The Parkside

I lived here for 5 years. The building is extremely overpriced and it is going to get even worse. During my last year I ended up paying 2,425 dls a month for a small, old, one bedroom apt (this was just a couple of months ago). I could hear everything my neighbors did because the walls were extremely thin and don’t even get me started with the administration office: the rudest people I’ve ever met. There were mice in the trash room, incredible fees for losing your keys ($ 100 plus another $ 100 to open your door). Unbelievable.
The only pros were that the convenience store is downstairs (it is super pricey though) and the woman who cleans, Julia, is a sweetheart!
It is such a shame that landlords in the back bay/​fenway area keep raising the rent leaving students no other options other than to pay incredible amounts of money for being close to college, knowing that because of Boston’s weather they have to be close. Shame on them. Now apartments designed for 2 people are the residence of 3 or 4 people.
Conclusion: as bad as it is, the rest of the buildings in the block are not any better. I recommend you to try to find something in Cambridge or even in one of the main st/​avenues (commonwealth, newbury) and split it with friends, those buildings are better.