The L Apartments — Local services in Raleigh

It's a Manhattan apartment feel in downtown Raleigh. Let's start with location. It's on Davie/Dawson/Cabarrus/McDowell. If you know anything about Raleigh, you know that's about the best location in the city. It's wedged between the two primary north and south streets so anyone will be able to find you. And once they figure out where you live you will have friends over all the time wanting to sleep over since they can walk to all the local restaurants and bars. The building is super cool. The "L" is based on the design. It is simply and L shaped building wrapped around a parking deck. Which means there aren't a million residents, which I greatly appreciate. The building is very secure. Only residents can get in and out during non business hours which makes me feel great. One of the coolest things about the place is parking deck entry. You can park on the floor you live on and enter from the deck. Makes hauling groceries just a short hall walk. Speaking of parking deck, this one faces Red Hat Amphitheater. If you don't get caught, you can catch some really good concerts, albeit it is a whole new definition to the nose-bleed seats. Amenities are few, but nice. There is no pool or clubhouse. There is a rooftop terrace with tables, chairs, televisions, and grills. If you were interested in hosting a small sports party gathering it would be perfect. It also makes for a great midnight glass of wine and people watching. There is a gym, but it's more of a small room with a few machines, some dumbbells, kettle balls, and some other small equipment. It's perfect for what is needed and is never too full. There is a package concierge station for picking up boxes as well as on-site dry-cleaning pickup and drop-off. The apartments are beautiful. I have a corner unit with views of McDowell and Davie. Tons of windows and natural light. High ceilings. Modern flooring. Mega storage and floor space for a two bedroom. And it's so quiet. You never hear people in your apartment or in the halls. The staff is amazing. When I submit a ticket for maintenance it's usually done within 24 hours. The office staff always smiles, speaks and knows who you are. It's the...

The L stood for Lucky. Because that's how living here for 6+ years made us feel. We'd wake up to panoramic views of the skyline that rivaled downtown's most photographed spots. The management - from Star in 2018 to Zandra in 2024 - consistently brought the kind of warmth that separated a place to live from a place to call home. The neighbors were refreshingly low-key, but kind enough to hold the parking door open for us or say hi whenever we'd pass them on the way to the trash chute. Our 4F studio made intelligent use of the space, with a divider wall separating the sleeping nook from the living room and windows wide enough to let the city lights pour in.

The L stood for Location. We had it all: award-winning restaurants, breweries, museums, a chocolate factory, and free live music from the Red Hat ampitheater, all in our backyard.

Inside, the L stood for Lofi vibes. It had a hole-in-the-wall charm that was hard to come by in the crowd of high-rise fish tanks downtown. There was no resort pool or flashy balcony. Just a boutique lobby and a hallway of units shaped in the letter L. The modest simplicity matched something inside of us. We felt like we belonged here.

Whatever the L lacked for in amenities, it made up for with its rooftop. It felt like Raleigh's best-kept secret, with string lights, a few lounge chairs, wooden floorboards, and an open-air view of the sunset. It was nothing too fancy. But it was enough to remind us that we were living on top of the world.

The L stood for Low cost - or at least reasonable compared to the surrounding buildings that were charging the same rent as established metros like Seattle, Chicago, or DC. It put urban living in reach for every day people like us.

The L was a W in our book. Living here was us...

I really wanted to love The L Apartments and I did love everything about it, including the location, the modern appliances, the price for what you get. It’s so close to everything I barely noticed the lack of amenities.

I did however have a few hiccups living here. It took months to replace a lost parking card, which I incurred hearty parking fees during that time while also paying for monthly parking fees and the response was basically “oh well, we told you it would take a while to replace the card.” Mind you I also paid $100 for the replacement card.

There are only two staff members that I have seen and there is rarely anyone there on Saturday. There is no one else to contact with any issues and this was a problem for me when I felt my needs weren’t addressed with the urgency and care I would’ve expected, especially for a “luxury” apartment.

The parking deck is open to the public so keep that in mind. I had an issue with the lock not working properly on the 5th floor connecting the apartments to this parking deck. I was concerned just anyone could walk in without a fob. I made this concern known using the texting system, which I told was an adequate form of contact (I was told they hadn’t received several of my messages through the text thread) and nothing was done about it. That door never locked the entirety of my year and a half at the L.

There were just inconveniences that made me ultimately move somewhere else and I do not regret that decision.

BUT . For the price and location I think they are priced right with specials included. You get what...