Apartment Review for The Copycat Building - Baltimore, MD

The landlord is the Prince of Darkness. Paint chips rain down whenever your upstairs neighbors carve blocks of stone or have band practice. You must have a "game face" and possibly a large dog to go out after 9pm. I lived with about thirteen roommates at one point, with at least three bands based in our house. I made artworks three and four times my height and I hosted parties with thousands of my closest friends and well wishers. I loved living there. I literally dream of it at night. Physically, CopyCat is like living in a ruin porn photo spread. It is like camping more often than not-- the heat doesn't come on until the temp dips below 32-- the facilities and windows are often broken. My neighbors were trust funded louts, detestable "punk" animals, romantics and addicts. The management, too, are ruthless and savage-- truculents, out to squeeze you for every last penny. Expect waits of up to three months to fix toilets. Only one floor is up to code. Living in the Copycat is like living on the set of your favorite film. The architecture is stunning-- 14 foot high ceilings, exposed brick, original crescent windows. Elevators that look like something out of that warehouse in "Highlander." The gutters don't work and there is a huge number of honeybee hives throughout the airshafts and roof. The building itself is over a hundred years old and has never been rehabbed. It is a haunting and lovely, dirty, mess of a place. I will never forget my time there and neither will any of the assorted drunks, debauchees, dreamers, idiots, losers and queers I shared the place with. I recommend it to anyone fearless. Anyone who wants to develop their character. Anyone who wants to experience a real life.