Let me start with the highlights:
My son and I loved the neighborhood. Five minute walk from a vibrant scene up 9th/8th street near Florida Ave. Lots of restaurants, young people, ice cream, bars, music.
And a 30 minute walk or a very short metro ride (Metro stop is 2 minutes from the apartment) to the National Mall.
The parking space was very convenient as well and welcome after a long drive.
Access was a breeze when we arrived, with a key lock box and four keys inside. Lots of keys to keep track of: One for the outer security gate. One for the security gate at the door to the hall. One for the door to the hall. One for the apartment.
It was *extremely* quiet at night. Was not expecting that, but the unit faces a courtyard in the rear that faces an alley, and is far enough from a loud street or night scene. Thick walls probably help too. This is a huge point in its favor.
It was clean and the main bedroom was comfortable and appropriately furnished, with a bureau for hanging, a chair, and a small dresser with some books on it. No nightstand and the one plug near the bed is recessed behind the cover so a normal iPhone charger does not fit. Not a big deal - there is an outlet in the kitchen. The mattress was soft and I think most people would find it comfortable. Sheets and towels were clean.
Shower was hot, with good water pressure via a rain shower overhead fixture. Fun design with brick.
We did not use the full-sized washer, dryer, dishwasher, or range so cannot comment on that.
Some observations to assist travelers in making an informed choice:
There is indeed a fold-out couch that my son seemed fine on. However when folded out, there is really no place to put the coffee table without blocking exit from the bedroom. A bit light on blankets for the 2nd bed as well.
There is no dining table, no chairs. Well, one chair in the bedroom. So even though there is a full fridge and a full range, and an enormous washer and dryer in the room, it is not a space to spend a lot of time or to eat a meal. Fine for sitting on a couch with a book, watching the TV mounted to the wall (we didn't so can't say how it works).
The bathroom is small and awkwardly laid out. Not a bathroom for bending over to get dressed if you are adult-sized, and the shower door swings in such one can't reach the handle without stepping in and then closing the door behind you.
In the end, I am happy with our choice - we primarily were looking for a reasonably priced, clean, quiet place to stay with a hot shower and within walking distance of the sights and a commercial area with some life to it. Michael's place exceeded the marks in all these categories, with the fun added benefit of being in a former fire station.