Is living at The Lorenzo worth it?
By: Nancy Aguilar-Sanchez ‘22
I’ve lived at The Lorenzo for two years now and can say with certainty that everyone’s experience and the value they get out of it is different. Most freshmen and sophomores live on campus because housing is guaranteed or it’s more convenient, but once you reach junior year, it’s a lot less likely that you’ll get on-campus housing. Lots of students find themselves living at The Lorenzo. It’s about an 8 minute drive from campus on Adams and Hope near Figueroa.
Before getting into the pros, let’s get into the living options in the building. A full breakdown can be found on the Lorenzo website. My current room is the Da Vinci floor plan that has two rooms, with two roommates in each, and is roughly $1,175 a month. This is on par to what you’ll find at other buildings around campus, except in other buildings you’d likely have your own room and a parking space included. However, I find that the amenities, security, and community at The Lorenzo makes up for the additional cost, especially since I don’t have a car. There are a range of options with the cheapest rooms going for $999 for a shared 2 person bedroom, having three rooms total, and the most expensive, a solo apartment with a private bedroom, coming down to $3,100/month.
If you have friends that you want to room with, The Lorenzo has a portal where you can match with them ahead of time and then look for apartments that fulfill your group’s needs. If you aren’t rooming with anyone and are opting for a random roommate, The Lorenzo has a system where you take a personality test and input preferences for your living situation. Additionally, you make your own profile so that when you are browsing for roommates, you can check their profile and see if your interests and living habits align. You can also directly message someone and get to know them ahead of time before making that final decision.
Here are some reasons why I recommend The Lorenzo:
Security: Although the surrounding area isn’t the safest, The Lorenzo has gated walls that can only be opened with a resident key. Additionally, the apartment complex has its own team of security guards. I feel very safe in the complex with the additional security you wouldn’t receive renting a room in a house or walk-up apartment.
Amenities: A big plus to living at The Lorenzo is all of the amenities included in the price of your rent. This includes four swimming pools, basketball courts, two gyms, a dance room, a music room, movie theater, game room, study spaces, and an arcade. All you have to do is reserve a time to go. As a person who enjoys going to swimming pools, I love this. The apartment complex also has a nice rooftop lounge and barbecue. The view of DTLA is unmatched!
The Lorenzo Shuttle: As someone who doesn’t own a car, having a convenient means to get to campus is imperative. The shuttle is very helpful. It leaves every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends. It can get a little crowded, but it beats having to walk long distances or paying for a Lyft/Uber.
Metro: Another perk is how close the Metro station is. The LATTC stop on the Expo Line is right next to the apartment complex, so even if you miss the shuttle, you can take the metro to Expo Park and get to campus that way as well. It makes it really easy to make trips to DTLA, Santa Monica, or Culver City.
Apartment Utilities: A washer/dryer is located in every apartment which is super convenient, and there’s a trash chute in every corner of the building. In the apartment, you only share a bathroom with one other person, have ample closet space, a mirror, and a fully furnished living room. You also don’t have to worry about utility, TV, or internet bills because The Lorenzo covers them in the price of your rent!
Restaurant: The restaurant located at The Lorenzo is convenient if you run out of groceries because they’ll deliver right to your door from downstairs! Their chicken tenders and fries are my go-tos. But I do also enjoy their Chicken Teriyaki bowls, chicken sandwiches, and omelets. Their Mexican food and pizza is not my favorite but it’s decent. You’ll definitely find one thing that you’ll love on the menu, guaranteed!
One of the biggest downsides of living at The Lorenzo is that you share a room with someone else, but this isn’t a big deal if you have a friend you pair up with ahead of time or if you’re a flexible person. Dealing with the personnel can sometimes be difficult, but in my experience, if something is broken or not working in your apartment, The Lorenzo services will fix it once you fill out a work order.
One of the big things that personally bothers me is cockroaches and rodents, but this is easily avoided if you live on higher floors and agree with your roommates to never leave food out. I’ve lived on the fifth and sixth floors of The Lorenzo and have never encountered pests, which is not something I can say for Cardinal Gardens on the USC Campus.
Overall, for the amenities, the shuttle, the security, and the convenience of the furnishing and utilities make the complex worth the price for me. The only downside is that you share a room and that sometimes the resident services can be a bit annoying and tedious to work with, but I think that is greatly outweighed by the positives. Just make sure to get a room on the higher floors so that you don’t get any bugs! Good luck house hunting Trojans! <3
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