I recently toured the Residences at Miller & Rhoads and while it may not have met with my preconceived visual expectations - no Tea Room, no grand escalators and no Santa - the concept itself is definitely appealing and the urban views are pretty spectacular. The mixed-use project has transformed a historic landmark into a 250 room hotel - the Hilton Garden Inn, 133 residential condominium units and 21,000 sq. ft of street level commerical space. And no matter if you are visiting or living downtown- you have access to business, dining and entertainment right out your front door.
I found myself reminiscing about my life 15 years ago - pre-kids - and thinking how unfortunate it is that I missed the boat on this "lock and leave" lifestyle. At the time, we owned our first house in the Malvern area of the city and we commuted to work for 10-hour work days, drove to our fitness center and travelled downtown nearly every weekend for Friday Cheers or to explore nightlife in Shockoe Bottom. In contrast, the lucky owners at the new M & R will be able to walk to work, exercise in the fitness center or swim a few laps in their own building and then grab a bite to eat followed by a concert at The National or the future CenterStage, or maybe even a ballgame in an eventual Shockoe Center. Had a tough day at work? Why not pack it in early after picking up dinner from the hotel restaurant. Oh - and they will likely be exploring the riverfront area or heading out of town for the weekend because there won't be any pesky yardwork to keep them at home. Sound enticing? You bet. Call me in 15 years - once the kids are launched - I just might trade in the house and yard for urban living.
I found myself reminiscing about my life 15 years ago - pre-kids - and thinking how unfortunate it is that I missed the boat on this "lock and leave" lifestyle. At the time, we owned our first house in the Malvern area of the city and we commuted to work for 10-hour work days, drove to our fitness center and travelled downtown nearly every weekend for Friday Cheers or to explore nightlife in Shockoe Bottom. In contrast, the lucky owners at the new M & R will be able to walk to work, exercise in the fitness center or swim a few laps in their own building and then grab a bite to eat followed by a concert at The National or the future CenterStage, or maybe even a ballgame in an eventual Shockoe Center. Had a tough day at work? Why not pack it in early after picking up dinner from the hotel restaurant. Oh - and they will likely be exploring the riverfront area or heading out of town for the weekend because there won't be any pesky yardwork to keep them at home. Sound enticing? You bet. Call me in 15 years - once the kids are launched - I just might trade in the house and yard for urban living.
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