Uptown Apartments

Uptown Apartments is a good location if you enjoy the lively night scene. It's a 15-20 minute walk to campus. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and cafes nearby. There are several bus routes avai

Upsides:
Location is great: near Maurer & so many bars & restaurants.
Great for pets.
Mostly quiet; great for studying at home.
Management company is very responsive & helpful.
Safe area.
No pests. (Classmates have found bugs/mice in other apartment buildings, but I've seen none here.)
Clean.

Downsides:
No parking included.
Shower hot water runs out rather quickly in winter. (Seems to be more of a Bloomington thing than this apartment, since the same thing has happened in other apartments in Bloomington.)

Pros:

Location—Close walking distance from Maurer, downtown bars. Same building as one of Bloomington's best restaurants.

Pets—Can take my dog out across at courtyard across street.

Walls—Quite thick. Although neighboring music students tend to sing and play loudly, it doesn't come across very loudly into my room.

Mgt.—They respond very quickly to emails.

Fire Dep't.—They come very quickly whenever someone triggers an alarm (usually someone burning their food on a stove).

Safety—It feels like a very safe neighborhood beyond just fire protection. You often see many patrons eating at the Uptown Cafe outside when coming & going.

Cons:

Parking—No nearby space. Garage (around 5-minute walk) costs around $120/month. Can find street space around 10 minutes away.

Hot Water—Fine in warm weather, but in winter, only around 10 minutes of hot water for showers.

Fire Dep't.—Although the walls muffle the sound quite well, you'll notice periodic sirens from a nearby fire station. It doesn't bother my studying/sleeping, but maybe if you're vert sensitive to that type of thing.

Storage—Although there are a couple of closets, (at least in my room) they are very small.