Nummc Worcester House

I have lived in worcester house for a year (since September, 2012). So far I haven’t had many complaints about the building. However I will list the pros and cons so readers can decide.
Pros:
1) Very close to school
2) Furnished
3) Quiet
4) ²⁴⁄₇ doorman
5) very safe and touristy area
6) affordable compared to any other apartment in streeterville
Since other reviewers have brought up the issue of staff being not friendly i think I should mention that i have never had issues with the staff. especially the doorman during evening hours on weekdays is very friendly. Others I haven’t had to deal with much since I only interact with them to pickup a package in an evening after work. having said that i haven’t had any package misplacement either so far. In addition, I have had pretty fast service when it comes to maintenance issues. I have always had an engineer come in within 12 hours of placing the work order.
Cons:
1) Electricity or internet are not included in the rent (During winter, since heating and stove are electric you might end up paying a lot — I paid closer to $ 50 during winter)
2) for 383sqft you have to pay 1200, and for a little above 300 sqft you might have to pay over S900/​month.
3) no pets allowed
4) Thin walls, you can hear the neighbors (TV, bathroom shower, toilet flushing, conversations).
5) Small kitchen space
6) Can hear ambulances (having three hospitals and the Chicago fire department close by this is unavoidable, buses etc at night.

I lived here for 9 months while going to law school. For a place that’s not outrageously expensive and close to the school it was fine, especially since I had never been to Chicago and didn’t know the area at all.
Pros
— close to school
— only about 6 blocks from the red line and the 157 bus picks up right outside the front door (I didn’t have a car)
— right by the MCA. When the MCA has music on Tuesday nights you can sit in the bay window and listen, pretty awesome
— in a safe, very touristy area. I never felt unsafe walking around at night and there’s usually a lot of people around.
— across the street from a park with a track and tennis courts
— it’s furnished: twin bed w/​drawers in the bottom, 2 nightstands with drawer, 2 dressers with 3 drawers, and a table (but no chairs). No bookshelf either.
— storage lockers in the basement. They’re not huge, but I kept my boxes and put them and my suitcase in it. Handy for bulky things you won’t use often. Not particularly clean and probably not super safe, so don’t plan on keeping anything very valuable down there
— laundry room on the first floor. They just (spring of 2010) put in new washers.
— secured building. Have to have a key to get in and there’s someone monitoring the doors.
— front office receives packages; no fees and they’re fairly reliable. Had flowers sent to me once and had to ask them about it before they told me they were there, so don’t know how long they were already there or how long they would have stayed before someone told me.
Cons
— PAPER THIN walls. You can hear phone conversations, TVs, etc. Also the doors tend to slam shut so if your neighbors are coming in late they’re going to wake you up
— Expensive. almost $ 900 for about 300 sqft. It was livable, but it’s not exactly a bargain
— no pets
— the lake is at the end of the block. a pro when it’s warm, but definitely a con in the winter
— worst mattress ever; rock hard
— doors close themselves and lock behind you, then you have to pay $ 25 to have mgmt let you borrow their key to get back in. Someone suggested having an extra made (apparently you can pay them $ 5 for an extra) and keep it in your locker (with a combination lock)
— old building and the general problems that come with it
All in all, just very average. I haven’t had a problem with management, but i also haven’t asked them to do anything other than receive occasional packages.

Pros: Close to the Feinberg School of Medicine campus and the hospital, if you go to school/​work there. Rent is (relatively) cheap for the area. Lots to eat and do in the area, and is very safe.
Cons: Numerous
1. The rent really isn’t that cheap; almost $ 900 a month for a studio that’s less than 400 sq. ft.
2. The building isn’t that old, but upkeep isn’t great, so it feels pretty shabby.
3. Management is pretty close to a joke. When their pipes leaked in the basement and destroyed everything in my storage locker, the manager pretty much read my lease back at me and walked away. I knew that they weren’t liable for my things in the locker, but a «I’m sorry to hear that» wouldn’t have cost them a red cent. Their idea of «fixing» the problem was to put a black tarp over everything. The area still smells like sewage.
4. Maintenance is like the management. It took three visits before they could actually manage to unclog my kitchen sink. It doesn’t help that one of their maintenance guys leers at me and most other females.
5. I’m moving out, so I asked to reserve their freight elevator. I’m not allowed to reserve it for more than one hour, even though no one else has scheduled times for that day, and I’ve told them I’m moving out of state.
6. The people they hire to be «doormen» will watch you struggle with packages while trying to open the door. Yes, they will let you smash that glass bottle of whatever you just bought. Stopping by to pick up a package means getting eyes rolled and a «I couldn’t care less, let me get back to my phone conversation» attitude.
Bottom line: If you’re determined to live by yourself in Streeterville and can’t swing more than $ 1000 a month in rent, then you can get what you pay for here. Otherwise, get a roommate and live somewhere else.