Meridian at Eisenhower

Current Resident 790769

Resident • 2007 - 2008

None Better

We were one of the first residents to move into the Meridian at Eisenhower when the first floor that completed construction was released for occupants. Yes there was construction noise; however, rentals began on the 4th floor while floors 5 through 25 were still under construction. To complain about construction noise KNOWING the building is still under construction is absurb! The building is now complete, and all the comments in previous reviews about granite, real wood cabinets, and custom appearance are true. The apartmets and the common areas are truly beautiful. Many of the apartments have floor to ceiling windows with exceptional light and views. The rooftop garden and 25th floor lounge are tremendous and a quiet repose. The exercise room contains really great equipment -- each treadmill, stationary bike, and stepper has its own integrated TV screen. The 9th floor rooftop pool is small, but a wonderful place to cool off and sunbath. When you live in this building you are no more than 30 yards from the Metro tracks. You will hear trains, but it is amazing how used to the sound you become. We had lived in Va Beach in a custom apartment development with rent far greater than the Meridian, and the location was in the 80db average noise zone for the Navy Base at Oceana. If you think Metro noise is loud, try Navy F-18s on final approach flying less than 150' over your apartment. The Meridian is a high rise with concrete floors and we find it very quiet considering it's in an urban area, next to a Metro line, near CSX tracks, within 100 yds of I-95, and within 2 miles of the Reagan Airport approach. By the way , those are also the factors that make it a great location -- across the street from a Metro, 3 stops to Reagan, 1 stop from ALexandria AMTRAC, walking distance to Old Town, 3 minutes to get on I-95 (if only you moved as fast once on it), 50 yards from a 24 theater multiplex, several restaurants within walking distance, covered parking garage. Urban convenience to the extreme! The management staff has been exceptional. Immediate response to any problems. Friendly smiles and chat. Conceirge desk manned until 2:00 AM. Free morning coffee bar. Periodic get-togethers for residents with FREE food -- super bowl party, Cinco de Mayo, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ice Cream socials, many others. This is our third apartment complex we have lived in Alexandria -- and it is by far, hands-down the best. We are very happy at the Meridian Eisenhower.

Current Resident 315520

Resident • 2008

Love it!

We've lived here for a month now and I absolutely love it. Its a great location - right across the street from a metro stop and within walking distance to old town, movies, etc. Every thing is very clean and the staff is very friendly. The apartments are beautiful and the amenities are great - brand new gym with multiple types of equipment, roof top pool, and roof top court yard. The building is very pet friendly and the majority of residents seem to own dogs. We are sometimes able to hear our neighbors if we're in the hallway but have never heard anything while in our apartment. We can hear the commuter train, the metro cars, and sometimes traffic from the beltway from our apartment but it soon became background noise that no longer bothered us. During the day on weekdays there is a lot of construction going on that tends to be very loud. They are doing construction on the surrounding buildings and putting in retail stores underneath the Meridian but being as though we're usually not home during the week days during the day it isn't too bothersome. One draw back is you do have to pay for parking and there is no street parking available. Also, guest parking is a hassle. There is a lot across the street that is free after 4:30 and on weekends and a parking garage behind the Meridian that is a $1.00 a day after 4:30 and on weekends but if you have guests during the day the lot is closed and the parking garage is very expensive. You can get a guest parking pass from the Meridian for $5.00 but it's a hassle. Overall though its a nice place to live.

Current Resident 79139

Resident • 2008

Not for everyone...

So, overall I would recommend this place to people. This is the second high-rise I've lived in that billed itself as "luxury" and for the most part it lives up to it. Granite/Marble in the kitchen and bath, nice gym, nice lobby, secured parking. The leasing staff is hit and miss, sometimes they're nice sometimes they're not. Based on their attitude I would NOT want to be on the wrong side of them though, so hopefully nothing goes wrong. I had one maintenance issue, my hot water tank stopped working. I called the guy and he was here within an hour and the tank was fixed in about 30 minutes. It was about 7pm so it was after hours, no complaints. So on to the complaints... The building is built very airtight, which means it howls when the wind blows. People think that's because the building cheaply built, when in fact its the opposite. Most buildings are so full of holes that the pressure can equalize without much problem, in most brand new high rises, not so much. My apartment did get cold a few times. I found that if I closed the glass doors but kept every other door open (bedroom, closet, bathroom) that the temperature evened out. I've gained about 225 sq ft over my last apartment, but my utilities seem to be a bit more than they should be, I think next door (Carylye Place?) includes utilities. The metro (and the CSX yard if you're above the 10th floor) is right outside your window. Now, normal metro operations have not bothered me one bit. You do hear the trains, but it's not like the lights shake. The only time I've had a problem was when they were doing switch work on the tracks and the maintenance cart sat outside all night with its diesel engine running. You can also hear some beltway noise, but you do live in a city...move to Ashburn if you want peace and quiet. I've never heard my neighbors from my apartment, you can hear people if they're in the hallway though. The Refrigerators do not have ice makers, which the leasing agent said was because they couldn't get them in, in time. I call BS, because I used to work in construction and it's because they didn't want to spend the extra $100/per unit to plumb a line from the other side of the kitchen and install the ice maker. All in all, I like the place. You're renting, it's never going to be perfect until you own a place and can do what you want. I looked at Carlyle place and I picked this building because I liked the building better. I looked extensively all over Arlington, Alexandria, and DC and this is the place I chose because the price was good, the building is beautiful, you can walk to local restaurants and movie theater, or go across the street to the metro and be in DC in 20 minutes. If all things stay the same, the only reasons I would leave here is if I were to buy a place or they raise rent to a sky high level.

Prospective Resident 847693

Prospect • Visited 2008

Re: Leasing Agent!!!

I visited this property as a possible rental property because it is extremely convenient to the Metro. The building lobby is decorated like a five star hotel as well as the amenities. However, the rental agent was not at all helpful and we felt strongly that he did not want us to rent because we were minorities. He repeatedly referred to the criteria that you must have good credit and your income must be 3X the rent. The rudeness and abrupt response that he could not show us any additional apartments because his manager was the only one in the office downstairs and he needed to return for other clients made us realize that we needed to rent elsewhere in Alexandria. It is a fact that he did not consider us as tenants beacause every rental property we visited gave us a follow up call back and/or post card soliciting our business as potential renters except Meridian at Eisenhower when we walked out the door he probably threw our information card in the garbage. We are grateful that he was rude because a short distance away we rented an apartment for a little more w than the rent at the Meridan at Eisenhower but it was clear that the rental office personnel and staff were extremely eager to please and begin the application process with us immediately. We will be moving into this luxury competitor's building on May 15, 2008 and we are extremely happy with this choice as well as the ratings for this property is 100% of the tenants agree that this is the best place to live in Alexandria. I would not recommend the Meridan at Eisenhower to any of my new colleagues as a place to consider for a rental property.

mfaramir

Resident • 2008

not too good after all

i moved here four months ago. The building is nice and good looking; it has a nicely decorated lobby and a convenient parking garage. These aren't enough for the "quiet enjoyment" that is promised by your contract. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind if you plan on renting her: PROXIMITY TO THE METRO BECOMES A DISADVANTAGE!! People who live on the north side of the building have to get used to the terrible noise of the metro train passing by every five minutes, until midnight during week days and 24 hours on weekends. COLD BEDROOMS Windows in bedrooms are isolated so poorly you can literally feel the breeze from outside. You will see your blinds "dancing" along with the wind. Even if you set the thermostat to eighty degrees, you'll have a sauna-like living room and COLD bedrooms.

Current Resident 985996

Resident • 2008

Bang bang bang

Everyday is bang bang bang, jack hammer here- jack hammer there - even on the weekends. This place is nothing special, cheap dishwasher, cheap fridge (no ice cube holder which is really strange), and the sound of the metro. I do not mind the bigger dogs as they seem to be pretty good, but the small yappy dogs that pee everywhere are really annoying and disgusting. I saw a small ankle biter dog pee in the main lobby when my girlfriend and I returned from dinner. The owner did not even do anything to clean it up. The concierge is almost non-existent. Unless you have a mini cooper - good luck in the parking garage. My new car has a half a dozen dents in it because the parking spots are way to narrow. I hate it here!

Shantal28

Resident • 2007

I got Lucky!!

I have been here for about 2 weeks.. and granite it may not be along time, but it's good enough for me. My experience here so far has been nothing short of amazing. The building is beautiful! Ok!! Sure there making adjustments " It's a brand new building people"!! If the noise is a problem for you try finding a more convenient location that's a min walk from a metro station and a starbucks. For those of you who want beauty, luxury , class, and genuwinly nice people to have greet you in the morning and when you come home from a long days work. This is the right place for you! The entrance is decorated in a very sophisticated and very vibrant look that reflects beauty, light and color! And there's always someone there to greet you! My choice was the right choice for me. Sure, they're doing construction but it eventually goes away. The poeple hear are here for you and to keep you comfortable. I couldn't ask for any thing more! AND.... They except pets!! Whoo Hoo!!

5thfloor

Resident • 2007

Great place, great location

After living in the building for over 2 months I felt the need to write a review on here. The apartment couldn't be in a better location. The walk to the metro takes literally one minute and the walk to the Hoffman Center is even shorter. At first I was worried about possible noise of the passing Metro, however even with a room that is right next to the metro tracks I rarely notice it going by. The building itself is beautiful and still being finished. Of course to live in a brand new building you have to put up with a few construction issues. Getting in and out of the garage was a hassle early on, but now that the road outside the building has been paved it's no longer an issue. The gym also recently opened and is great. Every once in a while you may hear some construction noise from the building or the buildings going up around here, but its very rare and it's never been at a time that would wake anyone up. The staff here is wonderful as well. Once a month there have been events for the residents in the building and the staff has been great. Also, I once locked myself out of the apartment and they couldn't have helped me out any quicker. Thankfully I haven't had to use the maintenance staff, since I haven't had any problems in the apartment, but I haven't heard from any other residents about things being broken and not getting fixed. Honestly the only thing anyone could complain about at this place is the rare construction noise and just the presence of construction, but to live in a new building its for sure worth the trade off. Plus, in a few months when it's all gone this will be about the perfect place to live. I looked all around the area when I moved down here and I'm very glad I decided on this place.

Prospective Resident 704158

Prospect • Visited 2007

Leasing Office is HORRIBLE

Though I'm not a resident here. I can tell you from personal experience that these people are down right rude and condescending. I actually went on a tour of this establishment and though it is beautiful from an outward appearance, the leasing staff tell tales. When we took our tour, our leasing agent said that you couldn't put "welcome" mats outside of your apartment home due to a hazard; however, there was a mat outside of one of the homes on the 5th floor - one that was in somewhat of a cul-de-sac. And to add to we inquired as to whether you could hear any of the metro trains go by and the agent said you wouldn't hear a thing but apparently from so of the other comments, residents hear when the trains go by. So, I say don't rent from the Meridian, they are a bunch of LIARS who try to sway you to rent but then when you try to contact them, they ignore your calls or emails.

Current Resident 618846

Resident • 2007

Ahhh can you say employees of the building.

The only way this place is a good steal, if the place was free, which is the case for the two individuals that posted last. I am positive that they work for the company because they have such glowing remarks, which are riddled with details that say "I AM A LEASING AGENT" The place is horrible. The gym was supposed to be ready a month ago, still no gym, no pool, no rec room, but TONS OF CONSTRUCTION NOISE. Screw the metro, I don't care about the light rumbling sound, it is the damn construction that seems to start at 5 or 6 in the morning. The guys get to the place and start moving stuff and it annoying. I haven't had one good night's sleep. Move in, but be forewarnd....

sgh98

Resident • 2007

Really Good Building

One of the first things that hit you when you walk into this place is that there is no plastic or Formica anywhere to be found. You pretty much expect to see polished granite in the lobby of any decent apartment bulding, but its a real surprise when you see it on every surface in kitchen and bathrooms as well. All the apartments are fitted with contemporary amenities like digital thermostat, shower message type shower heads, curved shower curtain rods and ceramic tile on floors and walls in the bathrooms. Concrete slab construction also makes for a quiet building, although the building still is under construction on its upper floors. We do hear some construction activity in the daytime, but not in the evening. Then again, I guess you can't expect a building like this to suddently materialize out of nowhere. This is an apartment building, not Captain Kirk.

Prospective Resident 3684

Prospect • Visited 2007

Rent with Carlyle Mill or Post Carlyle Square Instead

I actually didn't rent at Meridian at Eisenhower. I will tell you why. This place looks nice as it is a new place, but that is a far as it goes. I happened to come later in the evening to see the apartment, but I was too late as the office was closing when I arrived. The people at the office weren't very nice. However, I'm glad I was late because I happen to hear a train whizzing by this place and WOW was it LOUD!!!!! I wasn't very keen to begin with as the staff wasn't very professional when I called prior to visiting. They acted as if I was bothering them. There are several new apartment building close by. Post Carlyle Square is one of them. I actually rented there. Trust me, that is a mush better location than Meridian at Eisenhower. There was another apartment building (Carlyle Mill) that isn't too far as well that I really liked, but I waited too long and the apartment that I liked was rented. The people at both places (Carlyle Mill and Post Carlyle Square) were very nice. I'm happy with my final choice. I don't think I would have liked listening to the trains roaring by every night. I work hard and the last thing I wan't to concern myself with is getting some shut eye. As the other reviewers noted, there is a lot of construction around this place.

Current Resident 949930

Resident • 2007

This Place is HORRIBLE NOT WORTH EVEN A 5TH OF THE RENT!!

Trust me! Run, don't walk away, but run away from this place. Moving here was the biggest mistake I had ever made. I was considering a few other options in the area and I broke down with price. You get what you pay for. This place is absoultely horrible. The construction of the building is made of cheap materials. I can hear my neighbors playing their music. Speaking of construction, there is a lot of it going on which adds to the noise pollution. Worst of all is that you can hear the rumble of trains as they go by. It literally sounds like a thunderstorm. If you are a light sleeper, you definitely need to think twice before moving to this place. The management staff here is the worst. They really treat you well to get you in, but the service goes down hill once you're in here. Once I started complaining about the noise it's like they didn't want to have anything to do with me. I have lived at other communities that are much older and the quality at those places are 10 times better than Meridian at Eisenhower.

Current Resident 556292

Resident • 2007

Nice if you don't mind the noise...

Going along with the construction noise is the sound from the metro trains as they pass by every 5-15 minutes. Unlike the construction noise, this noise will never go away. If you are unfortunate enough to be on the side of the building that runs near the tracks, realize that you WILL be listening and feeling many of the trains as they go past your window (I will say that some actually are quiet as they go by, but when there are over 100 trains passing your window at all hours of the day, it's hard for those few to make you happy). It was a very poor decision in the sound proof quality of windows they chose to install knowing that some people are living close enough to board the train if it stopped outside their windows. Adding to the noise topic, the layout of the building has it so that many of the bedrooms are adjacent to the living rooms of another apartment. Many nights I can hear my neighbor's bass in my bedroom. I don't know whether it's the construction quality or just that the volume is really turned up, but either way it is bothersome. Other Complaints: -No ice machine in freezer -Either the molding or the walls aren't aligned properly (gap between wall and molding changes going up the wall) -Everyone is in such a rush to finish the apartments that quantity is rewarded over quality -Awkward switch/outlet placement (the electrical switch controls the electrical outlet that is closest to the cable jack, i.e. the electrical outlet you plug your TV into) -Price/noise ratio Some positives: -Never had any problems with the staff (although it would have been nice if they hinted to live on the other side of the building) -VERY close to the yellow line metro -Nice lobby -Good sized apartments It's not the construction that would stop me from coming back, but the train noise. Unless a memo comes around saying that they are replacing all the windows with sound PROOF windows or there's plan for building a tunnel around the tracks, there is no way I would stay. Well of course unless they cut the price in half (I'd be willing to put up with noise for price)

Current Resident 492804

Resident • 2007

COnstruction, Construction Construction

Do not move in here, until the construction has stopped because you will not be able to sleep. They start construction at 4:30 or 5AM and the whole building shakes, rattles and rolls. If you value your sleep, do not move in until construction is finished. It is a beautiful place, but I am dying because I can't sleep. I have slept in my bathroom, closet and living room. I have even resorted to the kitchen.