Sandy P.
Yelp
My husband and I have been living here almost a year now. While moving to a new city where we don't know anyone and getting locked down right away has been difficult, living at the Carson has been our rock and kept us mostly sane. First, we love our apartment. Everything is new, clean, and modern, and they made a lot of extra touches that many buildings skimp on. The cabinets go all the way to the ceiling for extra storage, the bedroom closet has Elfa organizers, and we were able to add extra pieces from the Container Store to get even more use out of it. The kitchen has a really nice gas stove with convection, under-cabinet lights, and a tile backsplash, and we have huge, nearly floor to ceiling windows. Our bathroom has an extra-long tub, but not all of the units have that. The north building is concrete, and is pretty quiet. They seem to have an unusually large number of floor plans, so you may need to tour several apartments until you find the perfect layout for you. It's also a very dog-friendly complex if you have a pet.
We were really drawn to the amenities here, which unfortunately have mostly been off limits because of Covid, but we are looking forward to the day when we once again have towel service in the pet spa and gym, and can use the rooftop BBQs and indoor lounge area. Our pup is looking forward to the return of the treat bowl!
The location of The Carson is absolutely fantastic. We walk everywhere. Slabtown is full of restaurants, coffee shops, wine bars, etc. We walk to Forest Park, Washington Park, 23rd Street, the Pearl, downtown, the waterfront, across the river. Really everywhere. We are steps away from New Seasons grocery, which has amazingly fresh food that seems like it was just pulled out of the ground. Walking out of our door and into the forest is one of our favorite things about our move.
Everyone on the staff is very nice. We've had more interaction with Jesse and Jolynn, who are absolutely fantastic, but everyone has been kind and helpful. Maintenance responds quickly, and the building is kept immaculately clean at all times -- the trash rooms actually smell good and have the sound of birds piped in! They take Covid precautions seriously, so it feels safe here. Packages are put into lockers and an overflow package room that is locked after hours.
Of course nothing is perfect. My only complaint about my apartment is the clothes dryer. It seems like Whirlpool Energy Saver dryers have a lock on most of the new apartments in the area, but they're not very good at drying clothes or saving energy. We also had a rash of bike thefts from our secure bike rooms, which to be fair also happened all over town, but it's really disheartening to know that someone has been able to get into a secure area. The staff kept us informed about the thefts and hired extra security, so at least they are trying to address it.
Overall, we love living at the Carson, and highly recommend it. Our experience has been overwhelmingly positive, even in tough year. We looked at a lot of apartment buildings in Portland, but once we saw the Carson, we knew that was going to be our home.