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but I live here anyway because of family problems.
I used to live in socal, where the weather is nice and people know how to drive. They yield to pedestrians. They use turn signals.
Around here (D/FW Metroplex), most of the freeways are under construction, and some of the construction is specially to charge you money to drive on the road! It's like the 91 but this is going to be everywhere in D/FW.
People drive more aggressively in the metroplex than in Southern California. You people tailgate and change lanes without signaling. Just last week, I had to get off I-30 on the shoulder because some guy was tailgating me so close it looked like the driver was sitting in my back seat! I have traction control and can come to a quick stop half on concrete and half on gravel/grass.
People drive more aggressively in NYC, but it's in the form of honking and tailgating, but the speeds are generally so low (5 mph) that it doesn't matter! It's fun to honk! It's all part of the game. Crashes are rare because the traffic moves so slowly, despite the most aggressive driving I've ever observed.
There are 6 million people in the metroplex. Arlington has 300,000 people, right in the middle of it, including some big-time destinations like baseball and 6 flags, and yet there's no one single city bus or train. What is wrong with this idiodic city? There are plenty of poor people (including me) who would love to take the bus somewhere. Trains are even nicer.
I rode all the trains in Dallas, just for fun. People use it! "Build it and they will come" is true. Why is it that only ghetto neighboorhoods in Dallas get train service or at least a bus? I never rode the bus in socal but poorer people did. It gives them a ride so they can work or whatever.
Why can't you people obey the sign on southbound I-35 at the Red River that says "Welcome to Texas, Drive Friendly!"
It's hotter than hell, humid, and hundreds and hundreds of miles from a beach or mountains. Moderator cut: 0ff-Topic for this thread and forum
Is Texas basically like the Southeast but without the cooler wetter weather?
What do people do for fun here since life sucks so hard in this god-forsaken state?
Your life is what you choose to do with it. If you prefer to blame for your circumstances and concentrate on negatives then you will never be happy. It is up to you to get out of the festering pile and make a choice in a more positive direction.
Here's a little story. 20 yrs ago my husband was murdered while I was pregnant. I had to leave the large vibrant coastal city I lived in to go live with my mother in a small mid-western town. It was boring and it was hard that I left my friends, the beach, etc...not to mention the emotional toll. Many people thought I had the right to sit and blame everyone for my current situation, and yes, I could have, but what's the point? There is always something to do - even in the middle of nowhere. You have to move forward and not hold yourself back by wallowing in negativity and blame.
btw if you say "cali" then I know you are not a California native, because none of us say that. It's actually a city in Colombia in South America.
I lived my first 25 years in San Diego and Orange County and I call/called it Cali occasionally. More likely to say So Cal for short.
Quote:
Originally Posted by synchronicity
To me, it's not the "fast", it's the COMPLETE AND UTTER LACK OF RESPECT FOR ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ROAD.
I don't know how many times I've seen people go straight thru red lights. Cutting over on the freeway/tollway at the very last second, crossing over the painted area, because apparently they missed the 8 signs declaring that there's an exit ahead. Heck, one time I saw someone on I-635 drive OVER the curb separating the freeway from the exit to DNT South (this was befeore the current construction, obviously). Driving a big ol' SUV, didn't know where they were going, missed the exit then just drove right over the obstruction separating the ramp from the freeway.
Now, it's not that people don't do this in New York or Chicago or Boston or wherever, it's just that I see it SO MUCH MORE OFTEN here than in any of those cities. Another thing they do here more than there is not have "slower traffic to the right" but rather "slower traffic in the middle two lanes", which leads to a phenomenon like a rock in the middle of a river, with faster "water" (often "giant pickup trucks) swooshing buy at 15-20 MPH OVER the speed limit ON EITHER SIDE. That one always makes my day....
The "traffic" here is not nearly as bad as the three cities listed above, but my god the DRIVERS are horrible.
I want to print this post out and frame it for my wall, it expresses my feelings so well. San Diego freeway drivers are actually a lot faster, but I have to be soooo much more vigilant on the road here because of all the cutting off, last second multiple lane changes, tailgating, etc.
My opinion is that Texans are the most welcoming, friendly people in America, until you put them behind the wheel of a car.
but I live here anyway because of family problems.
I used to live in socal, where the weather is nice and people know how to drive. They yield to pedestrians. They use turn signals.
Around here (D/FW Metroplex), most of the freeways are under construction, and some of the construction is specially to charge you money to drive on the road! It's like the 91 but this is going to be everywhere in D/FW.
People drive more aggressively in the metroplex than in Southern California. You people tailgate and change lanes without signaling. Just last week, I had to get off I-30 on the shoulder because some guy was tailgating me so close it looked like the driver was sitting in my back seat! I have traction control and can come to a quick stop half on concrete and half on gravel/grass.
People drive more aggressively in NYC, but it's in the form of honking and tailgating, but the speeds are generally so low (5 mph) that it doesn't matter! It's fun to honk! It's all part of the game. Crashes are rare because the traffic moves so slowly, despite the most aggressive driving I've ever observed.
There are 6 million people in the metroplex. Arlington has 300,000 people, right in the middle of it, including some big-time destinations like baseball and 6 flags, and yet there's no one single city bus or train. What is wrong with this idiodic city? There are plenty of poor people (including me) who would love to take the bus somewhere. Trains are even nicer.
I rode all the trains in Dallas, just for fun. People use it! "Build it and they will come" is true. Why is it that only ghetto neighboorhoods in Dallas get train service or at least a bus? I never rode the bus in socal but poorer people did. It gives them a ride so they can work or whatever.
Why can't you people obey the sign on southbound I-35 at the Red River that says "Welcome to Texas, Drive Friendly!"
It's hotter than hell, humid, and hundreds and hundreds of miles from a beach or mountains. Moderator cut: 0ff-Topic for this thread and forum
Is Texas basically like the Southeast but without the cooler wetter weather?
What do people do for fun here since life sucks so hard in this god-forsaken state?
Moderator cut: see comment
I can't seem to figure out where you are. I use 190 all the time and it is not under construction. And I'm also on 75 quite often and again, not under construction. Perhaps exaggeration might be an issue?
Last edited by BstYet2Be; 07-04-2012 at 02:11 PM..
Reason: personal comments/attacks not permitted - attack the idea, not the speaker of the idea
The more I think about the OP the more I'd like to reply with more.
Circumstances sometimes are tough. Sometimes things aren't easy. However, everything has to somehow be put into perspective. And finding the right perspective can be key in how positive or how negative life is seen. If a person overall is having difficulties, they can be projected into other situations in a way that makes them seem worse when in fact they are trivial. We all have hard times and we all have to try to get through them in the healthiest way possible. When our personal lives aren't going so great, it can definitely make us see the world through the same gloomy lens that tend to skew all thinking.
How I deal with situations when I can't seem to do anything about them is realize how ungrateful I am being fo r all of the beautiful things I have in my life. I honestly think there are way more beautiful parts of my life than any not so beautiful aspect. If I can't seem to do that, I look at those who are REALLY suffering. There are zillions of stories of how others have it way worse than I do. Where we hate our situation, there are millions who'd trade to JUST be in our situation and not their own. It's all subjective.
I'm not saying points are invalid in some cases. Feelings are feelings. But I'd say that it's also relative to your own feelings in how you view where you live. It certainly hasn't been my (admittedly limited) experience in Texas. I just can't fathom it ever being like your experience either. Perhaps you can move to a different area of Dallas to somewhere more peaceful.
Last edited by mayflowers4me; 07-04-2012 at 01:36 PM..
Reason: pls forgive my typos! balancing a baby while typing =D
After surviving the frightening freeways of South Florida, I've found Dallas drivers to be pretty tame and chuckle when people talk about how horrifying the driving is here. Miami absolutely has the worst drivers in North America.
Not so fast - we are number 6 on that list. I do agree that there are some pretty bad drivers here. I don't know about the disappointing dining though, I've found some pretty good places to eat since I've been here.
I have to agree with Debsi, I think people in Dallas are friendly - until they get behind the wheel of a car. And Arlington definitely needs to get some buses. Why can't I go to the game unless I pay $50 for parking? Ridiculous.
To me, it's not the "fast", it's the COMPLETE AND UTTER LACK OF RESPECT FOR ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ROAD.
I don't know how many times I've seen people go straight thru red lights. Cutting over on the freeway/tollway at the very last second, crossing over the painted area, because apparently they missed the 8 signs declaring that there's an exit ahead. Heck, one time I saw someone on I-635 drive OVER the curb separating the freeway from the exit to DNT South (this was befeore the current construction, obviously). Driving a big ol' SUV, didn't know where they were going, missed the exit then just drove right over the obstruction separating the ramp from the freeway.
Now, it's not that people don't do this in New York or Chicago or Boston or wherever, it's just that I see it SO MUCH MORE OFTEN here than in any of those cities. Another thing they do here more than there is not have "slower traffic to the right" but rather "slower traffic in the middle two lanes", which leads to a phenomenon like a rock in the middle of a river, with faster "water" (often "giant pickup trucks) swooshing buy at 15-20 MPH OVER the speed limit ON EITHER SIDE. That one always makes my day....
The "traffic" here is not nearly as bad as the three cities listed above, but my god the DRIVERS are horrible.
To me people putting on the speed are wreckless and have a complete lack of respect for anyone else on the road, I have had them shoot on by me, weaving in and out and then slamming on the brakes very much scaring me. On smaller roads too, I see all kinds of things happening with them coming out of parking lots with the front of the car stuck out a few feet in the road. Just got back from Dollar Tree for the scare of my life. Some man in a truck just decided to not brake for my kid and I. My kid screamed, "Mom" and stopped about 2 feet from the sidewalk and I looked up and I was in this man's path. I pushed her out of the way and got by. He was not braking for us. He was speeding in the parking lot, not paying attention. My kid is still having an argument that she did right by stopping in the road, well ummm no. I get a bit worried when I go out these days with the kids in huge massive parking lots. I do believe that people are too much in a hurry to get where there going, do high speeds and hurt people in the process for it. Unfortuantly I have loved ones who have been affected by other's lack of observance, high rates of speed and have been plowed down and killed. Truthfully I love my state and with it as I said before, look for easier times to go out when I can.
Not so fast - we are number 6 on that list. I do agree that there are some pretty bad drivers here.
I think there must be a steep drop-off between No. 1 and No. 6. Not saying the drivers here are great drivers but I haven't had near as many of the life-flashing, near-death experiences and "Holy cr@p!" moments like I did in Florida. It seemed like every time I got home in one piece, I should've been one of those kids in the "Final Destination" movies who just managed to cheat death. I-95 and the Dolphin Expressway are not for the weak or the meek.
agree with almost every point the threadstarter makes and i've lived in DFW for twenty years. its a hot, boring, flat place that just so happens to have an affordable standard of living, access to good schools and availability of good jobs, hence ppl like me staying.
disagree as to mass transit. i voted down mass transit every time when i lived in arlington simply because i didn't want to pay for it. poor people not being able to get to work is not my problem or responsibility. that being said, i ride the TRE commuter rail to work in downtown dallas everyday now and i love it. i love how the regional rail system is so heavily subsidized by the feds because they know we won't pay for it all ourselves. as a result, the fares i pay are silly cheap compared to the bay area or nyc. i'm not against arlington joining regional rail for commuting and for the entertainment district, i just despise intracity buses.
threadstarter sounds angry about being poor more than anything. if i was poor and couldnt regularly get out of this place, i'd be pretty Moderator cut: language angry too
Last edited by BstYet2Be; 07-04-2012 at 09:34 PM..
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