I went on the Housing Tour Saturday and saw beautiful lofts, and enjoyed it for the most part. Our second to last stop was at the Webb Lofts, which I was looking forward to the most. However, when we arrived at 4:10, there was no loft to go into. A sign by the elevator said the loft was on the 4th floor, so there were about 12 people who were just standing on the 4th floor not sure which loft it was. We knocked on the doors of all of the lofts on the 4th floor, but no one answered. As we were leaving, there was a large group trying to get into the building from the outside but the outside door had already been locked. It is generous that people let you into their homes to see their beautiful lofts, but most people drove to the Webb Lofts and then were left standing there without any direction.

I'd love to see a follow up article and hear from actual tenants about what it's like to actually live in all of these downtown apartments. I've lived at the Elk Terminal and it was, for the most part, worth the money. Although, what they advertised as a "dog park" was basically a large sand box and the fitness center couldn't be used by more than two people at a time. But the apartments were quiet and top quality and the security was very well thought out for the most part. I then made the mistake of moving to the Sidway. It seemed more Central and less isolated. For the money I'm paying here, I'm nothing but disappointed. The security here is a joke - one code for the front door for every tenant in the building - that never changes, so who knows how many people have it. I asked to have it changed after a bad experience asking a drug-using roommate to move out and they ignored my request, but gladly took my $50 to change the lock on the apartment. (It was only then that I realized everyone in the building has the same code to get in.) One of the two elevators has not worked for more than a few weeks total over the last 6 months. The parking lot gate has been broken countless times in the same 6 months. Several times,left open over the weekend because it was broken. (Funny, the gate looks exactly the same as the one at the Elk Terminal that was never broken.) This evening, I'm unable to get my car out of the gate because it won't open. Hence, I'm posting on this blog because I'm being held hostage and getting more and more pissed!

And now, I'm stuck with a year's lease and the dread of moving again!

Please follow up with an article about the truth behind all the hype and advertising, so others can make a more informed decision and I can make a better one next time.

Sorry, I should have left that part out of my little rant - No, it's not the Sidway's fault that I had no way of knowing that my roommate would have a breakdown, lose his great job and start drinking and using drugs. I'm not a complete moron - i did check him out before inviting him into my home! But that doesn't have anything to do with the gate or elevators being broken now does it. I'm not an unreasonable, overly picky person. I'm normally pretty easy to get along with, but I hate feeling lied to and taken advantage of. I was willing to pay a little extra mainly for some security. I've lived downtown before and I like it here, but have enough experience to know that it's worth it to pay for a little peace of mind. My point is that I think it would a good idea to have a forum where people could post reviews of rentals - it would be helpful to hear people's good and bad experiences. And maybe it would hold the bad landlords accountable and reward the good one's that treat their tenants well. If you know of some of these smaller buildings you mentioned, please share the names. I'll be looking again!