Oct. 12--Four little schoolgirls pile out of an SUV in their plaid jumpers on a Friday afternoon. The back lift-door swings up to reveal a row of pink and purple rolling backpacks.

The doorman asks, "Having a sleepover?" as pairs of 5- and 7-year-olds race into the lobby where the rug in front of the elevator is changed three times a day to read Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening.

This New York-sounding scene took place at Dallas' Victory Park.

Bo and Tiffany Kice live with their two school-age daughters in the W Hotel Residences. She's a CPA working downtown at KPMG, and he's an IT person at AT&T in Richardson.

Their 1,900-square-foot apartment includes a 200-square-foot terrace that dazzles their friends with its spectacular views.

They've been renting for 14 months. Apartments for sale in the building start at $460,900 and go up to almost $2.5 million.

"Ross Perot [Jr.] and Hillwood did something that no one else has done in Dallas," Mr. Kice said. "Maybe they didn't execute a lot of things right, but overall, they did it right. And the negatives, they can be fixed."

The Kice girls, Kadia, 7, and Isala, 5, play in Victory Park and ride bikes in the AT&T Plaza, especially when the water spouts are turned on.

They watch movies on the Times Square-size screens, hop on the Katy Trail next to American Airlines Center and walk to the Dallas World Aquarium and the Nasher Sculpture Garden.

Kadia loved going to the "neighborhood" Bruce Springsteen concert. Last Christmas, she learned to ice skate on the temporary rink.

Isala watches the elephants take daily walks when the circus is in town.

"We want to stay here," Mrs. Kice said.

"I want the shops to stay unique, not what you find in the mall, but we just need a more moderate mix."

She praised home furnishings store Haven for stocking affordable items such as candles and $10 water glasses.

A grocery store would be nice, she said. Hillwood is negotiating to put one in the House, a residential high-rise opening soon.

"Whole Foods is a short trip up the tollway," Mr. Kice said. "But the purpose of living here isn't to drive to the store."

The condo fees are roughly 80 cents per square foot, or about $1,360 a month for the Kices, who weighed that against yard and pool maintenance, security alarm fees and energy efficiencies they never had in a single-family home. Their electric bill for July was $89.

"We love it here. It's a fantastic place. But we are worried about living above vacant space," Mr. Kice said. "There's never anyone here. An urban lifestyle should be full of energy and lots of people.

"As far as I know, Hillwood has never asked current residents what they want."

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