Sonder — East End

The pool, outdoor space, and lobby coffee were a hit with all of us. Bring your own mug. We were there for both the Twins and Vikings games, and the location worked out perfectly: an easy walk to the tram for the Twins and about the same distance for the Vikings. The units didn’t have much water pressure, though it was usable, and the shower had great hot water. The kitchen sink had no cold water, so I used freezer ice to get a cold drink. I wish there’d been dish soap as well as dishwasher pods. Having laundry pods was great, and I kept washing towels and clothes to stay on top of it. We’re small-town people, so the sirens and loud cars bothered us all evening at first, but we eventually got used to them. We’d absolutely book again.

The location was good, the one-bedroom apartment was spacious, and my only chat with an employee went well. They were helpful. That’s about where the positives end. Parking in the hotel garage costs $60 for 24 hours, while DIA covered parking is $30. That feels outrageous and like robbery. The shower had no pressure at all. I’ve showered in semi-trailers at festivals with four times as much. The dishwasher had dirty dishes, the utensil drawer had old food crumbs and chunks, one frying pan was dirty, and the other was too damaged to use. The shower curtain looked dirty and had a strange yellow stain that appeared to be urine. The sheets felt like cardboard, and the bed had a huge hump in the middle. The upstairs tenant sounded either extremely heavy or like they were deliberately stomping around to be rude. It wasn’t just during the day, I woke up to them at 3 am. There were also a noise monitor and a vibration motion sensor in the room that hadn’t been disclosed. I understand wanting to protect the property, but renters should be told about them. The elevator may be the slowest I’ve ever waited for, the kitchen table was loose enough to tip if something heavy was placed at the edge, and the ceiling fan rattled as if it were loose.

The building and apartment were really nice, and we made good use of the balcony and pool. But there wasn’t much in the kitchen for cooking. It lacked basics like oil, salt, and pepper, along with spray for wiping counters and soap for hand-washing dishes. Water pressure was poor, which made washing up and showering difficult.

We were in town for the marathon, and the apartment was close to the start line. It had a beautiful view and everything we needed, with lots of great restaurants nearby. Traffic noise came through at times, but that’s city life. I wore earplugs to bed in case loud vehicles passed after I’d turned in. The apartment was perfect for us.