This is the worst experience I have ever had with living in an apartment complex, and I have lived a lot of places. The first problem is that everything is enclosed and brick. You can't get cell phone reception, if someone else has heat on, everyone does, and the boiler is in the middle of the complex, so it feels like the furnace is on in the summer, despite the air conditioning or where you are located. Well, the furnaces might be on in the summer. Utilities are really high, and controlled by the main office. \r
No matter who is living there, you hear everything that they are doing. There are hardly any walls in between two apartments, and maybe there isn't really any, meaning you hear everything around you, underneath you and above you. Because it's enclosed with a courtyard, you also hear everything across from you and it echoes. Not only that, I had major problems with rodents coming in from next door because it was so easy to make a hole in the wall. I know that they haven't solved that problem. \r
The third problem, is that everything is small. It almost feels like you are living in a hallway or closet. I tried to put one couch in a room and it took up the entire room, leaving only enough space to walk. \r
The Birch may have not left such a better taste in my mouth, except for the fact that the manager is TERRIBLE!!! She lives in one of the apartment buildings, and watches what everyone does. Her preference would be for no one to live there. She loves to send out notes to everyone saying that they are being too nosy...aka, they are walking too loudly. She takes pleasure out of treating people badly, basically because she is miserable herself. I had a friend who was a psychologist tell me that she has definite signs of being manic depressive at the least. She should NOT be running a complex, or have any job. \r
My sugesstion, go for ANYTHING other than the Birch. A cardboard box would be much more comfortable than here.
Pros: nothing
Cons: everything
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