It's a little more than I'd like to be paying each month, but at least you get a lot of space and it's fairly quiet. The excellent amenities sort of make up for being so far away from the Metro. It's nice having a gym and a pool. I wish it were closer to the Metro, though.

Overall, there is a lot to love, and to dislike, about Trilogy Noma. Let's start with the positives:

+ As far as bang for your buck goes, this is it! One of the best rent rates in the city, and for a beautiful apartment with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and in-unit washer/dryer. The pool and fitness center are awesome perks as well!

+ Fantastic lobby with free wifi and free printing, as well as a beautiful lounge area by the pool and a theatre.

+ Super close to the Red Line Noma Station - literally a 5-7 minute walk, and they provide a free shuttle (though I don't see why it's necessary because we are so close)! Plus, the community is close to Harris Teeter, several restaurants and shops, and one of DC's only WalMart stores.

+ The Maintenance team is phenomenal - very quick to respond to requests and very professional in their work.

+ It's a new building, so energy efficiency is a huge plus! It keeps our electric bills low and manageable, without any sacrifice.

+ The concierge at the front desk is almost always pleasant and helpful, and the package notification system is very nice as well.

+ The community hosts many events for the residents, which usually include some great food and music, and usually some giveaways from FiOs and other local businesses as well.

Now for the negatives:

- The smoking policy at this building is irresponsible and dangerous. Though I was told this was a nonsmoking building when I toured, the hallways, common areas, lobbies, etc. consistently smell like cigarette smoke. People are constantly smoking outside the entrances and the smoke makes its way into our apartment. What's worse, the building management has been less than willing to take action - no email asking people to consider moving away from the entrances, no courtesy signs, etc.

- The noise level at night is pretty terrible. It is not unfrequent that people (often drunk and belligerent) are screaming outside at crazy hours of the night, even on weekdays.

- The fixtures in the apartment are beautiful, however, it is obvious that the builders did whatever they could to deliver the building at bare minimum cost. The carpet is terrible - the seams where it was laid are unsightly, and it tears up when we try to run the vacuum cleaner.

- Valet trash is a $25 per month service with no option to opt out. I'm sure some tenants love this feature, but with a trash room right down the hallway on every floor, I'd rather carry my own trash bag down than pay $25 to have someone do it for me. Plus, we are almost never home between 7pm and 9pm when you need to place it outside your door for pickup, so it seems like an unnecessary expense in our budget.

- The community contracts out to ConService to bill for water and sewer. They charge a $14.03 charge your first month, and then an additional $4.03 per month every month after for a "service fee," which they explain is for the convenience.

Overall, this is a very nice community with beautiful new apartments, solid amenities, probably the best rent rate in the city, and a fantastic location in proximity to Metro and other attractions. It is a shame, however, that such beautiful amenity spaces are off limits to anyone who doesn't enjoy breathing in copious amounts of cigarette smoke.

The Trilogy Apartments are a great place to live. We have lived here for two years, renewing our lease for the second year. The staff is always very responsive to our needs and questions, the apt. is extremely dog-friendly, and we love our location...close to Bloomingdale restaurants, on the red-line of the metro and close to H street.