Coffee in Uptown (Dallas, Austin, Spring: appointed, apartments, rent)

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

Well that isn't really Uptown. Uptown has some great things going for it, but is more about trendy than independant. I don't mean that as a slur, just an observation of different neighborhoods.
Now The other areas you mention all have non Starbucks places to get a good cup of coffee.

I'd agree with you. Uptown is not a radical/intellectual/hippie enclave, by any stretch of the imagination.

[Korel]

Hey! You might shout "OH GOOD GRIEF!", but McDonalds serves not so bad java and many Micky Dee's now have free Wifi. Is there a Micky Dees uptown?

[Edward_from_Dallas]

Originally Posted by aceplace

I'd agree with you. Uptown is not a radical/intellectual/hippie enclave, by any stretch of the imagination.

As if you'd have to be any of those things to enjoy an independently owned coffee house.

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Korel

Hey! You might shout "OH GOOD GRIEF!", but McDonalds serves not so bad java and many Micky Dee's now have free Wifi. Is there a Micky Dees uptown?

You are right; McDonald's does have great coffee, even if the rest of their food is not good at all.

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

Well that isn't really Uptown. Uptown has some great things going for it, but is more about trendy than independant. I don't mean that as a slur, just an observation of different neighborhoods.
Now The other areas you mention all have non Starbucks places to get a good cup of coffee.

Hi Macbeth,

Would it be possible to provide some examples?

The reason this subject is important to me, is because I live in Lakeview (in Chicago), a highly walkable neighborhood, with the aforementioned coffee shops (as well as starbucks, hahaha), and I am thinking heavily about moving to Uptown Dallas next January. I am really torn and cannot make up my mind whether or not to move, and see, the highlight of my day is walking down to the local coffee house every morning (we have a place here called Intelligentsia, great coffee), and if there wasnt anything comparable in Uptown, this could be a deal breaker for me.

Thanks in advance!

[Macbeth2003]

Well In the Lakewood/ Old East Dallas area there is Legal Grounds.
Lower Greenville has a Cafe Brazil (A chain but a local one with a handful of locations in Dallas).
In Knox Henderson Espresso options may be thin, but for a good cup of coffee, stop in at the Highland park Pharmacy. Good Strong Coffee, and a great old Lunch Counter/ Soda Fountain.
In Oak Lawn there is a Cafe Brazil, and Urban Dog Coffee should be reopening soon

These are off the top of my head, I'm sure others could provide many more. NONE of these areas are really walkable from Uptown. It sounds as if you might be happier in Old East Dallas, Or Oak Lawn (if you have no hangups about gay neighbors) or another neighborhood. Uptown is about trendy corporate places. Nothing wrong with that, and it has been very successful and a real plus for Dallas, The Magnolia Movie theatre is a great facility and the Village Burger Bar is great, but if you want a place that favours local independent businesses, and the types who make an effort to frequent those, it might not be a good fit for you.

[aceplace]

Uptown does have a pleasant coffee place inside the Borders bookstore in West Village.

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Hi Macbeth,

Would it be possible to provide some examples?

The reason this subject is important to me, is because I live in Lakeview (in Chicago), a highly walkable neighborhood, with the aforementioned coffee shops (as well as starbucks, hahaha), and I am thinking heavily about moving to Uptown Dallas next January. I am really torn and cannot make up my mind whether or not to move, and see, the highlight of my day is walking down to the local coffee house every morning (we have a place here called Intelligentsia, great coffee), and if there wasnt anything comparable in Uptown, this could be a deal breaker for me.

Thanks in advance!

Hi SmartGXL is used to live in lakeview east off of hawthorne place and broadway. I wouldn't call uptown comparable by a long shot to lakeview in Chicago but it is the closest possible thing to it. I am sure more coffee shops and things like that will start to pop up around uptown it is just not there yet. It is a walkable area- very clean, neat and shiny.
I really hope you visit before you completely move in- Dallas is a great city I just hope you are not expecting it to be like the chicago neighorhoods though.

Think of of walking on broadway from Hawthorne place to belmont- Thats about the length of a walk you will have to be in and out of uptown in Dallas-its pretty small. Good luck

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by rosscountry

Hi SmartGXL is used to live in lakeview east off of hawthorne place and broadway. I wouldn't call uptown comparable by a long shot to lakeview in Chicago but it is the closest possible thing to it. I am sure more coffee shops and things like that will start to pop up around uptown it is just not there yet. It is a walkable area- very clean, neat and shiny.
I really hope you visit before you completely move in- Dallas is a great city I just hope you are not expecting it to be like the chicago neighorhoods though.

Think of of walking on broadway from Hawthorne place to belmont- Thats about the length of a walk you will have to be in and out of uptown in Dallas-its pretty small. Good luck

I'd be surprised if Uptown Dallas resembled an urban section of Chicago, and I would accept the points made by the above poster as plausible, even though I have no knowledge to confirm or deny them.

Perhaps I can describe my view of Uptown. It is an extension of the downtown, towards the north, just as the Mag Mile in Chicago is an extension of Chicago's loop. The usual border between downtown and Uptown is considered to be a freeway called Woodall Rogers. A walk from downtown Dallas, say at Commerce and Akard, to the northern edge of Uptown at, say the West Village, would be about 2 miles. The eastern boundary of Uptown is a freeway called North Central (or US75) and the western boundary is a parkway called Turtle Creek Boulevard. Both of these boundaries are defined by high rise structures. Turtle Creek is a long landscaped parkway lined with high rise residential and some office buildings, and would be the Dallas equivalent of Chicago's highrise residential buildings along Lake Michigan. West of the Turtle Creek would be another urban district called Oak Lawn, with retail serving the Turtle Creek area. The Distance between the US75 freeway and the Oak Lawn area would be between 1 and 2 miles.

The parts of Uptown next to downtown would look like an extension of downtown, with the streets looking like high rise canyons. Farther north, the neighborhood becomes more residential, although densely populated, with shops and restaurants on the sidewalk, mid and high rise residential buildings, and a more or less walkable environment. The West Village, in particular, is a very urban shopping area with a subway station and is surrounded by residential. A good photo of the general tone of the West Village is at ImageSC 0002 edited-2.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Or, refer to the Wikipedia article at West Village, Dallas, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For a general article on Uptown, try a link to Uptown Dallas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

[Lakewooder]

There is also Gachet http://www.gachetcoffee.com/ in Victory (between Downtown and Uptown) and The Coffee Company on La Vista @ Skillman just east of Downtown. Legal Grounds http://www.lakewoodtexas.com/cgi-bin....pl?keyfield=6 , mentioned by Macbeth, is my fave.