All in all, I had a great stay. The location was amazing and the accommodations were beyond what anyone would need. I'm a country bumpkin, so I had a little trouble with the door keypad building entry entry -- you enter the code and push the door in on the second note of the little song it sings when you enter it correctly before you pull to open the door -- but I'm sure anyone from a town with more than 3 stop lights would have no trouble figuring it out, but I'm a little rusty with the security end of things; I haven't ever locked my apartment, even now that I'm out of the country for two weeks, so we can't really credit any difficulties I had to anything other than my hickish naiveté. Really, it's a great place to stay whether you're there for the party scene or the unparalleled cultural riches of Riga. If you do the Observation Tower, which like all the other spots on every must do list is easily walkable from the apartment, and you should, show up just before sunset for golden hour views of the Old Town and a sunset backlighting the river, the bridges, the Biblioteka Nacionala, and architectural gems in Paradagauva section of town. On the way there you might stop at the Central Market, another must on the Riga punch list, or stop on the way back to get ingredients to make a meal in Mikhail's sleek and well-appointed kitchen. That's like on gagiollionth of the riches Riga has to offer. Just please don't support any of the culturally alien nonsense that is bound to crop up when people figure out what an awesome place Riga is to visit. It'd be a shame to see it go the way of Prague, and get completely ruined by punch buggy tours and other nonsense that renders that once hidden gem all but unnavigable, obscured by an ersatz facade. Rigans have stepped up to take advantage of their city's higher profile with arts, music -- from the ubiquitous and talented buskers to the National Opera -- and world class cuisine, rather than chintzy Disneyland schlock. I'd hate to see dancing bears and MP3 organ grinders in Riga.