The lofts are very nice; really large, with beautiful hardwood floors, and with large windows with a nice view. It is true that noise travels, but it is not a big deal. The hallways are well lit and there is plenty of security. The gym, the swimming pool, and the billiards room are all very nice, although the gym is not fully equiped. Amuse across the street is a nice restaurant, though not really a bar (they close at 11 pm even on the weekend). There are a couple of bars up the street (Nelly's and Gilley's)which are nice. As to the residents, some are friendly and polite, others will not even answer when you say hi. To be fair, I haven't met that many people here yet.

On the other hand: Getting from the parking lot to the apartment takes a lot of walking, and if you are carrying something (groceries) that can be a real problem. If you are carrying groceries you have to first park in front of the building (for no longer than two hours, or you will be towed)get the supermarket cart from the front desk, go back out on the front parking lot to load the supermarket cart, go back in, wait for the elevator (always busy), take your groceries to your apartment, and then go back down to the front desk, return the supermarket cart, go move your car over to the resident parking lot, and walk all the way back over to the front desk to take the elevator up to your apartment. There is a freight elevator that is close to the resident parking lot, but that elevator is almost always being used by people moving in or out, and so it's unavailable to the other residents. Also, there is no way to know whether the elevator is being used by someone who reserved it (and thus is unavailable) or whether it is on its way, so you will often stand in front of the freight elevator for a few minutes, then give up thinking its reserved, only to realize later that it was available. Other times you will stand there for five or ten minutes, then realize it is reserved. The elevators by the front desk are a looong way from the resident parking lot, so it's either: a) wait for the freight elevator not knowing if it is available until after you have wasted five or ten minutes; b) bite the bullet and take the stairs; or c) walk all the way over to the main elevators, where you will invariably have to stand around for a while waiting.

In addition, the area is dangerous at night, there is a liquor store nearby and lots of drunks hanging outside of it. If you walk by you will at the very least feel threatened, and often the drunks will engage in what can generously be called 'aggressive panhandleling.' For that same reason, I would stay away from the Dart train station, especially at night.

Finally, the Cafe and the bar in the building are usually empty, and I doubt they will stay in business long. Also, a cup of coffee at Standard and Pours ends up costing six dollars, once you factor in the tip, which you are told is 'greatly appreciated' while you are standing there waiting for your coffee. In addition, because the place is always empty (and I mean always, even at night with the live music), there is no point in being there, you might as well drink coffee in your apartment.

The big hallway on the first floor with all the galleries is also always completely deserted, and the gallerias are always closed (either that or they are poorly lit, or there is no one inside, but they look closed).

Also, during the day anyone can get into the building, the people at the front desk don't even look up when you come in, and the doors in the basement beneath the front desk, with access to the main elevators, are often unlocked, so that anyone can come into the building and get to the apartments. Given the area, I would recommend keeping a gun at home and installing an alarm system.

I mention all of this only to be fair, but as far as I am concerned SSOL is a good place to live, simply because the lofts are so great.

User Responses
From: ajfkljakljfkljaklj	Date: 09/01/2006
Update: Utility bills are extremely high. And this is despite the fact that I am rarely home and leave a/c and lights off all day, and keep the a/c off during the night.
From: NotMeNotYou	Date: 11/01/2007
It's pretty easy to tell if the freight elevator is reserved or not. All you have to do is press the button. If it stays lit, it's coming. If it won't stay lit, it's locked down. I'd also have your meter checked. My bills are quite reasonable. I think you're the person who called me an idiot on my review, correct? Well you've been wrong on several fronts. Check the crime statistics. The DPD has them online and so does the transit police. The stations are nothing to worry about. The people at the front desk always greet me when I walk in. The main elevators are not accessible from the basement unless you have a key card. No reason for a gun or security system, although my company installed a surveillance system that I have to turn on when I'm not here. I certainly wouldn't have it otherwise. The coffee shop is seldom empty and is actually pretty busy at nights, live music or not. I pass by it all the time. Even in the daytime there are a few people in there. Once a week, at least, I eat a sandwich and work on my laptop in the afternoons and only once have I been alone. So the coffee shop is still in business and so is the bar, and the bar seems busy even though I don't go there myself. It's closing in on a year and a half since you wrote your review, so maybe that says something. I think you're just a negative person. It's a fun place to live.
From: tpurpura	Date: 03/06/2008
I think the original poster has some very good views about the community, especially in the utility bill area, Utility bills are extremely unacceptable. The HVAC bill alone is over $100 per month, on top of that you have electricity which averages $90 and water that averages $12 or 15 depending on how much you shower or do laundry. I pay $65 extra $$ for basement parking at the far south end of the building and live at the far north end of the building which really, really sucks!! I drink often and sometimes rarely get the nerve to walk to my car at the extreme end of the building to get to Lemmon Avenue were all the good prices are for beer and spirits. So I am forced to walk down to the HI30 and Lamar liquor store were I am almost certain to get robbed or even posted as a homicide victim because there is a homeless sleep over behind the building. Very, very tricky, this loft business at south side. Here is something that will keep you awake at night, I found a homeless guy in the freight elevator at about 1:00am when I was going down to the basement, He must have pushed the button and waited for the elevator to come down, since the elevator responds to the simple push of a button and instead of a security badge. The elevator is secured by a security badge but only once you enter the elevator. You cannot select a floor until you have acknowledged you badge to the elevator check point inside the damn thing. So be fore warned neighbors, homeless have found a security loophole. Let me also point out the disrespectful neighbors that let their dog spew piss and poop on the hardwood floors without picking up the mess. It???s a nice view especially after a long hard day that you work for just to live here. Let me just put it this way, the convenience store owner and the management could not come to an agreement on their lease and now we are without the convenience of a basement style grocery, thanks south side for the concession! We are also expecting construction on the connecting building next door because it was purchased by Dallas Community College. The building is now going to be the Administration building for DCC and the first stage of construction is removing the sky bridge which is wonderful for people here during the day. There are no, yes I will repeat, NO! Kroger???s or Albertson anywhere in the are. Your local watering hole will be Lemmon Avenue. Just my two cents. Make of it what you will.

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