The Axis on 36th Street — Local services in Philadelphia

Like some of the other reviewers, there are some pros and cons to living here. I will have to say up front that short-term leases are likely the ideal option.

Pros:

1. Location: Axis is really close to UPenn, Drexel, grocery stores, restaurants, and obviously Axis pizza. Walking out of the place definitely seemed like you were in the hub of everything as compared to houses/apartments north of Powelton. You are very close to the train station. It is also very safe.
2. Amenities: Because the apartment is not very close to full-capacity, I could almost always use the amenities at my convenience. I would use the gym, theater room, and printer room quite often and liked them a lot.
3. Staff/management: The full-time staff and the RAs were very friendly and helpful. Maintenance is fantastic, too. My microwave once broke down and they had a brand new one replaced for me. They literally responded almost within minutes notice about my heater problem.
4. Flexibility: Because of COVID, I was able to end my lease around 5 months early. I was glad that Sam was understanding of residents' financial situations.
5. Furnished rooms: My single classic room came with a desk/chair, 2 dressers, a microwave, a TV, AC, and a mattress and bed frame. It was convenient not having to worry about getting this stuff on my own.
6. Utilities: you don't have to pay them!

Cons:

1. The building: Axis is close to 100 years old, so it is not surprising that the facade and the interior looks somewhat outdated. I think some of the furniture, especially in the lounge and kitchen, may need a quick renovation. There also isn't a great smell to the hallways and especially the 6th floor kitchen.
2. Room condition: The rooms are not in amazing condition either. When I moved in, it was very dusty, rusty (the bed frame and inside of my mirror), and my microwave had spaghetti sauce stuck on the top. I would have liked it if my room was cleaned out better.
3. Security: I caught two different security guards sleeping mid evening a couple of times. One of them couldn't even wake up when I tapped his head while maintenance/delivery people were waiting to be let in at the front door. I don't find it too alarming because some apartments don't even have security, but it definitely isn't a good look.
4. No kitchen: Like what the other reviewer said, life is very simple without a kitchen in your own room. I thought it was not going to not be a problem when I moved in since there was a communal kitchen, but I sure missed my own.
5. Rent: I would say the rent is relatively high compared to other options in Philly. My unit was $1100 a month for a 190 sq ft room. At the same time, though, you are in a great location.
6. Thin walls: This was definitely a larger problem for me since the person who lived next to me watched TV every night and would laugh hysterically. I could also hear people through my bathroom vent. Obviously, this is not a fixable problem given the layout of the building.

Overall, I would recommend living here, but only in the short-term and if you are okay not...

This place is one of the more affordable off-campus housing that's also close to UPenn and Drexel. The environment is safe as there is campus security presence. It's conveniently located close to a few restaurants (a Bagel place is opening up, 2 asian restaurants, sandwich places, and Axis Pizza that's open 24 hours is right below you), a 7-eleven or WaWa both a block away. The train station to get to downtown is also just a block, the tram is right across the street, and the bus to downtown is also within the block. If you want to rent a car to travel, Enterprise is right across the street. Zipcar is also a block away.

Now about the apartment --- the staff is very friendly and I'd consider living here a pleasant experience. It's not noisy -- no parties go on at night. There's a mixture of mostly students from Drexel and Penn - both undergrad and graduate, but also working people live here as well. There is a gym, game room with xbox, ps, wii, as well as a movie theater that can be rented out (free). On-site laundry is $1.50/load for washing and same for drying. There's also a secure bike room ($25 one-time payment for key as of this post). The most useful for me was the business center, where there's a scanner + black/white copier/printer with free printing. Both a Mac and 2 Windows PCs are available for use.

The room is adequately spacious - I lived in a single classic for a year here. It's good to have your own bathroom/shower. There's 2 kitchens in the building (with fridge, stove, oven), but you are also allowed induction cooktop in your room. The room comes furnished with a bed, closet, drawers, study table and chair, ceiling light, heater & air conditioner, mini fridge with freezer, and microwave. You're pretty much all set. Oh - there's also complementary weekly room cleaning!

Overall, the combination of closeness to campus and affordability compared to other apartments makes The Axis one of the top...

Living in Axis for a year and half, here are the pros and cons:

Pros: great location, multiple groceries and restaurants within 3 mins walk, 5-10 mins walk to UPenn and Drexel Campus. Lease is flexible, which means you can rent for only 2 or 3 months. Sufficient amenities, by saying this you do need to realize how simple life could be without a private kitchen and living room. But you still got a gym and a printing hub, a game room, a small theater, and a laundry room on the first floor.

Cons: At some point you have to admit this is an old building and sometimes got issues. My headaches are unstable hot water and internet. The unstable hot water in shower occurred a few months after I moved in. I reported a few times and it always came back so I almost gave up. The internet is a bit more desperate. It should be fine when you handling light tasks. However, when you need to work from home its performance will disappoint you. The internet provider Hotwire is the only option you got, so definitely no way to upgrade speed sort of thing...... And you have to call them to get the Ethernet portal work, but do not even waste your time trying, the speed is pathetic.

Overall, it should be a good spot for exchange student or short term visitors, who generally do not plan to purchase cookware and furniture during the...