The View

Obviously, the building is pretty tempting. It is a 12-​ish minute walk to the metro (if you walk fast), although the hike up the hill on the way home can be a bit tiring after a long day at work. The view from the roof is actually fantastic, but without shade, it is difficult to be up there very long in the summer. The kitchen is renovated, with granite and stainless steel, but not much counter space or storage. The parquet wood floor is ok, but since the apartment is required to have something like 80% coverage in carpets, you don’t ultimately see much of it. The built-​in book cases are good, and the wine fridge is a nice addition — though it sort of just stays at lukewarm temperature. Bedrooms are of a good size and the bathroom is nicely done (though small sink and the window is drafty).
The building also has a «gym,» theoretically consisting of 2 treadmills, an elliptical, a bike, and a bowflex. Realistically, only 1 of the treadmills works (and that has been the case for at least a year), the bike has been broken for a while, and I don’t think the bowflex works either. Most of the lights are out. In fact, it took 3 – 4 months for the light switch to be replaced. Still, it is convenient to have 2-​ish working machines in the building, as opposed to having to find a gym elsewhere.
All that being said, I would definitely not rent here knowing what I know now. The primary issue with this building is the paper-​thin walls. I can hear the people in the opposite-​side apartment (we share a bedroom wall) … doing things in the bedroom. I can hear the people in the next-​door apartment talking (ie, the actual words in conversations). I can hear the people in the apartment below us laughing. I can hear people in the upstairs apartment walking around, opening drawers, lying on the bed, and opening the closet. TVs/​music can be heard in multiple directions. There are several families in the building, so you can only imagine how much worse it would be with screaming children running around on a regular basis. I do some work from home and am also getting a graduate degree part time, so actually having a quiet apartment so I can work/​study is really important to me – this apartment is terrible for that. Considering the rent is almost $ 2500 for a 2-​bedroom apartment, that is a bit absurd.
The popcorn ceiling is also peeling and falling off in places (and was clearly done terribly, as there are giant clumps of it in other areas). In addition to other minor cracks, there is a several-​foot-​long crack in the wall that has clearly been plastered and painted over — and there is a parallel crack about 2 inches below it that is just as long. The apartment on the other side of the wall has the exact same crack. Old buildings settle, though, so it could just be that. The bowing ceiling also worries me. The HVAC system is so loud that it wakes me up at night when it switches on. The building is also on a flight path for Reagan airport, so that is also quite noisy (though you get used to it, to a certain extent).
Management of the building has also been an issue. We have on several occasions called/​emailed about something broken or a leak in the ceiling — and have gotten no response for weeks, if ever. If something does receive maintenance, the workers only ever half clean up the mess… and usually break something else in the apartment, such as the baseboard.
So to conclude: for the money, I definitely suggest renting elsewhere.