What I Learned Since Moving Here (a week ago) (Dallas: where to live, restaurants)

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

which brings me to number three, which is other drivers. Since people around here do not see this type of weather very frequently and for the reasons listed above, they're a bigger danger to me than other drivers would be in northern cities, if that makes sense.

Absolutely. A couple of years ago when we got bad weather ta Christmas, we drove out to My wife's family in Ft. Worth on Christmas day. We took our little PT Cruiser. We saw mostly Pickups and Jeeps all over the sides of the highways. We saw three go off the road. All of them were going 60-70 miles an hour, figuring that their big 4x4 machines could handle this snow and ice no problem!. The little Focus's, Caprice's, and Scions going slowly and carefully all did just fine.

[Fillmont]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

The flip side of the lower gas prices is that you often have to drive further (farther? I always mess that up), so the gas is cheaper but you use more of it.

The prescriptivist will tell you that farther is used for physical distances, and further is used in metaphorical situations. This train goes farther than that train. She is further along in her studies than any of her siblings.

The descriptivist will tell you that both are pretty much interchangeable now, so have fun either way.

[reginasmu]

Glad you're having a good experience so far.....Welcome to DFW! We're here to help!

Originally Posted by ch4l

I moved here a week ago, and I'm very happy with my move! The people on this site offered great advice, so I wanted to give people who are thinking of moving here a fresh perspective from a new transplant.

Here's what I learned:

* As people have suggested here, make sure you can handle your commute. People are not exaggerating when they refer to how bad the traffic is. I've driven on 75, 635, 35, 820, 183, Dallas Pkwy, 114, 121, and FM 423 in rush hour after work to different areas to find area that fits me. During rush hour, traffic is conjested everywhere, and blinkers are not often used.

* Get a GPS and a sun shield. I couldn't have survived without my GPS. The only bad part about getting in my car after working all day is that the steering wheel is scorching!

* If you don't like high expressway bridges, than you may not like Dallas. Although I've driven a lot in many states, I almost fainted when I drove on 635 (highest level). But I'm used to them now.

* There is no toll booth to pay for tolls. People have something like an Illinois I-pass, or they're sent a bill. If you have out of state plates, they don't bill you, as I've been told. However, I've heard that they may get you when you transfer your plates and require you pay for previous tolls. If you don't want to pay tolls, like on 121, etc., than you can drive the frontage roads. But they take longer.

* Rain here is very heavy. I saw some vehicles hydroplane, which is scary during rush hour traffic with 5 lanes when you can barely see the road. Snow seemed easier to drive in than this rain. But fortunately, it has only been one bad day.

* People are very nice and polite. Even the cashiers are more pleasant and actually greet their customers.

* Food is everywhere!!!!! Even in the suburbs.

* There is a lot more to do than just shop. I've enjoyed exploring different areas.

* There are trees, and I've seen many creeks and a few big lakes.

* The mosquitos are huge! They're like the midwest ones but on steroids, times 5. But they are not an annoyance (at least not yet), as they are in the midwest.

* Get used to bottle water or get a filter.

* 90 degrees here doesn't seem as hot as 90 degree in the midwest. But I've been told to wait for next month.

* Everything is bigger in TX.

* There are flags everywhere, which is new to me because where I'm from, I mainly saw flags twice a year. Texans really are proud!

Good luck, y'all!!!

[Camelia38]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

The flip side of the lower gas prices is that you often have to drive further (farther? I always mess that up), so the gas is cheaper but you use more of it.

Farther when referring to physical distance. Not that it matters, but in case you were curious.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by DoneWithDallas

See! We don't all ride horses to work. Theres grass (brown grass counts as grass.. dead or not ) and we don't ALL tote rifles around.

Growing up I had family in Chicago. The ones who had not been here would ask if my brother and I rode horses to school. Seriously!

To the OP, welcome to Texas and your post has some great info.

[DoneWithDallas]

Originally Posted by TXNGL

Growing up I had family in Chicago. The ones who had not been here would ask if my brother and I rode horses to school. Seriously!

To the OP, welcome to Texas and your post has some great info.

I can believe it! I'm about to move to Chicago so I'm ready for all the stereotypes that come with being Texan. But I am a proud Texan so I dont mind.

[ch4l]

Thanks for the informative and hilarious responses and the nice welcomes!!!! Glad to see a few midwesterners. I've met more people from the midwest this week than I did from TX. I agree with what everyone said on ice, worse than snow, and I won't drive on it because you have no control, even in the north where they have the equipment for it.

Synchnocity, great points. However, I've driven a lot in Chicago, including the loop, and I think it's worse here because of the "worst drivers" as you pointed out!

Dallaz, I don't know about the Trinity River, but every apt. I have checked out in different areas of the metroplex have all been behind creeks.

Pinipig523, good luck on your move!

BigDGeek, great points!

DoneWithDallas and TXNGL, hilarious posts!! I mentioned the trees because I saw in other posts on this site someone said there were no trees here.

Carroll4628, which is the 10 story overpass???? I drove on 635 with the 5 tiers. Is there one worse I didn't experience yet?

PS to newcomers, go see Downtown McKinney. What a terrific little area with speciality shops, a trolley and a small-town feel.

[carroll4628]

Originally Posted by ch4l

Carroll4628, which is the 10 story overpass???? I drove on 635 with the 5 tiers. Is there one worse I didn't experience yet?

Sorry, it's actually closer to 12 stories...635 and 75...you were probably on the right one and didn't realize how high you were. (Because the underpass is dug into the ground it probably is more like 9/10 stories from the surrounding terrain.
High Five Interchange - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[DitsyD]

Originally Posted by ch4l

PS to newcomers, go see Downtown McKinney. What a terrific little area with speciality shops, a trolley and a small-town feel.

The square in McKinney is all of that and more, but, the trolley is on McKinney Avenue in Uptown.

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by DitsyD

The square in McKinney is all of that and more, but, the trolley is on McKinney Avenue in Uptown.

There is a trolly that goes around downtown McKinney and out to Craig Ranch as well.