The Metropolitan

My partner and I moved here from Chicago last month and I KNEW right away I wanted to live in DTLA. I’m an urban boy at heart and I owned a loft in Chicago and wanted the same urban experience and lifestyle here in LA, but with amazing weather. I did my apartment search while living in Chicago and it was a nightmare. I like to plan ahead and most of the places I contacted downtown were incredibly flighty about availability and didn’t seem interested in renting to us. I also had a HUGE hurdle finding a place that would take my 2 boxers. Apparently in LA Boxers are listed as a «restricted breed» at almost all of the places I looked at renting. It got to the point where my first question was «do you accept boxers?». Some properties had the nerve to ask me if I was planning on bringing them with me (as if I would abandon my dogs in lieu of their cheap finishes and overpriced amenities). Then I found The Metropolitan! Bernardo was my first point of contact and he was AWESOME! Turns out he’s also the door guy so I get to see him every day. Who doesnt love a great doorman. Roger is another doorman who is always friendly and welcoming. Our space is amazing! I couldnt ask for more. 14 ft ceilings, polished concrete floors, TONS of closet space (and I mean tons!) a washer/​dryer hook up (but theres also a huge laundry room). Beautiful, large windows that overlook the street and Pershing Square Park and 2… yes 2 FULL bathrooms! All for less than I was paying for my mortgage in Chicago. And get this… they LOVE dogs… in fact they have no pet rent!!! I was irritated to find that «pet rent» is a thing in LA too… deposit yes, I understand the reasoning behind that… but rent??? Im right around the corner from Grand Central Market, the Red/​Purple Line Metro stop and tons of new and upcoming shops, restaurants and bars! There’s even a gay bar just around the corner on 4^th! And Starbucks just went in on the corner of 5^th and Hill… just steps from our front door. The gays and Starbucks are moving in which means only one thing… THIS place is on the fast tract to gentrification. That being said the area can still be a bit gritty, but thats why i live in a city… i LOVE the grit and the crazy people… it makes life fun and if i wanted peace and quiet I would go on vacation to a cabin in the woods. But I want a fun and urban environment that is surrounded by a unique and diverse group of people. That is exactly what we found here. Our neighbors are all nice… ive met more people in my building this month than the 4 years i lived in my condo back in Chicago… and did i mention the rooftop pool??? Its great cause its beautiful and chill and doesnt look like a Vegas Pool Party every weekend… if you want that just walk on down to the Standard Hotel and check out their rooftop. We signed a 2 year lease here cause I wanted to lock down this amazing space for as long as possible. The way DTLA is changing im afraid we may be priced out down the road.

The view from the rooftop is breath-​taking. You look down at Pershing Square and you can see skyline of all the sky scrapers at night illuminating all around you. It used to be the old LA Public Library, so a lot of the architectural elements of the previous building are evident in the Metropolitan. Oh, and this place is right next to Perch.
My friend A.L. lives here and she has the most awesome unit. There are two huge windows that take up the whole street-​facing wall and it makes for a cool conversation starter for anyone that walks in there for the first time. It was definitely a deal maker for her. The unit itself is more modern than quaint, but very showroom like: high ceilings, glossy concrete floors, modern kitchen, name-​brand furniture. This has to be one of my favorite places to be during the week when I’m around downtown.
The Metropolitan is pretty fantastic, but I wish they had underground parking. I think the residents have to park in lots around the building like Joe’s Parking, etc. It’s a bit of a bother when I have to pay $ 5 – 7 just to park near the building in a lot and walk over to visit my friend. Besides that, I really think A.L. got an amazing deal for her place and I’m happy for her. If anyone is looking to move into Metropolitan, good luck, their waiting list may span a few months long.

I Iived on the 5^th floor for three years and was a terrific experience.
Management: The management (Jake) is really great and Bernardo and his doorman crew are great at keeping the place on lockdown. One time a drawer in the kitchen went off its hinges and the maintenance crew was there to fix it in under 15 minutes.
The Apartment: The kitchens are new and amazing. Definitely take a minute to check them out when looking around the place.
The walls are incredibly thick. We lived next door to film students who would regularly film and across the hall from a group that had a string quartet play one Saturday and we never heard them.
Also, the air conditioning is terrific.
Community: It’s all renters. Everyone seems nice and a good mix of FIDM students and professionals. Dogs are welcome.
Parking: You’ll need to rent a spot.
I would love there again in a second.

I loved living here. I lived here for two years. It was a lot of fun. Beautiful rooftop. I liked all my neighbors-​everyone was friendly. The doormen were helpful and fun to talk to. The apartments are spacious and have floor to ceiling windows. The corridors are beautiful. The laundry room was large and clean. The gym was small but almost always empty. You can walk and/​or metro to lots of places. The manager Jake was super responsive and professional. Everything got fixed right away. I only moved because I was having a baby and wanted to live in a house. Loved my two years at the metropolitan.

Spent two years at the Metropolitan (2012 — 2014) and really loved it. Building is extremely friendly and I loved every one of my neighbors and never had issues with sound. Jake and Juan are responsive and awesome. You aren’t hit with ridiculous fees and the building is extremely pet friendly. The only thing holding the Metropolitan back from 5 stars are the location and the lack of parking. there are garages in the area but on-​site parking is SO nice. A couple things to know if considering The Metropolitan.
The Good:
Building: BEAUTIFUL. One of the best rooftops in town with gorgeous views and lovely finishes. The hallways are spacious and clean, the elevators are prompt, the service elevator fits your furniture, the mailboxes are in a convent location, the staff signs for your packages and calls you when you have a delivery. The building is top-​notch.
Management: THE BEST. Super easy to work with and very, very fair. Always responsive and straight-​forward. The security staff can be a little over-​zealous at times, but all-​in-​all, they are very good at their jobs and very professional. Much, much better than my new building and I certainly miss them.
Deposit: EVERY PENNY BACK! This is where you hear horror stories with other buildings… not the case here. THOUGH I did strategically sign a 2-​year lease to maximize renters law and require an automatic repaint and floor polish under normal wear-​and-​tear. Jake was fantastic and simply charged a pretty standard cleaning fee and other than that, full deposit back.
Pet policy: GREAT. My Pit was welcomed without any breed or weight restrictions. NO PET RENT (the single most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of) and my $ 500 deposit was fully returned.
The Bad:
— Location: if you’re looking Downtown then you must be adventurous and OK with the crowd, but I was there for years and 5^th and Broadway seemed to have bucked the DTLA trend of improvement and actually gotten worse. The crowds that the subway, 7 – 11, Rite-​Aid, etc make it really convenient for living but awful for attracting a rough crowd. You will see drug deals at the subway and find people sleeping outside of Fallas Paredes a lot. We never had an incident but it can still be unsettling and smell «interesting».
— Parking: dicey. Its a busy area so you can play the parking meter game but you better be sharp. You’ll get a lot of tickets and tows if you’re not. Can really add up. there are options around but sometimes you get home late or you have crap in your car you don’t want to carry. A parking lot would be awesome and I see why buildings charge a premium of them now. its life-​changing.
Noise: better be a deep sleeper because those buses (and the crazy people with short tempers) go ALL NIGHT. I was on the 8^th floor and the noise still travels. Just know in advance, its not uncommon to still hear the air brakes of busses at 2am or a crazy person shouting death threats at 3am.
All that said, the good still REALLY, REALLY outweigh the bad and I would HIGHLY recommend!

We have enjoyed living here during our two years living downtown.
Pluses:
–The building is quiet, but the apartments that face the street are not recommended unless you are a heavy sleeper. Neighbours are courteous, but generally keep to themselves
–Doggies of all sizes are allowed with a reasonable pet deposit, so if you are not a dog lover, look elsewhere. Every so often there are accidents to be stumbled upon in the hallways, stairwells, or elevators
–The rooftop pool area is lovely, but it’s not a real sized pool and is therefore purposeless for any sort of aquatic exercise.
–Management (Jake) has always responded promptly regarding any issues in the apartment, from a window that keeps breaking to changing the filter in the fridge door.
–The lofts are my kind of gorgeous. Not pretty or overly fancy, but urban and practical with beautiful stainless steel appliances and walk-​in closets
Minuses:
–They keep changing the door security, although I’ve never had a problem with any of them.
–My biggest complaint would be the 7am fire alarm drills that scream relentlessly for hours until it’s time to go to work. They have decreased in regularity since moving in, but be warned of the possibility.
–As with many of the loft buildings, there is no onsite parking. You can buy a $ 150 monthly pass for the lot across the street. We opted for the more secure, available 24 hours/​day $ 190 Pershing Square garage pass.
–It’s downtown and it’s near Skid Row. So if you can’t handle the bums, the loons and the frequent odour of urine, I suggest moving to a less transient friendly section of downtown, like New Downtown, Bunker Hill and South Park
Overall, it has been a pleasurable experience and I would recommend this building to anyone ready for the adventure of living downtown. There is a Farmer’s Market on Sundays down the street or Wednesdays at Pershing Square, dozens of great places to eat one block east on Spring Street or right across from the building (Il Macchiatto, yum), and a popular rooftop lounge steps away from your front door.
Downtown is on its way up again. I can’t wait to see how it develops over the next decade.

I’m currently a resident at The Metropolitan, so I will continually update this review during my stay here.
I moved into The Metropolitan in February 2011 (one of the first 10 tenants to move-​in). Nice loft apts with high end finishes. Glossy concrete floors, HUGE windows (9’x8’), super high ceilings, W/​D hookups in every unit, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops in kitchen & bathrooms. Directv and high speed internet. Ammenities include rooftop pool and jacuzzi with a great view of Pershing Square and downtown, gym, laundry room, and recreation room. All new construction so it’s nice and clean.
No on-​site parking though. There’s a bunch of public lots in the area that offer monthly parking. Average cost is $ 150/​month. I’m a cheap skate and found a lot near Staples Center that only charges $ 60/​month.
The Pershing Square Metro Station (subway) is across 5^th Street, so it’s super convenient if you use public transit.
The Fallas Paredes discount store on the ground level is a bit of an eye sore though. The store is not kept up that well, and there are quite a few low income customers going in and out of the store all day long, which doesn’t really align with the residents living in the rest of the building. The roll-​down doors on the ground level tenant space could use a good painting, they definitely take away from the beauty of rest of the building. That’s all you see when you’re walking at street level, so this is an issue that really should be addressed. I’m hoping they find some nicer, cleaner small retail stores/​services/​cafes in the future. The owner of Fallas also owns the Metropolitan Bldg, so I don’t think they’re moving out anytime soon.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed living here. They’re still working on the final touches to the building, so they’re constantly making small improvements and finishing amenities, so it seem to get better and better each month. Building management has been very responsive to any of my requests, and security at the front door is always polite.