I toured 3 one-bedroom apartments in Portland, Maine. It made me want to give up my NYC apartment.

The Armature opened in the summer of 2023 and has 171 units, including studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments.

The exterior of the building was modern and incorporated wood and stone materials.

The surrounding area could be best described as industrial, with a smattering of shops and stores and a close walk to the Old Port.

A barbecue restaurant and other shops were open right across the street from the apartment building, and a courtyard with benches offered me a spot to rest my feet after walking around Portland all morning.

From a foosball table to arcade games, the room looked like a fun place for residents to hang out. Among its amenities, the building also had a gym and a designated mail area.

A large lawn space with games took up the middle section of the apartment complex. I don't have anything like this in my current neighborhood — the closest public park is about a mile away.

When I stepped outside, the air was brisk and I could hear the cawing of seagulls overhead, something I experienced often throughout my few days in Portland. It felt noticeably more serene than my current digs.

The apartment building boasted indoor and outdoor fitness rooms, a yoga room, grills, fire pits, and a lap pool for both leisurely swimming and exercise.

The deck was spacious and had a lot of seating for residents to use.

The one-bedroom apartment, which measured 719 square feet, had hardwood floors and large windows that let in ample natural light.

Pricing varies depending on a number of factors, such as when you apply, but this unit started at $2,625 a month when I viewed it in August 2024.

There admittedly wasn't much historical charm to this space — I live in a historic brownstone, so the places couldn't have felt more different.

However, I think the space could be warmed up with some personal touches. For those looking for a blank canvas when it comes to interior decorating, this would certainly fit the bill.

This apartment reminded me of a lot of luxury buildings I've toured over the years.

I liked the balance of clean, modern choices, such as the white walls and large square windows, softened by the wooden accents and dark countertops that gave it a bit more character.

As with most luxury buildings, the apartment was equipped with a washer, dryer, and dishwasher. While this might sound like a no-brainer to most renters, those amenities can be hard to come by in New York City.

My current apartment doesn't have any of those amenities. In fact, my building, let alone the apartment unit, doesn't even have laundry machines.

The bathroom in the Portland apartment also had a tub and a modern rain shower head, which was a plus.

From the outside, The Casco looked almost like a high-end hotel, due to its brick siding and modern marquee. It was also located in what I considered to be a prime location at the top of the Old Port neighborhood, which is close to the water and many of Portland's buzziest shopping streets and restaurants.

I could walk from the building to the water in less than 15 minutes, giving it the authentic Portland feel I was craving.

The apartments were completed in 2023. The 18-story building is the tallest building without a steeple in the entire state and houses 261 units. There are only two other buildings in the state that are taller: Saint Joseph's Church in Biddeford and Agora Grand Event Center in Lewiston, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported.

It was accented by a few pieces of midcentury-modern furniture and a plant. However, much of the focus was on the staircase and polished concrete floors.

The first place I toured in the building was an equipped gym with treadmills, bikes, and other workout equipment.

In New York City, I pay about $30 a month for Blink Fitness, which I have to walk a mile to, so having a gym in my apartment building would be a major step up.

In addition to a gym and multiple coworking spaces, the building also had an enclosed sky lounge with sweeping views of the city.

I could see views of the Old Port, the pier, and Casco Bay.

The one-bedroom I toured starts at $2,520 a month and measures 523 square feet. The apartment was staged when I toured it, which allowed me to visualize how the space could be utilized.

I liked how the cabinets were a simple white color, which made the space feel bigger and brighter. The kitchen came equipped with an oven, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, washer, and dryer.

The medium-tone wood floors made the space feel warm and cozy, which I preferred compared to the darker floors of the previous apartment. The bedroom also featured the same views.

While the view varies depending on the floor you live on, many apartments at The Casco supposedly had great views of the harbor and surrounding area.

The same cabinetry from the kitchen carried through into the bathroom, as did the wooden floors. The tub and shower combo was a little less modern-looking, but that wasn't a dealbreaker for me.

The apartment was also a little bit cheaper, and I preferred the location. However, I still couldn't get over the amenities of the first apartment building, from the pool to the outdoor courtyard and many, many coworking spaces.

Owned by the same management company as The Casco, Nightingale is housed inside a renovated 1940s-era hospital that was once called Mercy Hospital.

The exterior of the building still looks like a hospital from the front, with many of the original architectural details. The building houses 165 units and several commercial spaces.

The neighborhood was quiet and quaint, made up of mostly historic houses. People could be seen walking their dogs around the block, but it overall felt much less bustling and more residential than the Old Port neighborhood.

I was excited to see how this more historic building would differ from the skyscraper-style buildings I previously toured.

The real-estate agent told me that the original crest on the floor had been restored during the construction of the apartments in 2023.

This was just one of the unique touches I saw throughout the building. I was also told that, due to historical building preservation rules, the hospital could not be completely gut-renovated when it was turned into an apartment building.

This meant that most of the original structure and details were left behind.

The fitness room was clean and updated.

Nightingale appeared to place a lot of focus on catering to remote workers, due to the many coworking spaces and the option of getting an apartment with a built-in home office.

As a remote worker myself, this was definitely appealing to me.

Even though the apartments I saw had smaller square footage than my current two-bedroom apartment I share with a roommate, I liked how the communal spaces added more areas to hang out, cook, or work.

The deck had different seating areas and views of the West End neighborhood, which features historic buildings and quaint tree-lined streets.

In some areas, it still felt like a hospital, which was probably due to the decision not to change much of the internal structure.

However, it appeared that the building management was doing a lot to make the building feel more like a community. Some resident events included paint and sips, resident mixers, and rooftop yoga.

The one-bedroom apartment I toured was 649 square feet and cost $2,550 a month. Unlike the other two apartments, the floors weren't wooden and were more of a beige linoleum.

The first thing I noticed about the apartment was the 9-foot-tall ceilings.

While the bedroom was spacious, and likely could be improved with some cozy furniture and rugs, the unstaged apartment felt a touch — for lack of a better word — clinical. There wasn't much light coming in, due to the one small window in the bedroom.

In my current apartment, I keep all of my clothes on a standing clothing rack, so this would have been a major upgrade.

There was no tub in the unit, which was a slight drawback considering I love to take baths. However, the washer and dryer would definitely be an upgrade compared to my current apartment.

Despite differing from some of my personal design aesthetic preferences, the space alone and high ceilings were certainly a major plus, and the location was quiet and very residential.

The Casco really impressed me with its cozy interiors and sweeping views of the water. I think it helped that the apartment was staged, but I still preferred the finishings and location compared to the other two buildings.

While I don't have any plans to give up my New York City apartment, all three of these Portland apartments had me seriously considering leaving the Big Apple for the slightly slower-paced, seaside city.