Richard K.
Yelp
I don't live here, but I did a ton of homework and almost bought here, so I'll speak to what I know.
This place rates 5 stars if you can spend 2 million or more. The units get decently big, and with that amount of money, you will get parking.
What distinguishes this property from other residential high rises in SF is the amount of service and the fantastically well thought out amenities.
- The club lounge is open access and very nice, with complimentary teas/coffee and some snacks
- The gym is huge and modern.
- There is a large outdoor deck.
- Wine tasting room
- Dining room
- Theater
- Kids playroom
- Magnificent pool and architectural skylight overhead
- Private dining room serviced by RN74
- Wine storage locker (12 bottle locker for each unit)
- Massage rooms
- Regular events hosted by the HOA
The standard finishes in the units are modern and relatively high end, but not too over the top. The tower is relatively narrow and tall, which I believe contributes to one of the major drawbacks of the individual units ... large structural girders blocking your ability to walk up to windows to get a full view. Instead, in front of many windows there is what amounts to a large and permanent countertop sitting in front of the view. I believe the building design also contributes to the rather strange and seemingly tiny layouts of some of the rooms.
I believe most or all of the units have additional storage lockers outside of the unit. But the flip side to this is that many of the units don't seem to have enough closet space.
The parking is mostly valet here. I don't like valet parking because I think the reality usually doesn't match the expectation. You end up having to wait a lot, and you can't go get stuff out of your car easily. But OK, some people like it and it can be useful for visiting guests.
At the very top end, you have dedicated spots that you can self park in. Most people that have parking will just have regular valet service. The vast majority of people will not have parking at all, because they just didn't build enough of it. My understanding is that spots in the tower rent for 700/month, and a garage across the street will rent you a spot for 400/month. Welcome to SF!
The views are rather blocked in until you get above a certain floor. I want to say floor 30 or so. Of course, if you get high enough, you can see the bridge and some pretty spectacular views. The tower is around 60 floors high, which makes it one of the tallest buildings in the city. Keep in mind the Salesforce Tower is going up next door, which will kill the view for some units.
The location is excellent. It's literally a short one block walk to the Embarcadero BART/MUNI stop. In fact, there's a good chance that, if you work downtown, you might be able to just walk to work. Of course, the Ferry Building, Westfield Mall, and Union Square are right next door as well. The one thing I'm not too sure about is how the traffic is trying to get out of the Millennium and over to the highway. I suspect those few extra blocks compared to the Infinity will add up during peak traffic times.
In short, this place only really conforms to the normal definition of livability at around 2MM and up. Below that, it only rates five stars if you absolutely don't want a car, and you value the admittedly great amenities over the weird unit layouts and the high prices you will pay here.