5 YEARS IN DOWNTOWN

5 FAVORITE THINGS about living downtown.

This month marks our fifth year living in Downtown Dallas, so we wanted to take some time to reflect on some of our favorite things about living in the city. 

1. CENTER OF THE CITY

Dallas is big. No, it's not as populous as New York, but the city of Dallas spans far and wide, and downtown is truly the center of the city (seriously, Google "Dallas" and see where the pin drops, lol). That said, so many major events run through downtown (all the major city parades, food festivals, etc.). Yes, we’ve  probably complained once or twice about some of the congestion this brings, but it really is great for the city.

2. BUT IT'S ALSO QUIET

Downtown Dallas is certainly a true CBD (central business district) that is bustling Monday - Friday, 8-5 and drops off outside of that time. However, looking at the glass half full, this makes for some nice quiet moments on weekend mornings and late evenings. Yes, there is still activity outside the work week, but being able to walk freely and hop into some of our favorite restaurants without having to wait forever is a great treat.

3. A TRUE NEIGHBORHOOD

Living most places for 5 years, you definitely become accustomed to where things are, but not every area feels like a neighborhood. For instance, one of our favorite things to do together downtown is grab coffee. On our 2 block walk to Weekend Coffee, we always (no exaggeration) see a friendly, familiar face at Le Labo ("Hi, Jaffrene!"), when we are then greeted by Tim and his valet crew at The Joule Hotel. If we're lucky enough, we'll bump into our dear college friend, Michael ("Wreck 'Em Tech!"), who's also at the Joule and catch up on all things Dallas and Texas Tech. It's very well documented how much we visit Weekend Coffee, but one thing we probably don't show is how much we love all the staff there. From Bethany hanging by the counter to Emilio crafting our "two capps", it really is nice going "where everybody knows... your name".

Coffee aside, the neighborhood is also galvanized by the fact that downtown isn't necessarily the hottest area to live in Dallas. Uptown, Greenville, and a handful of others are viewed as more desirable living destinations than downtown, so that results in a collection of people who choose to be here simply because it's downtown. 

4. THE ROMANCE OF LIVING AMONG THE BUILDINGS

This is a feeling that has simply not gone away in the years we've lived here. Whether it's walking to work or his Saturday morning walks, Eddie definitely cherishes how walkable and photogenic the city is. And we've definitely caught ourselves walking back home from Americano or 7-11 and expressing to each other how fortunate we are to be immersed in this concrete jungle.

5. IT'S GETTING BETTER AND BETTER

We'd be lying if we said downtown was perfect. It's actually far from it. However, it's gotten better and better in the time we've lived here and continues to do so. With all things Headington serving as our anchor, the arrival of new and upcoming projects like The Statler (Angelee's longtime favorite Dallas building), The Commissary, and all the renovations happening at The Adolphus, there hasn't been a better time to live downtown!