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I'm dying to find out what you decide! My guess is when you get here, you're going to prefer the location & ambience of the Park Cities, but the much bigger house for your money in Southlake. Interesting to see whether location or the house wins.
I think your budget is right around $1M. If you can find a 5 bedroom house in the Park Cities for that, it's probably going to be a 1980s new construction (the worst era of brick block houses!) on a schrunchy lot in UP over by SMU- the least desirable area of the Park Cities. $1M will get you a completely updated cottage from the 1920s-1940s with approx 2,000-3,000sf or a small empty lot in HP near the tollroad or the 1980s house over by SMU.
One thing to consider is one or both of you could lease office space in Highland Park Village. There is a multi-use rental facility on the 2nd floor above Chanel/ Anthropologie/ Starbucks. They have a common reception area, conference rooms tenants can use, and kitchen/ break room facilities. There are different configurations of office space, but you can literally rent one 8x10 office for $500/mo or so. Lots of very small or family businesses office there. It would also give you good starting connections in HP since most all the tenants are from the Park Cities. Just another option to consider.
frankly--if you are a happy family, then you can be happy pretty much anywhere...and if you have discretionary income, problems can be addressed much less stressfully than without it...
I hope you have been using a good MLS site and doing some video shopping because that does give framework for what is in your price range in both places...
I can PM you an excellent MLS site that is well-organized, covers all of DFW, and has great map/school feature and this is not an ad--I never used any agents from there but it is great search site with email tickler for new listings...
Turlecreek you are exactly right. When I've been cruising the houses online I'm finding that if we can eel out $1.X we have our choice of stunning beauties to choose from. Drop down to a lowly $999,999 and those options look pretty humble - aside from a few new construction townhomes by SMU and one or two adorable cottages.
Wondering...what is it like to live so close to so many people? I see these impossibly pretty homes on a postage stamp sized lot and know I'd better LOVE my neighbors! Lol! Seems we'd either luck out and have amazing neighbors or end up feeling it's too close for comfort. True, good and bad neighbors exist everywhere. But on smaller lots you very likely really get to know them quickly.
loves2, I've been stalking homes on briggsfreeman ang mathewsnichols for months. Love these sites! Huge photos, mapping functionality etc.
What are the "better" parts of the park cities to live in? Those tollways and major roads surely make an impact. Is it less desirable to live near SMU? We think we will either lease a furnished condo in turtle
creek or see if we can't lease a something in the park cities. Furnished is ideal, as we are keeping our home up here.
Love the idea of office space above Chanel. Holy smokes!!! I think I'd be on cloud nine! Ha! My husband might not think it's such a wise investment...it's like taking a diabetic on a tour of the Godiva chocolate headquarters
so...when we visit what should we do? Where should we eat? What are things we can do that will inspire us to move even more quickly? We are not party people. We love great dining, art, terrific views, seeing incredible neighborhoods, working out, walking. And we will have a toddler with us.
I definitely want to see white rock lake. I'd love to see a killer view of downtown Dallas from wolfgang puck's new restaurant. Snider plaza, HP village etc. Katy trail. What are some droolworthy streets to drive down?
loves2, I'll definitely take you up on your offer for the real estate sites. I'm guessing I might be on them already (the two I mentioned above) but I am grateful for any and all help
oops - sorry for any confusion above - I was replying from my iphone with my old user ID. That's me above.
The only undesirable parts are the area by SMU (Lovers Lane to the north, Mockingbird to the south, Hillcrest to the west, & 75 to the east) and by the high school (Lovers to the north, University to the south, Preston to the east, & Tollroad to the west). The SMU area has lots of traffic, students for neighbors, small lots, & too many cars parked on the streets. The area by the high school just had a lot of traffic & students.
I prefer UP to HP for families with kids- there are way more kids in UP. Plus, I'm partial to Hyer Elementsry, my alma matter.
As for what to do, for the UP experience, check out Goar Park (University & Haynie, by UP City Hall). Great playground, tennis courts, & pond where you can feed the ducks. Across the street is UP city hall. On Saturdays, they wash the fire trucks & it's a popular field trip for young kids.
Next, check out the UP Pool at Lovers & Dickens, which is open to all UP residents (for a small annual fee) from Memorial to Labor Day. Have lunch at Snider Plaza (Zoe's Kitchen is great, and Peggy Sue's BBQ is an institution, as is Bubba's Fried Chicken). Stroll through the shops and be sure to stop at JD's Chippery for the world's best chocolate chip cookie. Mustang Donuts on Hillcrest will make you forget Krispy Kreme ever existed.
Spend the afternoon driving around- check out the estates tucked in between Preston, Lovers, Turtle Creek and University. Major gated estates & wonderful old & new architecture. Best Christmas lights in Dallas! The two elementary schools are UP (across from the UP Pool on Lovers) and Hyer (on Caruth, just east of Preston). Drive the streets north of Lovers Lane for a good idea of UP living (Caruth, Greenbriar, Southwestern, Bryn Mawr, Hanover- just zig zag back and forth from the Tollroad to Boedecker (almost to 75) and you will see all UP has to offer, from tiny 1,200sf cottages to $5M new construction. Caruth Park is another jewel of a park- tennis courts, soccer field, pond, & playground on Hillcrest & Greenbrier.
Check out Preston Center- shopping for mom at Tootsie's and Calypso, for kids at KidBiz, the neighborhood Tom Thumb (grocery store). Have dinner at Houston's (beware the long wait) or Taco Diner. The local Baskin Robbins is nearby.
For churches, Highland Park Presbyterian (by Goar Park on University) has a big, family-centered congregation. It is PC- USA, but leans more conservative than the typical USA church. Park Cities Baptist (Northwest Hwy by Preston Center) is also a big church with a huge youth group.
Wow, Turtlecreek! I'm printing off your amazing itinerary. We're so excited about all of the info that we are planning a trip two weeks from now. I can't thank you enough for being so specific. It sounds like an ideal way to spend a few days.
We are still considering W. Plano, too. Looking at the map (and at properties online) it looks geographically desirable. But we're open to what opportunities every area has to offer. Typically you spend some time in an area and can tell when it feels "right" for you.
Thank you SO much. If you end up with time for the HP itinerary I'll print it out as well! Can't wait to get to Texas!
Ok, finally had time to put together a best of HP itinerary for you! Since y'all are a young couple, including some Uptown/ Knox-Henderson spots so you can see the fun things you can take advantage of easily in Dallas if you choose the Park Cities.
Start with breakfast at Capitol Pub (Henderson @ Capitol). Great patio & fresh, healthy breakfast menu. Lots of young singles, couples, dogs, and the occasional kiddos.
After breakfast, drive back over 75 and park by Weir's on Knox Street. Great locally owned furniture store! Walk a block west & hop on the Katy Trail going south towards downtown. On a weekend, it will be full of people, young and old, walking/ running/ biking/ rollerblading. Round trip to/ from American Airlines Center is 6 miles, so turn around and loop back whenever you want.
After your walk, go back down Knox Street 3 blocks to Wild About Harry's for Harry's famous frozen custard. It's an institution!
Now off to tour Highland Park. Drive down Knox Street past the Katy Trail until it dead ends at Abbott. You are now in HP. This is my "beautiful homes of HP" tour. Go right onAbbott and quick left onto Euclid. About a mile down, you'll see a Spanish-style building to your right. This is HP town hall, library, and fire/PD station. Continue on Euclid & turn right when you reach Lakeside. The city is derdging the lake now, but it is usually full & tons of ducks live there. Great place to run, picnic, toss a frisbee, etc. Lakeside is one of the very nicest streets in HP. Homes start at $5M++. A-Rod lived on Lakeside when he played for the Rangers. Notice the huge estates across the water. Jerry Jones who owns the Cowboys lives over there, as well as old money real estate families and new money finance families.
Turn right at Bevely, where Lakeside ends. The golf course in front of you is the Dallas Country Club, a private invitation golf & social club. At the eastern end of the DCC is a house on a double lot on the north side of Beverly. Robert Rowling, CEO of Omni Hotels, lives there. Beverly is the nicest or second nicest street in HP. Mix of old 1920s homes with new construction. Take Beverly all the way to Hillcrest. Left on Hillcrest, right on Drexel. Zig-zag through this neighborhood between Hillcrest and Airline as most of the homes here are in your $1Mish price range.
Back on Hillcrest, drive north to Mockingbird (corner of SMU campus) and turn right. Drive about 1.5 miles, past the north side of the DCC until you reach Preston Road.
Turn left & quick right into the shopping center- this is Highland Park Village. Mid-tier (Anthropologie and Banana Republic) into high end (Hermes, Harry Winston, Chanel) shopping, as well as restaurants and neighborhood things like a grocery store, dry cleaners, shoe repair and movie theater which is being renovated. HP Village is only on it's 3rd owner (local family) since t was built in the 1930s. It was the first open air mall built in the US. At Christmas time, all the trees are wrapped in white lights, a tree is lit, and carriage rides circle HP.
Leave the Village and head south on Preston. Pass Beverly and turn right at the next light, Armstrong. More gorgeous huge homes, both old and new! Wind your way up Armstrong & turn left onto Bordeaux. You will drive all the way to the Tollroad and turn right. Now zig-zag almost every street between the Tollrosd and Lomo Alto north to Mockingbird- these are the biggest concentration of HP homes in your price range. Right onto Mockingbird & you'll pass Bradfield, an elementary school on your right.
This concludes the HP tour!
I recommend after this you take 75 South to Ross Ave exit & go into downtown to check out the Arts District. Stop by the DMA (which has an under 40 donor circle called Junior Associates that you may want to join for networking & social fun) or the Nasher Sculpture Center. There are several smaller museums nearby, as well as the Meyerson Symphony Center, the new Winspear Opera House, & the soon to open Dallas Center for Performing Arts.
In the evening, for the classic HP experience, eat dinner at the Mi Cocina in HP Village. Be sure to check out the charming Monkey Bar on the 3rd floor. The Wilson brothers are known to stop by when they're in Dallas visiting their parents.
A second option is eating on Knox Street- Chuy's is laid-back Mexican, Tolouse is a French bistro, Sangria is good tapas, Ziziki's in Travis Walk is excellent Greek food. There are a few wine bars sprinkled throughout the area, too.
Ok, finally had time to put together a best of HP itinerary for you! Since y'all are a young couple, including some Uptown/ Knox-Henderson spots so you can see the fun things you can take advantage of easily in Dallas if you choose the Park Cities.
Start with breakfast at Capitol Pub (Henderson @ Capitol). Great patio & fresh, healthy breakfast menu. Lots of young singles, couples, dogs, and the occasional kiddos.
After breakfast, drive back over 75 and park by Weir's on Knox Street. Great locally owned furniture store! Walk a block west & hop on the Katy Trail going south towards downtown. On a weekend, it will be full of people, young and old, walking/ running/ biking/ rollerblading. Round trip to/ from American Airlines Center is 6 miles, so turn around and loop back whenever you want.
After your walk, go back down Knox Street 3 blocks to Wild About Harry's for Harry's famous frozen custard. It's an institution!
Now off to tour Highland Park. Drive down Knox Street past the Katy Trail until it dead ends at Abbott. You are now in HP. This is my "beautiful homes of HP" tour. Go right onAbbott and quick left onto Euclid. About a mile down, you'll see a Spanish-style building to your right. This is HP town hall, library, and fire/PD station. Continue on Euclid & turn right when you reach Lakeside. The city is derdging the lake now, but it is usually full & tons of ducks live there. Great place to run, picnic, toss a frisbee, etc. Lakeside is one of the very nicest streets in HP. Homes start at $5M++. A-Rod lived on Lakeside when he played for the Rangers. Notice the huge estates across the water. Jerry Jones who owns the Cowboys lives over there, as well as old money real estate families and new money finance families.
Turn right at Bevely, where Lakeside ends. The golf course in front of you is the Dallas Country Club, a private invitation golf & social club. At the eastern end of the DCC is a house on a double lot on the north side of Beverly. Robert Rowling, CEO of Omni Hotels, lives there. Beverly is the nicest or second nicest street in HP. Mix of old 1920s homes with new construction. Take Beverly all the way to Hillcrest. Left on Hillcrest, right on Drexel. Zig-zag through this neighborhood between Hillcrest and Airline as most of the homes here are in your $1Mish price range.
Back on Hillcrest, drive north to Mockingbird (corner of SMU campus) and turn right. Drive about 1.5 miles, past the north side of the DCC until you reach Preston Road.
Turn left & quick right into the shopping center- this is Highland Park Village. Mid-tier (Anthropologie and Banana Republic) into high end (Hermes, Harry Winston, Chanel) shopping, as well as restaurants and neighborhood things like a grocery store, dry cleaners, shoe repair and movie theater which is being renovated. HP Village is only on it's 3rd owner (local family) since t was built in the 1930s. It was the first open air mall built in the US. At Christmas time, all the trees are wrapped in white lights, a tree is lit, and carriage rides circle HP.
Leave the Village and head south on Preston. Pass Beverly and turn right at the next light, Armstrong. More gorgeous huge homes, both old and new! Wind your way up Armstrong & turn left onto Bordeaux. You will drive all the way to the Tollroad and turn right. Now zig-zag almost every street between the Tollrosd and Lomo Alto north to Mockingbird- these are the biggest concentration of HP homes in your price range. Right onto Mockingbird & you'll pass Bradfield, an elementary school on your right.
This concludes the HP tour!
I recommend after this you take 75 South to Ross Ave exit & go into downtown to check out the Arts District. Stop by the DMA (which has an under 40 donor circle called Junior Associates that you may want to join for networking & social fun) or the Nasher Sculpture Center. There are several smaller museums nearby, as well as the Meyerson Symphony Center, the new Winspear Opera House, & the soon to open Dallas Center for Performing Arts.
In the evening, for the classic HP experience, eat dinner at the Mi Cocina in HP Village. Be sure to check out the charming Monkey Bar on the 3rd floor. The Wilson brothers are known to stop by when they're in Dallas visiting their parents.
A second option is eating on Knox Street- Chuy's is laid-back Mexican, Tolouse is a French bistro, Sangria is good tapas, Ziziki's in Travis Walk is excellent Greek food. There are a few wine bars sprinkled throughout the area, too.
Sounds almost as good as Lakewood!
Seriously, most folks would probably never see the HP town hall but you included it and gave great directions.
IF they want to tour SMU, they can easily just do the loop up Bishop Blvd.
They could also go downtown via Turtle Creek Blvd/Cedar Springs to the Ritz/Carlton and Crescent Hotels.
I remember when Peggy Sue BBQ was "Peggy's Beef Bar". But just now I am craving Kuby's potato salad. Must be Oktoberfest...
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