The Terrace on 18th

I lived in The Terrace on 18th through Sonder. Overall, a great turnkey option that I can just move in and out of easily. No need to even think about subletting, just move out during breaks.

Pros:
- Could pay rent by credit card
- Lease is month to month, can cancel up to 3 days before move-in with no penalty
- Apartment came fully furnished (furniture and kitchenware) with fast internet, a Chromecast, quality toiletries, and even coffee and basic cooking ingredients (olive oil, salt, pepper)
- Access to 24/7 fitness center that's never crowded
- Electronic keypads so didn't need to bring around keys
- Easy to get to Penn campus via Drexel shuttle at 19th and Arch or via trolley at 18th and Market
- Easy to get to 30th St Amtrak and Suburban SEPTA stations to go to NYC / Newark Airport
- Washer/dryers on every other floor that are free to use
- West-facing unit still brought in light because of reflections on shiny skyscrapers - a win for an otherwise dim unit

Cons:
- Had cockroaches - this was gross, but some spray and traps did the trick
- AC unit is super loud
- A little further from the Wharton MBA action, and moving around Center City at night on foot doesn't feel the safest
- Not much by way of restaurants or grocery stores in the immediate vicinity - at least 10 mins away by foot
- No direct contact with building staff: have to reach out to Sonder to then forward any messages to on-site staff (can take time and messages often inaccurately communicated)
- Can't receive mail/packages to the Sonder
- Would be great to be able to leave luggage with the building for longer than a day

This is an excellent building with amazing management! It is farther from campus (not really walkable, perhaps bikeable for seriously dedicated bikers); luckily, campus is easily accessible either by trolley (3 blocks from building) or the Drexel bus which is free for all Penn students (1/.5 blocks from building). The building itself is the best place I've ever lived -- every unit is a 1 bed/1 bath; the building is one of few pet-friendly buildings in the city; there is free washing/drying, available on every-other floor; every unit has a balcony; depending on your location, amazing views of the art museum; door-people 24/7; an amazon "hub" to get packages any hour of the day; diswasher, disposal, microwave, oven, stove, fridge all included in every unit; great communal lounge space and gym located on the second floor; shares property with a brewery and federal donuts. It is also a great area to live in, with a park right out the door, a dog park just a few blocks away, and it's right in the center of the museum district.

One negative is that the property also is partly a "sonder" (like airbnb), which occupies the lower floors of the building. That means some random people who do not live here full time will come in and out - but they are limited to going to their own floors, and we have not had issues with them, other than in theory. The other negative is that this is converted from a hotel, so there isn't too much shelving/closet space built-in, so bring your own shelves!