New York Times: Dallas the world's 17th most compelling destination in 2009 (demand, video)

[aceplace]

Dwong, I know that Dallas County voted Demo this time, but that just means people preferred Obama to McCain, not that they are converts to intellectual liberalism. Essentially, Obama captured the centrist vote. Much of the City of Dallas is populated by relatively impoverished ethnic minorities with a class grievance, and vote demo to oppose the Republican establishment. It is highly unlikely that they are all intellectuals and philosophic liberals. So I probably have some partial agreement with you on that issue.

BTW, if you want to comment about specific lines in my posts, please segregate your replies somehow from my original comments. In a previous post, you made it appear that I made some statements, but they were actually made by you. They were inside the quote box and the typeface you used was identical to mine. Thanks.

You know, I lived in San Francisco for many years, and I lived in LA for a while, and I don't see that they are any more urban that the DFW area. They are farther to the ideological left, especially SF, but that is not the same as urban culture.

As to whether DFW really needs to be a popular resort or specialize in providing vacations for the masses in order to be a valid urban area... no it does not. As to whether it contains stimulating and interesting places and events, that entertain and educate its people... yes it does.

There is only a tiny universe of people who visit cities to appreciate their urbanity, and their opinions are so capricious and irrational, that they can safely be discounted and ignored. Dallas does not need their approval, or their opinions, either pro or con. Their preference for particular cities is immaterial, because it is based on ignorance and rumor, rather than any firsthand experience. The New York Times article is an effort to try to expand their predjudicial outlook by presenting them with info about significant things and places in cities they never thought about.

So everybody get real. Downtown Dallas and surrounding areas will soon have an incredible explosion in its available entertainment content and its artistic output. Its purpose is to enhance our quality of life by providing us with art, beauty and pleasure, not to try to impress outsiders.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by Dopo

1.- Give me your definition of "compelling"

2.- Las Vegas - 'Compeling" = Economic bust and high unemployment
3.- Hawaii - "Compelling" = Hotel discounts and 50th anniversary of statehood
4.- Florida Keys - "Compelling" = becoming more kid friendly
5.- Cuba - "Compelling" = Will Obama make it legal for americans to visit Cuba?
6.- Reykjavik (Iceland) - "Compelling" = Their economy just crashed, so it should be cheap now to visit them
7.- Alaska - "Compelling" = They are opening a new lodge (how many do they already have?)
8.- A Pennsylvania farm - Are you $#^$ing serious? There's a billion places better than a Penn. farm
But they have "Berry Fields Farm", it's a shame that their webpage doesn't even work
Welcome to Berry Fields Farm - Boer goats, organic gardening, organic produce, grass fed herefords

You can look up the definition of compelling in the dictionary. I didn't write the article so I don't have to defend it. I do understand the premise though. Just because you are not compelled to visit a place such as Las Vegas, Hawaii or Iceland given the opportunity to do so on the cheap doesn't mean that other people won't think that saving money is a compelling reason to go.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by CMDallas

Dallas is more liberal than Houston by a significant margin, we have huge numbers of Gays and I don't know what else but look on any "most liberal city list" and you'll see Dallas (city proper) beats out cities you once thought of as "very liberal"

Not true at all

Houston, a traditionally blue collar city has always been more left leaning than its little sister to the north. There hasn't been a Republican Mayor in Houston for a looong time, Dallas on the other hand has had several that I can recall in my 29 years of living in Texas.

The gay population in Houston alone is about equal to D/FW's entire gay populous. Whats so special about Montrose (Houston's alternative lifestyle & gay community) is that it attracts a more diverse crowd than just gays & lesbians unlike Oaklawn in Dallas which is strictly gay. I've never once seen a straight person traversing the streets of Oaklawn unless they were going to "straight night" at Village Station (now known as S4)

In Houstons' Montrose you will find both gay & straight intermingling like its nothing.

[kacvb1974]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Whats so special about Montrose (Houston's alternative lifestyle & gay community) is that it attracts a more diverse crowd than just gays & lesbians unlike Oaklawn in Dallas which is strictly gay. I've never once seen a straight person traversing the streets of Oaklawn unless they were going to "straight night" at Village Station (now known as S4)

Never once?! Short of stopping people on the street to ask what their orientation is, how is it possible to know this?

Veering a bit OT here, while no one would argue Oak Lawn isn't primarily gay-oriented and not as diverse as Montrose or a few other cities' more blended 'hoods, I have several straight friends living in Oak Lawn. Not Uptown or the borders of HP, but smack dab in the gayborhood--from single straight females who don't do the Cedar Springs clubs on any night, to two heterosexual married couples, to shockingly enough, a straight dude who moved there because the location was the most convenient for him. I've traversed Oak Lawn streets more times than I can count and knowing straight folks like me may be the exception rather than the rule, I still don't reduce Oak Lawn to a few spots that consist of only gay friendly retail and nightclubs.

Perhaps my experience in the 'hood and those of my friends is just freakish, but I hope not. And it's interesting to note that all my straight Oak Lawn friends are not Dallas natives. Since most people around here are so quick to say Oak Lawn and homosexual in the same breath, it's not surprising that an entire section of Dallas is often immediately ruled out by straights based on word of mouth alone. Which kinda sucks because I find it more friendly and welcoming than most all the areas surrounding it.

[mysterymachinebl]

Originally Posted by kacvb1974

Never once?! Short of stopping people on the street to ask what their orientation is, how is it possible to know this?

Veering a bit OT here, while no one would argue Oak Lawn isn't primarily gay-oriented and not as diverse as Montrose or a few other cities' more blended 'hoods, I have several straight friends living in Oak Lawn. Not Uptown or the borders of HP, but smack dab in the gayborhood--from single straight females who don't do the Cedar Springs clubs on any night, to two heterosexual married couples, to shockingly enough, a straight dude who moved there because the location was the most convenient for him. I've traversed Oak Lawn streets more times than I can count and knowing straight folks like me may be the exception rather than the rule, I still don't reduce Oak Lawn to a few spots that consist of only gay friendly retail and nightclubs.

Perhaps my experience in the 'hood and those of my friends is just freakish, but I hope not. And it's interesting to note that all my straight Oak Lawn friends are not Dallas natives. Since most people around here are so quick to say Oak Lawn and homosexual in the same breath, it's not surprising that an entire section of Dallas is often immediately ruled out by straights based on word of mouth alone. Which kinda sucks because I find it more friendly and welcoming than most all the areas surrounding it.

I completely agree! I have several straight friends that do frequent the area to eat, and yes, go the some of the bars/clubs there. There have been many straight individuals and families that have moved into that area thanks to all of the new condo/apartment construction.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Not true at all

The gay population in Houston alone is about equal to D/FW's entire gay populous.

What evidence do you have to support that claim? See the link below. If you scroll down to the section titled "LGBT populations in US cities & states" you will see that the GLBT population of the city of Dallas is estimated to be 7% of the city population. For Houston it is estimated at 4.4% of the city population. According to this, Houston only has about 3500 more LGBT people than Dallas even though the population of Houston is significantly higher than the population of Dallas. There are certainly more than 3500 additional LGBT people in the rest of the DFW Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Gay village - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Dangerfield

This just reinforces my assumption that Dallas dominates Houston and other Texas cities in terms of national recognition.

Wow, I think not. Ever heard of Dallitude?

Originally Posted by zatires

Due to the popularity of the show Dallas, I presume. Not because the city of Dallas is known.

Yep, I've talked to people elsewhere and it was 95% because of the TV show.

[First24]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

Wow, I think not. Ever heard of Dallitude?

Nope. Must be a Houston thing associated with the inferiority complex.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Dangerfield

Nope. Must be a Houston thing associated with the inferiority complex.

I don't get it. Are you saying you have a Houston/Dallas obsession?

BTW I have defended Dallas on several occasions to the Austin crowd and others.

[Exult.Q36]

The city of Dallas is liberal Obama crushed McCain in Dallas County. What people fell to realize is a large chunk of this new growth in DFW comes from up north and northerners tend to vote democratic. This election simply put Obama inspired democrats to get out in vote and democrats did get out in vote. The suburbs of Dallas are not cookie clean republicans. There are just as many republicans as democrats in Dallas suburbs.