GABLES RAVELLO Apartments – INSIDER REVIEW

LOCATION

The Gables State Thomas Ravello is a larger, Mid-Rise apartment residence in the quieter State Thomas area of Uptown Dallas. The area has a distinct neighborhood feel, with primarily apartments, and private residences, and a small amount of retail in smaller shops. There are many trees around the area, and this is a great part of Uptown Dallas to go for a run or just enjoy outdoors. There are also some popular “insider” night spots for Uptown Dallas in walking distance.

Walking directly around the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments: If you look out the front door of the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments’ entrance, you see other residences (multi story). Directly to the right you see about 3 boutique shops. Directly to the left, you see the Central Expressway/75 in the distance (not close). The location is about 1 block away from the busy McKinney Avenue, which means quick access to the night life of McKinney Avenue as well. The location is also right next to the very affluent ZaZa hotel. This hotel is a favorite of out of celebrities and has more of a boutique feel. Overall, I would consider this location as very good.

Access Out to Downtown or North: The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments has very quick access to downtown Dallas. You can get on the Central Expressway access road and be downtown in just a few minutes. Or, you can take Allen Street to Mckinney Avenue, and take a quick left on Pearl to cross the Woodall Rogers, and you will be there. Also accessible in a few minutes, but a little more congested than the other way. If you work north of downtown (North Dallas or Plano), or if you travel, it is probably best to get on Pearl, which will then take you to the North Dallas Tollway (all in about 4 minutes). Overall, access is very quick to either work or the airport.

Access to the 4 Key Features of Uptown Dallas: There are 4 Key Features of Uptown Dallas that get you access to a better social life and fun. For Uptown Dallas, a huge key is being in QUICK walking access to these features. We think quick access means to be in 7 minutes walking or under. How does the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments do in terms of being able to walk to the 4 Key Features of Uptown Dallas?

• Uptown Trolley – Ravello is near the FREE (that’s right!) Uptown Dallas Trolley. That trolley will take you to all 4 key features, along McKinney Avenue. The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments is within 3 minutes walking distance…just keep on walking on Allen to get to the pickup spot on McKinney avenue. Nice!
• Night Life in Mid-Section – The “super cluster” section of night clubs along McKinney Avenue is within walking distance. This super cluster starts around Boll Street and ends around Holland. For this location, you are super quick to walk to this super cluster…you CAN walk there taking Allen to get on to McKinney, in under 7 minutes. Walkable!
• West Village – The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments are in more of the southern portion of Uptown Dallas. In the NORTH, there is the WEST VILLAGE, with so many shops and restaurants, all in a few blocks. The West Village is NOT in walking distance. But, you can take a quick drive up McKinney Avenue to get there (or catch the free Uptown Dallas Trolley).
• Katy Trail –The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments are NOT truly walking distance, barely. It is about 8 minutes to the public entrance point on Routh Street.

Walk to Groceries? No, not in walking distance but pretty close! The closest grocery store is on McKinney Avenue and Lemmon – Albertson’s. A few minutes driving. You can also DRIVE to the nearby KROGER with organic, Texas grown produce, in North Uptown. You can also walk/Trolley to the Whole Foods on McKinney Avenue.

Overall Location: The location is a in a quieter area, but there are some great spots to quickly walk to. And, then there is the super busy McKinney Avenue area as well. It has some limitations for weekend and daytime enjoyment in walking distance, but nothing that can’t be overcome with a quick drive.

Now, what about the social scene at the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments?

SOCIAL SCENE

The social scene of the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments is strong in my opinion, but in a laid back way. Here is why:

Restaurants and Clubs in QUICK walking distance: You are just a few minutes from McKinney Avenue, with the super cluster of night spots I mentioned. You are also within walking distance of more insider night spots, like Nodding Donkey, State & Allen Pub, etc.

Area is just beautiful: As I mentioned, the area is beautiful and makes people want to get out doors. It is very clean and fun, with many trees and great sidewalks.

DOWNTOWN and AA Center: You can quickly drive to downtown events at the AA center including sports (Mavericks, Stars) and live concerts at the AA Center. You can also visit the Arts district that is just about 4 minutes away.

Building Setup: The building design helps in meeting people because of the “common” areas where everyone goes through to take care of living activities. There is a common mailbox area where you will see everyone else that lives there. The pool inside is also a huge focal point of the community. This is definitely a well design building complex and it will help you meet people.

Monthly Activities: Many Uptown Dallas apartments have SOME sort of monthly activity to help you meet other residents. The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments has the MOST activities of any community I have seen in Uptown Dallas. They have THREE activities every month. One of them is for visiting something outside of the community (think McKinney Avenue night spot) and two activities on the property. Quite a few opportunities to meet people.

Size: The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments is average for Uptown Dallas, with 290 units. This is a spread out community with a lot of space, however, so you feel more spread out than other communities.

The Amenities: The amenities of Gables State Thomas Ravello are on the average side, maybe even a little below. Parking space is provided at no charge. However, the gym is average and the pool is small. There are no other significant amenities.

To sum it up: The location of town is active and close to many things, and people walk frequently. The Gables State Thomas Ravello also has a good building design with common areas to meet people. They also have the most amount of activities to meet other residents of any apartment in Uptown Dallas. The amenities aren’t as helpful. But, overall, this is one of the stronger social scenes in Uptown Dallas.

APARTMENT

Style: The apartments were built in 2000 and are more mid Rise in style. The style/design of the apartments is more “Traditional” in some ways, with primarily carpet interiors, crown molding, etc. However, they also have been nicely upgraded in the kitchens and other areas.

Access in the inner buildings are all controlled access. They are secured with a key fob. And, the hallways are air conditioned/heated with carpet. The controlled access is important because it gives you more security, but also a lower utility bill and more comfort in the hotter/colder months.

The style is pretty basic overall, not flashy. The apartment value for the money is VERY good here in comparison to Uptown Dallas.

Variety of Floor Plans: There are a SMALL amount of floor plans here. They have a lot of 2 bedroom and several three bedroom floor plans as well.

Note: The 2 bedroom with a study has the study closing off completely. It’s also large. So, this is an option for a three roommate option at a lower cost.

Features: Here are some of the features I like at the Ravello:

• Good sized kitchens – the kitchens here are bigger than average for Uptown Dallas. They also include more cabinet space than most.
• Newer appliances – The majority of apartments and the townhomes have newer (black) appliances. The COLBY units have black appliances.
• Patios/Balconies INCLUDED – The majority of apartments have a patio or balcony.
• Washer/dryer included – The apartments include washer dryer sets. Very appreciated!
• Nice size Closets – These closets are great sized. In some cases, they are HUGE!
• Interior storage on the balcony – This is very rare…most of the apartments actually have extra storage on the balcony. That’s oh soo nice!

The Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments has some areas to improve:

• Carpet interiors – most of the apartments have carpet interiors in the living/dining rooms. However, for a $50 a month upgrade, you can get hardwoods installed if you want.
• No walk in showers – Most of the apartment floor plans do NOT have walk in showers.
• Very standard interiors – The interiors are basic and I have no problem with them. However, they also don’t show much imagination with designs or features.

Overall, this is a somewhat standard apartment, but with a few nice extras.

AMENITIES

The amenities at the Gables State Thomas Ravello apartments are below average.

Amenities that are great include:

• Parking Garage Space INCLUDED: Parking for all residents on the lease is included.
• GUEST parking INCLUDED: And, the parking is in the garage, and it is GATED. Not out in the street. Thank you Ravello!
• Pet Friendly Areas – I like the variety of choices to help with walking your dog here. There is a “Pet Park” in the COURTYARD area, and they also have pet stations on the outer areas. They also have great areas outside of the complex.
• Great Views – Some of the top floors have downtown views (there would be more views but another tall residence is blocking them.) Also, there is a beautiful green belt in the back and the apartments in the back face these. I like this view!
• Convenience Store – there is a 7-11 to walk to within 3 minutes.
• On Site Storage Available – there is reasonably priced on site storage available. That is also rarer than not in Uptown Dallas.

Amenity Areas that need improvement are:

• Smaller Pool – Even though the pool is attractive with some flair, it just isn’t big enough for this size of a complex. It also didn’t have enough chairs, only 12.
• Smaller Gym – The gym area actually has a decent amount of size. But the amount of equipment here is sparse. I also think they need to upgrade what they have. I would join an outside gym.
• No Frills – There are no fun or “extra” amenities that might be fun for the community. No ATM machine, no Red Box or movie rental, or other nice extras.

Overall: Amenities are average or slightly below average for Uptown Dallas.

SUMMARY

The Gables State Thomas Ravello has a good “neighborhood” style location in a little less busy section of Uptown Dallas. It has several night spots and restaurants to quickly walk to for night life and fun. You can also quickly access Mckinney Avenue by walking as well. The rent price is also an excellent value. The apartment contains the basics you need, and a few extra good features are thrown in. The apartment interiors are more basic and the amenities are only average.