My wife, Donna and I bought our condo in Glenwood South nearly 9 years ago, when 510 Glenwood stood alone as the first condo building in Raleigh’s entertainment district. Today, newer and taller condos have followed the trend and sprung up in the neighborhood, beckoning us to jump ship. We’ve stayed put.
We are empty nesters, and have always been happy with our decision to sell our house in the suburbs 10 years ago when our children left for college. We have lived in much larger condo buildings, including a turn of the century skyscraper in downtown Philadelphia where we could view the city from 20 floors up. But we’ve found that urban anonymity increases with the number of building units. At 510 Glenwood there are only 36 units, located on the top three floors. It’s easy to get to know our neighbors. If someone’s new on the elevator, introductions are soon made. We’re also pleasantly surprised at the number of condo owners that have been in the building along with us since the beginning. Their friendship has always given us a feeling of belonging, even when we were newcomers.
Also an important reason for staying at 510 all these years is the abundant outdoor space. Our condo has one of the larger terraces in the building, doubling the size of our living area. It’s practical living space for us, as evidenced by outdoor furniture (with seating for 10), where we spend a large portion of our time.
We’re pleased that there are so many more options for downtown living today in Raleigh, adding to the energy and diversity of our neighborhood, but we plan for now to watch it happily from our terrace.