The Caroline

New resident — overall really beautiful building and amazing apartment unit. Amazing amenities per below and location (subway access, shopping, food, etc.). Definitely get what you pay for here on that end. Resident manager is very helpful and nice.
For a doorman building, you’re not allowed to leave keys for guests and if you get locked out of your own apartment after certain hours they charge you a hefty fee. There’s no sort of key track system as in other buildings. The lounge and amenities are also apparently closed overnight after a certain time. Overall, rules are often strict for how much you pay and considering how other buildings in the city operate.
Not sure about the other reviews that say walls are thick — ours are really thin, and we can hear people singing, working out, watching TV, playing music. So far on weekends, when we’ve been home we hear neighbors blasting music and partying. If you have a courtyard facing apartment, though, we find we have shockingly little street noise, which is awesome.
Definitely a gorgeous building with upsides and some minor downsides. Glad we moved here overall!

Au contraire to Lauren’s review– I could not wait to get out of this building. One year was more than enough.
I lived on the second floor on the 6^th ave side. It was noisy, small and cramped. My kitchen and bathroom were spanking new– but my studio was closet sized and expensive (putting it in perspective, I pay $ 200 more now for a 1 bed, and live on 19^th and 8^th, in a better location, still a doorman building etc.)
I thought the building decoration was utterly tacky, and never used the billiards room, game room (am I 7 or have a 7 year old? no.) and whatever other rooms they offer. I did however, appreciate the roof deck. The building is obviously catered to the «i just graduated, but mommy and daddy don’t want me to live in a murray hill sh*thole» crowd. Obviously it’s nice to have a doorman, and everyone downstairs is perfectly polite and nice (Nick and Albert still say hi whenever I walk down 23^rd.) It was my mistake for not doing my research when I moved to the west side.

I’ve been living here 2 years with my fiancée (and now wife) in a one bedroom on the 5^th floor facing 23^rd street.
Pros: everything you expect from a full service building (lounge, clean, rooftop, laundry, game room, concierge, classifieds)
floor to ceiling windows and big bathroom with good quality kitchen
walking distance from village, soho, midtown
noise isolation is pretty good compared to other rental buildings, considering that it’s a ‘young building’
FIOS!
Cons: noisy if you live on the street. more quiet if you live on 22^nd side, but constant noise of A/​C, which I think is better than firetrucks and squeaking breaks of taxis and buses.
ceilings are not high, but standard for modern building manhattan. if you are tall, it’s a bit annoying.
smokers…
Conclusion: great time here, but will move to quieter area, because I can’t stand the noise from 23^rd st & 6 ave anymore

Do not live here. I realize many of the reviews below rate this building as a wonderful place to live, and it does have its perks, but overall this is an absolutely awful building to live in.
For several months, I loved my experience. The doormen, the people at the front desk and the maintenance staff could not be nicer. The building offers free breakfast (bagels, croissants and muffins) on Sundays, the laundry room is fairly clean and big enough to service the entire building, most subway lines are within walking distance, and best of all, you get a discount on membership to NYHRC and can access the gym without ever walking outside.
The problem is that every appliance breaks. Repeatedly. I have lived here for NINE months now, and in that time my air conditioning has broken 4 times, my roommates air conditioning has broken 5 or 6, the dishwasher has never opened/​closed properly, we have to get our pipes in the shower and kitchen sink unclogged at least once a month, they have had to fix the chain and flushing function of the toilet twice and the refrigerator has broken 4 times (the last time forcing us to throw away $ 300 of food and waiting almost 2 weeks for the problem to be fixed). And the worst part? The building manager has an awful secretary who screens his calls. He refuses to acknowledge questions or concerns, and the building is wholly unresponsive when it comes to fixing these issues. And this is not to be blamed on the maintenance staff, as one person is scheduled to work a 12 hour shift ALONE, servicing more than 400 apartments, all with the same problems that we face on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, the discount gym membership and the free croissant once a week do not make up for the total incompetency of building management, or for the $ 3,600 monthly rent check we write to live in a one-​bedroom converted apartment with a fake wall that doesn’t even reach the ceiling. If you want to save money, time and constant frustration, do not live here. The negatives grossly outweigh the positives.

LOVEEEE THIS BUILDING AND DO NOT WANT TO MOVE OUT.
Why do I love this building? Here’s my list in no particular order:
1. Lounge – you can borrow movies and books, work at the large tables, get wifi, watch tv on the big flat screen, and drink coffee from their free keurig.
2. Game room – what other building in NYC has a game room? My brother loves the massage chair and basketball hoops!
3. Billiards room – mahogany furnishings… really gorgeous.
4. Outdoor terrace on the 12^th floor with a beautiful view and plenty of lounge chairs to tan in the summer.
5. NYHRC gym next door to the building. In my opinion this beats having a gym in the building because you get a full service gym with classes, not just machines. Plus, when there is inclement weather, you can still access the gym without stepping outside. Oh, and it’s discounted at ½ off!
6. Laundry – about 26 machines located on the 3^rd floor. Well lit, bright room. It’s not in the basement like in a lot of buildings!
7. Bright hallways – not dark and dreary when you walk to your apartment.
8. Apartment finishing all have granite countertops, marble bathrooms, and stainless steel appliances.
9. Building events – what other building has a pizza truck provide its tenants with free pizza? They recently had a barbeque, free Mister Softy night, they give out free cold water bottles when it’s hot outside, etc. Nice perks!
10. Service requests are responded to immediately via an online system.
11. Beautiful lobby with fresh flowers changed daily.
12. I love the doormen and concierge. The management has been excellent as well.
13. Location is right next to the subway, across from Trader Joes, 1 block from Whole Foods and Eataly, walking distance to Union Square and West Village…
I really could go on and on…
Prices are competitive. You must use a broker to get in here, but in my opinion it’s well worth it.

This building offered so many perks and amenities it was unreal: free ice cream and pizza nights, free brunch (which consists of bagels, muffins, coffee tea and juice with piano accompaniment) a game room, a billiards room, a lounge, ²⁴⁄₇ laundry and valet services and an amazing wrap-​around roof deck. What more could you possibly want?!
The walls are thick, you can’t hear if your neighbor is blasting music etc. Maintenance and bell-​staff are extremely friendly. The only thing I would have liked was if they enforced the no smoking policy. Definitely someone on our floor was a smoker and I could smell it in my bathroom sometimes at night, I mean come on how lazy are you to smoke outside vs. inside? Ugh it’s such a disgusting habit.
The Caroline is beautiful inside and out. It has a great location within 4 blocks of 1, RW, VF, CE and 6 trains. There is a brand new Trader Joe’s 1 block away (awesome!) and Madison Sq. Park and the Chelsea Movie Theater nearby as well. Shopping is good — MAC, Lucky Jeans, TJMaxx/​Bed Beth and Beyond, Best Buy and Home Depot within a few blocks as well as tons of great restaurants.

I have lived in MANY buildings in Manhattan– but they are going to have to DRAG ME OUT of this one. The staff is amazing– the roof deck is one of the best in Chelsea (fully planted/​outdoor showers), the super sends us emails at least once a week to see if we want light bulbs changed or to throw us a Sunday brunch with a piano player. Over the summer he arranged the Mr. Softie truck to pull up and gave the tenants all free ice cream. It’s a true dream. I have a washer/​dryer in my unit, amazing views, it’s pin drop quiet with really good windows… and I can cut across to the gym through the lobby to jump in the pool. In addition the billiard room and the game room are great for when I have people over. There is a full staff on hand all the time to fix things, hang things, deliver things, and just make my life that much better. You do need a broker to get in– but it’s a good thing bc randoms aren’t walking around your building. Everyone is registered and accounted for and it’s no fee anyway. There is a reason why this place is ALWAYS full. This landlord truly cares about how happy it’s tenants are and it’s reflected all over this place. I have already moved 4 sets of my friends in through Ed Fabila at Mark David. He’s a true pro and none of them had to pay a fee.

Clarence hasn’t been Unilocaling much but that’s because Clarence got a girlfriend! And yes, Clarence is steady and Clarence is loyal to her (she’s awesome and gorgeous!). Anyway, why is Clarence mentioning this in a review of the Caroline? Because Clarence’s girlfriend lives in the Caroline.
This building is like living in the Financial District in terms of the amenties: tenant lounge with wifi, billiards room, game room (where Clarence can do Wii Fit), a sick roof terrace for sunbathing and even brunch on some Sundays! White glove doorman service; they stop Clarence every time he tries to sneak in to visit his lovely, Clarence must be announced, so the security is top notch.
While Clarence is still very happy living in his party palace in the Financial District (Murray Hill types STAY AWAY! don’t ruin a good thing!), if he had to move, he would choose the Caroline because it of the awesome central location and steps to Madison Square Park and the Shake Shack! One star off because the NYHRC gym downstairs isn’t included, but it is half price for tenants.
If you want to live here, Clarence recommends you use his favorite broker (read my previous review on Eddie Fabz) the landlord only works with a few select brokers and does not work with the public direct.
And by the way, the Caroline has the HOTTEST talent living here, Clarence’s real estate broker said there are something like 70% single ladies there, CRAZY! Almost like my building in Financial District!

Pros: Central location, close to several subway lines, discount at NYHRC downstairs, large living spaces, someone always around to sign for your packages.
Cons: Snooty doormen, flip-​flopping rules about entry, Ramada Inn feel, house rules reminiscent of freshman dorms, pricey, snooty doormen.