The Marc, Palo Alto

I have a unique perspective of this community. My mother lived at the Marc for about 17 years. She recently passed, and her wish was to have her friends and family gather together in the common areas to celebrate her life. This was how much she loved it there. She loved using the beautiful outdoor pool and being able to walk to countless dining and entertainment options. She also attended as many of the functions at the Marc that she could. She loved meeting the residents and really developed an amazingly supportive community there. Her apartment on the fourth floor had stunning views and sunsets, and the location is unbeatable, but it is the residents and staff at the Marc that make it such a special place to live. I want to send a very special thank you to Linda, the general manager, for being absolutely amazing, kind and lovely. We miss you all.

Fantastic experience living here at the Marc. Competent and friendly staff - always available and helpful. Beautiful landscaping and central location makes this a no brainer for clients looking to enjoy their move to Palo Alto.

I have nothing but good things to say about The Marc. The rooms are spacious, the views are incredible and the amenities are top notice. And while
that is reason enough to want to move in(and you should) the truth is what makes the Marc special is Linda Nguyen. To say that she cares about the people who live in the Marc is an understatement and fails to capture her contributions to that community. The fact is, Linda goes the extra mile for the residents every single day. She always greets you with a smile and checks in to make sure you’re happy and comfortable. Whenever there’s a problem, she responds immediately and takes care of it. If you need anything, she always has an answer. You need only ask. I honestly don’t know how she does it.

To sum it all up, and to put it in plainly, Linda makes you feel at home. I loved every single day I spent living at the Marc and I sincerely hope I have the chance to live there again in the future.

We have stayed here for two summers. Definitely love the gym, pool, huge windows, quiet neighborhood, etc.

Linda, Taylor and Andy were so helpful with the move-in process. All went smooth and the minor issues were addressed quickly.

The Marc is truly a gem of an apartment, thanks to Linda and her team. Management is always responsive and deals with any issue with a smile on their face. The location is convenient and safe. Oh, and the view from the upper floors are simply amazing. I would have gladly lived here for longer if I could.

What started out as a short term option ended up being a 5 year stay. It was literally a perfect fit. The Marc is located in a safe, residential neighborhood. It’s proximity was close to work, fabulous restaurants & transportation into the city when needed. We rarely used the car. There was a great sense of community with frequent events if you wanted to join in. Despite events, there was also immense privacy. The amenities were many, such as a local dry cleaning pick up/delivery service, secure/ assigned parking & nightly valet trash pick up. The most appreciated amenity, however, was the downstairs gym. The entire building is immaculate. Denise worked incredibly hard & took great pride in keeping the building spotless. She always had a smile and early morning greeting. Linda, the Community Director, could not have been more accommodating during our stay. She went well beyond the call of duty to provide excellent customer service. Any request was responded to immediately with attention to detail. Her care and concern for the tenants is genuine & she does a great job navigating issues that arise with fairness & expertise. If you are considering living here, you can’t go wrong!

My husband and I, as well as our daughter and her husband are staying in the Marc, in two different apartments, and we all highly recommend it. The location is great, and the views are gorgeous. Lovely pool and gym. Manager Linda is outstanding! extremely friendly and helpful. Berlin and Ruffino are also very vice and helpful. The rent is very high though, but it is Palo Alto … We love it here!

The Marc has always met or exceeded my expectations. Linda in particular is an excellent Property Manager.

The Marc was a great place to stay during my time at Stanford. The building is well equipped - good gym, lovely pool and outdoor lounge area, nice indoor lounge which can be reserved for private parties. The location is terrific, as it’s just a short walk to the shops and restaurants of Palo Alto. And the staff is wonderful - Linda is so helpful and responsive, and Ruffino is always available to help with a smile. I highly recommend the Marc!

Just arrived to my home away from home! Nothing better than being at the Marc during another business trip to Palo Alto. I travel a ton and always stay in hotels to earn points. But not here! I'm happy to give up my points and perks because I get all the amenities and a fantastic location that allows me to walk everywhere - just like being home in Brooklyn! The best part is Lynda and Cynthia. I love walking by their office, knowing that they're there to just say hi and always willing to help in any way possible. Why settle for anything else when you have THE MARC?!

My wife and I have lived at The Marc for 3 years and we find it very enjoyable. The staff, the common spaces, the outdoor grill and pool and the lovely apartment are all first class. We especially value the competent and attentive building staff including the manager, the assistants and the operations staff. They are not only competent but friendly and empathetic!!
Come take a look!!
Charles Lewis-LaMonica

My wife and I stayed in the Marc for almost a year until recently, and we highly recommend it. The views from our apartment are absoloutely amazing, and the location is super!
Nice pool and gym, which we used regularly. The manager Linda is extremely friendly and geniunely nice, and she was always happy to help. The rest of the staff, particularly Berlin and Ruffino, are also very nice and helpful. The rent was not cheap, but it was worth it.

We have been staying in the Marc for just over 1 year now and are very happy with the experience to date. We are in a west facing apartment with a fantastic view over downtown Palo Alto and the Stanford campus. The apartment's premier location allows our daughter to participate in a wide range of activities that would not be possible if we lived further away in other parts of the Bay Area such as Woodside, Mountain View or Los Altos. We are 5-10 minutes drive from our daughter's school, swim club, running track, piano teacher, and coding coach. Apartment manager, Linda Nguyen, and her team of Wienda, Rufino, and Denise really make us feel like the Marc is our home. I spend a meaningful amount of time overseas during the year and I always look forward to returning to the friendly atmosphere that the Marc team generates. Last but not least, the Marc is only a few minutes walk from all the downtown restaurants and stores. Despite its rapid growth in recent years, there is still a great neighborhood feel to Palo Alto and the Marc provides you with easier access than most other major apartment complexes to experience this. Overall, this is a top-class operation.

I've lived at The Marc since before the current management took over. (It was previously Forest Towers, about 10 or 12 years ago.) I've always loved the building and location. There's really not another high-rise apartment building in Palo Alto, and you can't beat the location-- just off University Avenue, where there are ton of good places to eat in walking distance. The views from the upper floors are spectacular, and that, frankly, is the biggest selling point to me.
The new management team is excellent. They are always willing to help out, and seem to take a genuine interest in the quality of life for the residents.
There are two downsides: The rent is typical for Palo Alto, which means painfully high, and the appliances aren't of the quality you would expect given that.
But neither of those points have been enough to convince me that there's any better place for me!

You won't find a better place to call home in Palo Alto. My husband and I were residents at The Marc for a year and would have stayed longer if we didn't have to move. The highlights:
--Location: the Marc is a stone's throw away from all the fabulous restaurants and shops on University Avenue, a short walk to Stanford University and just a quick jaunt to get on the 101 freeway.
--Property: The Marc has a host of amenities, some of my favorites: expresso/cappuccino machine, on site gym, beautifully maintained pool and grill area, heavily subsidized yoga and pilates classes on site. Jade Xiao is an amazing pilates instructor and a Marc treasure!
--People: Saved the best for last! Linda is energetic, always smiling, and somehow responds to any issue with lightning speed. Cynthia has a friendly and welcoming presence. Rufino and Denise keep the Marc sparkling clean. In particular, Denise has gone above and beyond personally to help me with housekeeping issues even when not part of her job responsibility!

If I was to move back to Palo Alto, I would definitely move back to the Marc!

My family and I lived in the Marc for almost 6 years, and our entire stay was an awesome experience. The Marc community is made up of friendly, intelligent and accomplished people; the Marc community leaders were extraordinarily warm, competent and caring.

Yes, it is expensive. But it is Palo Alto. And you get what you pay for. An extremely clean, well-organized building, with gorgeous views over the city and out to the horizon. Less than five minutes on foot will see you downtown. 10-15 minutes' walk to Wholefoods. Secure car parking and excellent extra storage options. Heated pool (towel service in summer), a lovely garden and BBQ area, always immaculate. Terrific fitness center, sauna and well-appointed yoga room, complete with mirrors, DVD player and barre. Apartments are not huge, and some are a little tired, but there is an ongoing improvement program, so when a tenant moves out, the apartment is refitted. Every apartment has a roomy balcony and A/C. Friendly and helpful staff throughout the building - for maintenance, mail receiving or whatever you need. Trash and recycling is collected from outside your door on a daily basis. Dry cleaners pick up and drop off from the office. Regular social events to help you get to know your neighbors. Staff are very receptive to suggestions. As to some of the comments here talking about noise, there has, for the past year or so, been a huge construction project going on next door, which has been dusty and noisy at times. But this now looks to be complete. I am very happy here.

Cynthia and Linda at the Marc are absolutely wonderful. They made the leasing process very easy and enjoyable, and provide excellent service to the residents each day! They make living at The Marc a great experience.

My family of two adults, two kids spent 10 months at the Marc and we all highly recommend it.

PROS:
-excellent location: just two blocks from University Ave, short distance to 101, near Town & Country shopping, Whole Foods, and Stanford - we mostly walked or biked and rarely used our car.
-flexible lease terms - not required to have 12-month lease
-building is impeccably maintained - cleaned meticulously, fast and good maintenance service
-building staff is excellent - extremely responsive and friendly. Manager Linda clearly loves her job, loves the building, and loves her residents - she is very good at her job, as is her staff of Denise, Ruffino, Wienda, and Fatan.
-beautiful heated saltwater pool and outside common areas - always very well maintained
-nice on-site gym with everything you need
-nice common areas, which you can also rent for your exclusive use
-secure parking for cars and bikes
-granite countertops in kitchen and bathrooms
-building makes it super easy to rent furniture - they arrange everything, which makes moving in and out so much less stressful (the furniture itself was only mediocre, but fine for the short term)

CONS:
-it's expensive - but it's Palo Alto/Silicon Valley so everything is
-the apartment itself is good (and certainly well maintained) but not great - the kitchen appliances were dated, the cabinets were not in great shape, lots of carpeting
-we were on the east side of the building - the view was nice but not great but my biggest complaint is that I was always cold because once the sun made it overhead by noon, the apartment cooled down immediately (good in the hot months, not good in the cool months)
-common laundry down the hall - not great with kids

TIP:
-Get an apartment on the west side of possible - better views of Palo Alto and Stanford
-get a lower level if you have a small child (baby/toddler/preschooler) - the balcony always made me nervous but the staff was very accommodating about making it more safe for kids

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay at the Marc and have no hesitation recommending it - and would stay there again if we ever found ourselves back in beautiful Palo Alto!