First, some positives:

- Public transportation is steps away.
- Dozens of international restaurants are right out the door.
- Good water pressure and hot water.
- Towels and sheets galore.
- According to our daughter, the sofa was very comfortable for sleeping.
- Minimal neighbor noise.
- Aside from flies wandering in from the outside, no bugs!

Now, the negatives:

- Both ceiling fans were broken and so we had to open the windows despite a floor fan; this let in lots of flies where screens were absent.
- The apartment backed up to a very noisy alley. Garbage pickup (see flies, above) started as early as 4:30. Earplugs in the nightstand (some used) were ineffective when a truck was dropping a restaurant dumpster right out the (open) window.
- As others mentioned, the internet was weak.
- As someone mentioned, the carpet was stained and probably needs replacing.
- Speaking of the kitchen, there were...issues. I wasn't expecting anything fancy, but it was barely functional. As someone mentioned last summer, utensils were (still) lacking: two soup spoons, one butter knife, plates for approximately three for one meal, no large pots or pans, no storage containers or wraps, no measuring spoons or cups, dying microwave. (Meals were...challenging.) The kitchen was dirty—not only the dishes and pots, but also the insides of the drawers, fridge and freezer.
- Things were worse in the bathroom. Simply put, it was filthy. The tub needed a good scrubbing, the rubber mat was mildewed, and dusty soap scum covered everything. And, we aren't convinced the sheets and towels were clean before being put out.
- I found a clump of hair and a stepped-on vitamin/pill beside the bed.

In-betweens:

- While Sheldon furnished lots of toiletries, they were stacked around the bathtub and vanity, leaving no room for our own stuff. Additionally, there were no empty drawers, cabinet or food storage space.
- The closet was spacious but had too few hangers.
- The only mirror was on the medicine cabinet door.
- The living room light bulbs were yellow.
- Laundry facilities consist of one shared coin-op washer and dryer on the second floor.
- The smoke alarm died beeping in the middle of the night.

I know it's an old building—I live in one myself—but many of these things can be addressed cheaply (and for about the $25 'cleaning fee'): plunk down $10 for a door mirror from Target, grab a handful of plastic (not bent wire) hangers, pick up some cutlery, have extra alarm batteries on hand, and (this is important) vacuum and wipe the bathroom and kitchen clean. Others are aesthetic: consolidate single toiletry bottles (or buy a new $3 bottle of Suave every guest stay or two), toss the dead plants on the fire escape, use white/clear bulbs, paint over ceiling stains instead of smearing a dirty cloth over them.

It's clearly a bachelor pad/college-type place, but as for a 'jewel' we expected something a bit more polished.