What tips would TX locals give to a Dallas transplant? (El Paso: college, pros and cons)

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

To the OP, one tip I'd mention is the need for soaker hoses around the foundation of your home. Our summers can be brutal (last summer was one of the worst ever!) and if the ground dries out around the foundation of your home, it can crack and cause your walls to shift, plaster/paint/drywall to crack, etc.

Woah. Fabulous "Random TX Tip." Thanks!!

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by carroll4628

High school football (5A) is really a big thing in Texas. Go to your local game on a friday night in the fall. It's just fun.

Learn how to 2-step (not line dance) and take a trip to Billy Bob's in FW (or find a small dance hall out in the country). It an experience if you're not from Texas (and even if you're from someplace like Nebraska).

Go to the Mesquite Rodeo, the Fort Worth Stock show, or even the weekly team roping competition in Terrel. Real. Texas. Cowboys. (I'm stealing Mesquite's marketing theme.)

Someday take a trip to Schlitterban (Gruene, TX) to visit the waterpark and float down the river.

And, on a more practical note: When you get a traffic ticket, there are "Defensive Driving Classes" that you can take to keep the ticket from going on your record and increasing your insurance. (Not sure if they do this anywhere else in the country.)

Great "Random TX Tips." Thanks!

High School games? Huh. I'll check them out, as well as the others you mentioned!

Great tip about traffic tickets! I haven't had one in a long time, but if I get one, I'll keep that in mind!

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by BigD_JT_14221

Ok, I'm a transplant from 10+ yrs ago, so here are my tips for a newbie
1) avoid stepping on fire ant mounds while wearing sandals.
Noted.

2) no you can't go in the pool, get a suntan, etc here in Dec/Jan/Feb. Winter here is just windy, brown and cold.
Good to know.

3) Yes, you really need to water the foundation of your house 5-6 months of the yr....
This blows my mind, and is such a great tip.

4) that's not a parking lot, it's 635, 30, 35, 75, 183, etc.
LOL From what I'm used to, that will be an improvement.

5) Your neighbor might do this but PLEASE don't leave your dog outside all day with no water when it's 100+.
If that happens, my neighbor and I will have HUGE problems.

6) No, if you don't like the weather it will not change in 5 min. No clue why people here say that. It's very predictable weather here
I like predictable.

7) what religion are you and what church are you going to? (have an answer ready...)
I'm going to start thinking of a funny response now before I'm asked. (I try hard to not talk religion or politics. Sometimes it's not easy to avoid, but I do my best.

8) When you hear someone talking about a crime they heard about on the news, just nod and say "fry the sonofbitch" - you'll get along just fine.
LOL

9) If you hear the words Rick and Perry together, just shake your head, look troubled but silent and wait for someone else to go off about him
Roger.

10) Don't even think about drinking tap water in July, Aug, Sept
?? Great tip, but why? Drought? Guess I'm adding bottled water to my budget. Thanks!

11) Never start a sentence "As a liberal, my opinion is..." (you'll have to trust me here)
LOL I might, just for a laugh

12) This is a dry town you say?

Response in orange, since I haven't yet learned how to multi-quote on C-D.

[BigD_JT_14221]

Originally Posted by SunnyTXsmile

Response in orange, since I haven't yet learned how to multi-quote on C-D.

Hopefully I didn't come across as too cynical. This wasn't exactly the best move for me, but I've tried to make the best of it.
I don't know how to "multi-quote" either and frequently do the inline reply of a different color, font, etc

[busterkeaton]

Just be you. If folks can't take that....then they aren't folks you need to deal with!

[ChristieP]

Don't wear black clothing outside during June-August. You will get overheated and could potentially have a heatstroke. White, or light-colored cotton clothing and a hat to keep your head cool are a must!

Defintiely agree with the poster who said you must test drive the commute before deciding where to live. There is no reason to make a lengthy commute in DFW since we have good places to live all over the metroplex. That being said, Plano is not the "be all end all" only place to live in DFW.

You must go to the State Fair of Texas at least once while you live here. Bring lots of $ and be hungry!

[Double-G]

Car travel related:

1./ Carry some water in your trunk especially during summer.
2./ Carry some MREs in your trunk when the temperatures aren't quite as hot.
3./ Carry a flashlight all year round in your car.
4./ Do not let your gas tank get below 1/4 of tank at any time.
5./ Build yourself a decent car first aid kit (the prepackaged ones are a bit meh...).

Sounds paranoid perhaps, but Texas is a very big place and I assume you will travel beyond Dallas at some point.

[TheOverdog]

1./ Carry some water in your trunk especially during summer.
2./ Carry some MREs in your trunk when the temperatures aren't quite as hot.
3./ Carry a flashlight all year round in your car.
4./ Do not let your gas tank get below 1/4 of tank at any time.
5./ Build yourself a decent car first aid kit (the prepackaged ones are a bit meh...).

These seem rather unnecessary to me. If you are going on a trip towards El Paso sure, but there are Sonics and tons of grocery stores and gas stations everywhere. Why drink an old bottle of hot water when a cold drink at McDonalds is $1? I'd say carry a cell phone. Tow trucks are prompt and DFW is serviced competently by taxis.

Really, there are plenty of small towns with gas stations out on the interstate too, at least compared to other parts of the west (NM, AZ, KS, CO etc), so even then I'd say it's mostly unnecessary.

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by Double-G

Car travel related:

1./ Carry some water in your trunk especially during summer.
2./ Carry some MREs in your trunk when the temperatures aren't quite as hot.
3./ Carry a flashlight all year round in your car.
4./ Do not let your gas tank get below 1/4 of tank at any time.
5./ Build yourself a decent car first aid kit (the prepackaged ones are a bit meh...).

Sounds paranoid perhaps, but Texas is a very big place and I assume you will travel beyond Dallas at some point.

Well, I'd just say carry a mobil phone! But if you are taking a road trip, of course the above list is great...

One other thing, if you are male, wear a cap outside! But don't be like my DH; take it off in restaurants like a gent (my DH says caps give him bed head and he'd rather be rude than ugly....this, from a 62 year old man ...and they say "vanity, thy name is woman" )

[LQQKOUT]

Originally Posted by Squirl

One other thing, if you are male, wear a cap outside! But don't be like my DH; take it off in restaurants like a gent (my DH says caps give him bed head and he'd rather be rude than ugly....this, from a 62 year old man ...and they say "vanity, thy name is woman" )

HA- my hubby is the same way!