I got my mailbox key yesterday, which means that the Post Office finally put their locks on the mailboxes. The mailboxes themselves are behind a locked door with a keypad so that we can dial ourselves in, but it also has an intercom for guests arriving at the building to get buzzed in. Unfortunately that doesn’t really help me as it only lets people on to the main hall and my exterior door is off Pettigrew Street, but it will still give me a place to tell people to go, and then I can instruct them to walk around to the other side of the building and I’ll come down and let them in. Hopefully mail will start arriving soon, too!
There were also a couple of small things broken or wrong with the place when I moved in, most notably that there was a part missing from the microwave that made the turntable not turn. That got fixed yesterday only a day or so after I’d reported the problem, which leads me to believe that the maintenance people are going to be on top of things. It wasn’t any big deal, and was the sort of thing that I expect when I’m the first occupant of an apartment, but it was nice to have it fixed in a timely fashion. They also gave me a couple of quotes from an Allstate agent for renter’s insurance, and a nice silver keychain with the “Apartments at American Tobacco” logo on it. Snazzy.
We're looking at moving to Old Bull (or Noell -- I really want a terrace) so reading your blog will give us some insight into what to expect. We'd like one of the larger apartments. By the way, some of the info we've received lists townhouses. Do you know anything about those? I'm so glad you've started this blog!
Heya, Dawn! I'm happy to have readers, and share the really unique and cool experiences of living here with the hopes that it will help people better decide if it is or isn't for them.
I really liked the Noell units as well, and the primary factors that put me in Old Bull were budget and not needing as much space as those have, so if you're not under as tight a budget constraint or could use the extra space then Noell might be the better option. You'd have to talk to the leasing office, though, as I think all the Noell units are spoken for at present.
As far as the townhouse units go, I actually don't know anything about them. However, Ally and Kia might be able to tell you more if you gave `em a call. I'd seen them listed on the pricing sheet as well, but they weren't what I was looking for so I didn't do any digging. If you find out more, please let me know!
Hi Jeff,
My husband and I did the hard hat tour of the 4th and 5th floors yesterday, and I must say that it's hard to imagine what it's going to look like, though I had NO problem falling in love with the biggest townhouse (figures, right?). I love that it's on two floors, and it's a corner unit with views on both sides of the building -- great brick walls -- and a huge living room. One way or the other, we'll be neighbors . . . and I'm just hoping my house will sell quickly, because I'm really excited about living either in Old Bull or Noell. By the way, now that you're in there, is it pretty soundproof? That's the one issue I have about living in an apartment again.
Thanks
Dawn
Dawn,
That's great to hear that the fourth and fifth floors are coming along, and I'm really pleased (and not at all surprised) that you like the big one on the corner. That should be a great space since it's away from both streets and the train tracks, and should have a wonderful view of the rest of the American Tobacco complex, especially the stunning sights of the water tower and smokestack lit up at night. It was kinda tough telling how mine was going to look when it was still heavily under construction, too, but it came together exceptionally well. Once I'm finally done unpacking the last few boxes and I get the new TV in, I'm going to post final pictures. Best of luck with the house sale, too!
As far as soundproofing goes, it's kinda tough to tell since I don't yet have anyone immediately adjacent to me on either side. For what it's worth, the only outside sounds I ever hear come through the windows. The trains can echo pretty loudly through the courtyard, but I've gotten used to it already. I also think that noise is going to be less of an issue in this building than it has been in others where you may have lived due to the fact that the inhabitants are largely professionals; I used to live at Station Nine over off Hillsborough Rd, and the Duke students living there seemingly never shut up, and the place I lived immediately before moving here was also full of noisy college kids. The most noise you can expect here should be the trains -- to which one can become acclimated, as well as being on the far side of the building -- and the construction -- which will, eventually, be done with.
Hi Dawn. My wife and I live on the second floor here and have a small two-bedroom. I had no idea that there were any two-story units in Old Bull; that will be awesome! I just wanted to give you my impression of the building. Sound-wise, we have not heard very much coming from inside the building. It seems that the walls are very well insulated. But be warned that there is a lot of sound coming from the outside, especially with windows looking out into the parking lot. You probably won't hear as much up on the 4th and 5th floors as we do on the second, but there are times when I literally think there are other people in our apartment. It really doesn't bother us, though, except early in the morning when the construction crews are working outside. Overall we are very happy with our place and we have found that 95% of everything exceeds our expectations.
If you are looking for pictures of a finished place, you can check out our blog: http://goldurham.blogspot.com and scroll down to the bottom.
Heya Charlie! Glad you guys are liking your place, and I love your view of the tower and smokestack! Thanks for the link to your blog, too; mind if I add it to the Durham Blogs section here?
I agree with you that the construction makes up the bulk of the unwanted noise, and that will hopefully be done with sooner rather than later. I also agree that the vast, overwhelming majority of living here exceeds my expectations as well.
Sure Jeff! That would be fine to add our blog. Have you heard anything else about a possible apartment get-together? I feel like the opportunity to meet everyone before it gets to be too awkward is passing. You know how it is; it's hard to "meet the neighbors" when you've been living next to them for months.
(Sorry for the delay in replying to you, Charlie; work has been stupid busy lately.)
I know exactly what you mean, and I inquired about the gathering when I was chatting with Ally last. She didn't have any additional information for me, unfortunately. But I've started up a Yahoo Group to help us organize ourselves; read more about it here.