First time in Dallas, should I stay downtown or uptown? (Victoria: rental car, rental)

[travelino]

Hi, I'm heading to Dallas for the first time for a week. I'll be attending a conference at the Convention Center downtown and also have a free weekend to visit the city. Where would you recommend I stay? These are my options:

- Hyatt Regency downtown: convenient, free shuttle or walk to the convention center, but not many restaurants/cafes/bars/ within walking distance?

- hotel uptown off McKinney Ave: closer to restaurants/cafes/bars, but I'd have to take the bus or a cab to the Convention Center.

I won't have a car except for the weekend.
Thank you!

[ChristieP]

Stay along the DART rail. There is a station right under the Convention Center. By staying on the rail, you will have access to a lot more of Dallas! I know there is a Hyatt Place in the West End, and I'm sure there is a hotel at Mockingbird Station, too.

Hyatt Regency is nice, but VERY isolated. There is almost nothing in walking distance.

[dallas90210]

I would stay in Uptown. There is a ton of fun stuff to do off McKinney, plus it is rather upscale compared to downtown.

[TurtleCreek80]

Uptown is definitely more exciting. Just be aware that cabs are not plentiful in Dallas, so the hotel will need to call one for you each morning/evening. You may look into seeing if there's a way to take the free McMinney Ave trolley to the last stop downtown (by the DMA) and then walk a few blocks to catch a DART train to the convention center?

[travelino]

Thanks for the answers. How about buses? I'm looking into a hotel less than a block away from a stop of the bus lines 29 and 31, which would get me very close to the Convention Center in 15-20 minutes according to the DART schedule. The closest rail station (Victoria) is about a mile away, though.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by travelino

Thanks for the answers. How about buses? I'm looking into a hotel less than a block away from a stop of the bus lines 29 and 31, which would get me very close to the Convention Center in 15-20 minutes according to the DART schedule. The closest rail station (Victoria) is about a mile away, though.

Just looked it up. This seems to be the easiest / cheapest route from Uptown.

1. Take the FREE McKinney Avenue Trolley from hotel to last south-bound stop @ Dallas Museum of Art.

2. Walk 2 blocks south on Harwood to the St Paul DART station.

3. Hop on the RED line DART train.

4. The 4th stop is the Dallas Convention Center. The station is named Convention Center.

[travelino]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Just looked it up. This seems to be the easiest / cheapest route from Uptown.

1. Take the FREE McKinney Avenue Trolley from hotel to last south-bound stop @ Dallas Museum of Art.

2. Walk 2 blocks south on Harwood to the St Paul DART station.

3. Hop on the RED line DART train.

4. The 4th stop is the Dallas Convention Center. The station is named Convention Center.

Thanks again. Between the train/trolley and the bus I should be ok then! To take the trolley I have to walk about 500 yds, not a big deal.

Last question for anybody who might know: where can I pick-up / drop-off a rental car on a Sunday except at one of the airports? It seems all the rental car offices are closed on Sunday from what I gather online.

[Photography]

There are several rental car companies and locations within Downtown Dallas. We aren't allowed to share links here in accordance with the Terms of Service, but you can use Google Maps, type in "rental car near Dallas, TX", and zoom into the area near which you will be staying. Call a couple of the rental car companies to confirm their hours and rates.

[travelino]

Thanks for the info. I realized I can pick up the car in DFW and return it to Love Field, after all it's fairly central.

Ok, the hotel decision boils down to this:

1. are there enough nice restaurants/bars in the West End for going out at night with friends and colleagues (I understand Uptown is better).

2. the Hyatt Regency looks kind of isolated indeed, how is the walk back from the West End at night?
I don't mind the distance provided it feels safe.

3. how long is the bus ride (or trolley + train) from Uptown to the Convention Center? The schedule says about 15-20 min but is it real?

To get an idea, how long does it take to drive in rush hour, say, from McKinney and N Pearl St to the Convention Center, without taking the freeway but going along the bus 29 route? DART.org -- Route 29 Map

Thanks again.

[GreyDay]

In town for 1 night. Why bother with driving. Stay near West Village. Start at Mi Cocina for drinks/dinner. You can then walk over to the Loon and relive college. Then Mckinney ave has about a mile of myraid bars or lounges to visit. No risk of driving. There's even a trolley with limited service. Conversely there's Knox-Henderson which is similar to the row of bars/clubs but a bit older crowd.