gym. Now the gym is not as large as the new Bally's across the street, but it's the largest and nicest gym I've seen in an apartment. 5) Front desk staff on 24/7 & repair people living on the premises. We had a faucet break at 5pm on a Sunday evening, and had the repair guy in our place by 6pm repairing it. I don't know if this is the norm, but I was impressed. 6) Eats - Food. I already mentioned the metro being close, but how about 15+ places to eat across the street in Pentagon Row, and that's not counting all the places to eat in the Pentagon City Mall (we don't eat in the mall often - who does, it's a mall - but we often eat at Pentagon Row across the street.) Pentagon Row offers everything from Starbucks to Irish Pub to Sports Bar to Wolfgang Puck to multiple ethnic cuisines. 7) Shopping. While this isn't often a priority in choosing apartments, at least for me it isn't, having an Eckard and a Harris Teeter (high end supermarket) in the next block is as convenient as heck. I actually walk to the store to get milk or other stuff instead of driving. That's a change from CA. As for other types of shopping, there's a huge shopping mall anchored with a Macy's and Nordstroms a block away, not to mention the Best Buy, Borders and Costco 2 blocks away. 8) Reasonable Rents - I'm not claiming rents in Arlington are cheap - they aren't. But because Riverhouse has 3 large buildings in the complex with probably 1200+ units they are constantly under pressure to keep renting them as people move out. Even with the normal apartment turnover (my guess is 20% turnover a year) they would have to rent 20+ units a month just to keep up. You can't charge market rents and keep that many people coming through, so they have to reduce the rents a bit to draw that many people in the door. For comparison sake, check out the apartments across the street which rent for 60-70% more. Yes, they are brand new and nicer, but they are also much smaller for a lot more money. As I said before, Riverhouse isn't cheap; it's what I would consider a bargain for the features and location. 9) Security - Many buildings have security. I'm talking secure access points, 24/7 front desk staff, etc. But this is the first apartment that has it's own security staff driving around the premises. While security isn't a priority for me myself, being married, it adds to my piece of mind seeing the security people driving around the buildings in their little green Neon's all night, every night. 10) Location, location, location  While the apartment is in Virginia, I can make it from my front door to the Lincoln Memorial or Washington Monument in under 7 mins tops. The location is probably 5 minutes from the 66 freeway and 3 blocks from the 395 freeway. An additional benefit to living here which people may or may not find relevant is that Virginias state income tax is ? that of Washington DC. So while were living 5-10 mins from the city, we save thousands on my tax bill. . 10) A bunch of misc. little things. Every Monday morning the management provides free coffee and donuts in the lobby. They have a book exchange every month. They have a drycleaner in the basement run by an incredibly sweet woman. They have catered parties & bar-b-q's either in the lobby or in big tents outside 6-8 times a year. Catered food, free beer and wine, etc. (I've never seen an apt do this before and its a nice touch.) Its probably appropriate that I list some negatives for balance, though honestly its hard to come up with some. 1) Parking  There is a choice between paid underground parking and free parking behind the building. 90% of tenants opt for the free parking because its pretty convenient - despite the week or two of snow we get each year - but if you get home at the wrong time sometimes you have to part a hundred yards away from the building. I dont mind, but my wife sometimes gets annoyed. 2) The buildings are big. Before we moved in, back when we were looking at apartments my wife said Id never live in a big building like that. Famous last words. Now she loves the place. But if you have an aversion to big buildings then Riverhouse isnt for you. A note though: Even though the building is large, you almost never see that many people. I cant explain it, but in over 2 years weve only seen half the people who live on our hallway. In summary, overall Im thoroughly impressed with the management and operation of the Riverhouse apartments and Id be hard pressed to think of how it might get better aside from lowing the rents. =) Thats my write-up. Hope it helps.