The real scoop on Dallas (Houston, Miami: rent, condo, movies)

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by aceplace

If you were my tour guide to Dallas, I would probably not visit it either.

Why? You have no particular empathy with, understanding of, or comprehensive knowledge over, the DFW area. You admit you don't know where to find outdoor dining that doesn't face freeways and parking lots, and the only place you can think of to take a visitor is the 6th floor museum.

When people claim that something "doesn't exist", they are not only displaying their ignorance, but also their hubris... believing that if they don't know about it, it must not be there.

Sounds like the people in Houston who hardly attempt to tell a visitor about something to see.

"Uh, the Galleria I guess..." *gag*

Sometimes you just need to become a tourist in your own city and maybe, just maybe, you'll find something cool to do.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Sounds like the people in Houston who hardly attempt to tell a visitor about something to see.

"Uh, the Galleria I guess..." *gag*

Sometimes you just need to become a tourist in your own city and maybe, just maybe, you'll find something cool to do.

Very true. People have a separation between the place they live and the places they tour and explore. And in a metro the size of Houston, it should be easy to do both.

[DFWMike]

I can see the Ops point, especially in the live to work mentality that is probably the rule here(however it is the rule in much of America), and it's not the most naturally attractive place in the world(But I dare suggest Milwaukee would be either, run down bunch of breweries and rusting plants). But I do think it's all in attitude, we have the largest arts district in the nation, building world class museums and some of the outdoor dining in uptown/lower greenville would compare to what you would find in Boston.

It's all in the attitude and what you're willing to make of a place. I should know because I've had runs where I haven't been fond of Dallas, and always end up checking myself when visiting other places. For my money there are few places that have the benefits of Dallas, particularly in the south. I could go on with caveats with this, but all in all it's a decent place to live, we all know what the drawbacks can be, but there are drawbacks with every place.

Btw, cheap cost of living and a great airport, helps to get you out to some of those "work to live" locations without actually having to live there and being stuck in that one location the rest of your life because your house cost is incredible, therefore leaving no money to travel.

[lh_newbie]

I'd venture a guess that people that "work to live" AND are big time outdoor people - skiing, backpacking, beach-goers, etc - wouldn't choose Dallas as a home base. I work with some folks in northern California. Several times per year, they go hiking, skiing, to the beach or white water rafting. They heavily use what those areas have to offer. Colorado offers amazing skiing, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking/rafting. Again, for people that work to pay the bills and then really use the natural geography - living in Colorado isn't an option - it's a requirement.

There's certainly nothing wrong with that lifestyle. I am very happy that those areas and locals are there! When I want to go kayaking or rafting or biking in the mountains, there are local guides I can hire. It's obvious they are passionate about their area. That's a wonderful thing. Ever have a boring guide that's just doing it as a job? Doesn't happen often, cause most guides for such activities are actually "living their work". Getting paid to do what you love. How much better can it get?

Now, we turn to Dallas. Some people love their work here. Just because it's not outdoors, doesn't mean it's not a passion. My job allows me to work on equipment on one of the largest networks in the world. We toss around OC-192's like they're going out of style. I work on the biggest, baddest network gear in the world. I get to work with manufacturers on design issues, help identify bugs, help design data flows measured in the 10's of gigabits per second. To me, this stuff is awesome. I learn every day. I work with some of the brightest minds in the Internet sector. It's a joy to go into work and interact in this environment.

Outside of work, some people are passionate about eating. Some people are passionate about shopping. Some people are passionate about travel. Some people are passionate about spending time in their home spending quality time with their family. Some people are passionate about sitting in their backyard, enjoying their flowers, BBQs and watching their children bouncing in their trampoline. For all these things - Dallas offers something that many more expensive metros don't: a low cost of living that allows DFW residents the ability to do all those things more often.

And that's really the measure of quality of life: the amount of time you spend participating in your passions.

Does that mean Dallas is for everyone? Nope. But that's OK. I love Dallas. I love to travel. My wife and I love having a nice sized home that doesn't require breaking the bank to pay our bills. By having an affordable home and enjoying what Dallas does have to offer - we are living a very good quality of life. We are truely happy. We will be able to travel more and retire early. It fits our list of "wants".

I also work with one person in particular in California that likes to spend time inside the house and going out to eat. We have had conversations and she is looking to move to Dallas. Her husband got an offer here. Since they are both basically home bodies and are both passionate about food, Dallas will offer them a better quality of life. A larger home, a lower monthly mortgage and extra money to eat out more often. For them, Dallas just makes sense.
Brian

[rantanamo]

we should start a list of what one can't do in Dallas

[USA_Mom]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

we should start a list of what one can't do in Dallas

Snow ski?

[dgz]

Yes, I don't think the 'Live to Work' mentality is specific to Dallas. It's a sad fact of life and culture in the U.S. today. There was this article recently that half of Americans won't take summer vacation:

Half of Americans won't take summer vacation - CNBC TV - MSNBC.com

Often when I travel in Asia and South America on vacation, I meet a lot of people traveling from Europe and Australia who are on these six weeks vacations. That is one of many things where the U.S. is not #1 unfortunately.

Originally Posted by DFWMike

I can see the Ops point, especially in the live to work mentality that is probably the rule here(however it is the rule in much of America), and it's not the most naturally attractive place in the world(But I dare suggest Milwaukee would be either, run down bunch of breweries and rusting plants). But I do think it's all in attitude, we have the largest arts district in the nation, building world class museums and some of the outdoor dining in uptown/lower greenville would compare to what you would find in Boston.

[SickOfTheSunbelt]

Originally Posted by aceplace

I haven't done a survey, but I'd guess that there's nothing in Chicago that you couldn't buy in Dallas.

Right here is the #1 problem with Dallas. Even when somebody is desperately trying to promote Dallas, it still comes back to shopping. It's all about what you can buy. This place is so materialistic and boring. Thanks for helping me out on this one aceplace.

[lizziebeth]

Can't wait to leave, Sick? So where are you going? Where is this paradise that the rest of us haven't figured out? I don't try to promote Dallas (certainly not desperately so) because Lord knows we don't need more people here. However, I'm proud to be from here. I know people who live all over the country and I never hear anyone say they're proud of where they live. Ever. You probably think I'm a dumb fool to be proud of my hometown especially when it's the awful, evil, materialistic Dallas as you state. Maybe I can see the good things going on around here yet still acknowledge that things here aren't perfect. And maybe I try to make things better, not worse. Try it wherever you end up. Newsflash: No place if perfect. As I stated, if you find paradise, you let us know.

[bchris02]

What is it you can do in Wisconsin you can't do in Dallas? I could see if if you were talking about someplace with natural features such as California or Colorado, but cutting down Dallas like this in favor of Wisconsin?