What do locals do for fun? What are local people like? (Dallas: real estate, leases)

[bigcitygal]

My fiance and I just spent last weekend in Dallas, as we are considering moving there from Manhattan. We had a great time driving through Uptown, Plano, Richardson, Addison, downtown Dallas, so on and so forth. We also had a wonderful steak and lobster dinner at Pappas Bros... hands down the best steak we've ever had! And a 3 course meal for only $40, at that!! I did notice how brown and dry Texas seems, compared to other states, but that's not too surprising considering the climate.

While we really enjoyed ourselves, I had a couple of questions which I hope someone could help answer:

1) I'm a 24 year old female and love the constant stimulation of living in NYC. Of course, I can barely afford to take advantage of all the activities here AND still have savings, so I look forward to moving to a place where I can enjoy myself and not have to feel as guilty. What do young women in Dallas do for fun and on the weekends? I'm not into drinking or sports. I'd be very interested in taking a cooking class for example, or volunteering at an animal shelter, going horseback riding, and so on. Are there any other types of activities I can get involved with in Dallas?

2) What are local people like in Dallas? That's one thing my fiance and I weren't able to experience too closely... our only interaction was with waiters and real estate agents. I noticed that everyone we met was very friendly, but it was almost to the point where the women seemed ditzy. (Their huge smiles, their "wow!" reactions to us being from NYC, their reactions to me being from Singapore and saying how "artistic" I must be to be able to write my name in Mandarin.) Am I wrong about this? I'm not expecting people from Dallas to be as exposed to cultural diversity as they are in NYC, but I'm just wondering if most people are going to have the same reaction to me down the line. I've also read about "Dallitude," which I don't believe we experienced during our time there.

Thank you very much for any feedback you can provide!!

[TXNGL]

2) What are local people like in Dallas? That's one thing my fiance and I weren't able to experience too closely... our only interaction was with waiters and real estate agents. I noticed that everyone we met was very friendly, but it was almost to the point where the women seemed ditzy. (Their huge smiles, their "wow!" reactions to us being from NYC, their reactions to me being from Singapore and saying how "artistic" I must be to be able to write my name in Mandarin.) Am I wrong about this? I'm not expecting people from Dallas to be as exposed to cultural diversity as they are in NYC, but I'm just wondering if most people are going to have the same reaction to me down the line. I've also read about "Dallitude," which I don't believe we experienced during our time there.

This made me LOL. :-) Don't let them fool you, they (generally) aren't too ditzy, just very friendly...I can very easily see how it comes off that way, though! Once women get to know you you'll see a different side to them...less ditzy "wow!", but still very friendly.

[azriverfan.]

I'm an LA native that spent 3 years in Dallas and this type of thing annoyed me the most about Dallas. That "artistic" comment displays the mentality they have there. They see you as different because you are from Singapore and thus you will receive a lot stereotypical and superficial comments that are meant to sound benign but are really condescending. Pretty soon you will be asked what church you attend and some will ask why you speak such great English. They will also ask you "What is your nationality" People in Dallas are so preoccupied with race that it's a big deal to them.

Their friendliness is fake. It's part of Southern culture aka Southern hospitality in which people are not genuinely nice and will smile really big and ask nosy questions. It's part of Southern culture and I got tired of it. I had to get back to the west coast. If you have a choice, stay in New York.

[portyhead24]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I'm an LA native that spent 3 years in Dallas and this type of thing annoyed me the most about Dallas. That "artistic" comment displays the mentality they have there. They see you as different because you are from Singapore and thus you will receive a lot stereotypical and superficial comments that are meant to sound benign but are really condescending. Pretty soon you will be asked what church you attend and some will ask why you speak such great English. They will also ask you "What is your nationality" People in Dallas are so preoccupied with race that it's a big deal to them.

Their friendliness is fake. It's part of Southern culture aka Southern hospitality in which people are not genuinely nice and will smile really big and ask nosy questions. It's part of Southern culture and I got tired of it. I had to get back to the west coast. If you have a choice, stay in New York.

Wow, generalize much? I'm a part of that "they" you speak of, and you haven't described me one bit. Time for you to move along to post some other ridiculous tripe.

[pepper131]

Not sure where you were that was brown. We've had a lot of rain lately making the landscape rather lush. Even in the winter, our landscape is slightly more green than the northern states - as remarked by my family when they come to visit in winter months from Michigan.

For fun:
(untitled)

Calendar - CENTRAL MARKET DALLAS Online Reservation System
Also look at Sur la Table for classes. And try some restaurants - Stephan Pyles and Abacus have offered classes in the past.

Check out the events here:
Bishop Arts District :: Home
Events & Things To Do in Dallas, TX | Belmont Hotel Dallas

There's a gem of stable a block off White Rock Lake on Dalgreen. I can't remember the name, but they offer leases and lessons.

Art classes:
Creative Arts Center Of Dallas
studioartsdallas.com

Home and studio tours:
Junius Heights Neighborhood
17th Annual White Rock Lake Artists Tour
Home

That's a start anyway.

As far as attitudes and locals - I find it differs from neighborhood to neighborhood.

[bigcitygal]

Thanks so much - very helpful indeed! Love the cooking classes, nights at the museum, and home tours!

[ETex2]

Dry and brown, and you were just here?

Everything anywhere close to Dallas is very wet and very green right now.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by ETex2

Dry and brown, and you were just here?

Everything anywhere close to Dallas is very wet and very green right now.

Exactly! It's been raining night and day for almost a month, and I can't think of any area that would still be dry after being saturated with rain for 30 days.

On the other hand, maybe NYC is smack dab in a tropical jungle.

All kidding aside, I wish the OP the very best of luck and I hope you settle into the area soon. Welcome to DFW.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by portyhead24

Wow, generalize much? I'm a part of that "they" you speak of, and you haven't described me one bit. Time for you to move along to post some other ridiculous tripe.

Good comment.

To think we had to endure 3 years of a misfit with a hostile attitude.

[namcor]

I had issues with the big fake smiles and wows as well when I first moved here, but this summer I went back "home" to cold eastern Europeans and let me tell you , I will take a Texas big hair big smile big wow any day over the unfriendliness of my people Now I think it's kind of nice that people take their time to acknowledge you and smile at you and ask you (an ignorant) question, as superficial and annoying as it may seem at times. Just my two cents