Moving from NYC to Dallas (Arlington, Denton: apartment complex, rent, amusement park)

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

Some chains are fantastic. The whole reason why they are successful and became chains is because they serve good stuff. If it sucked it wouldnt be a chain.

Yes and no. A chain will very rarely serve you something that is rancid, but if it is a big chain it tends to be LCD(lowest common denominator) food. Tends to be, not always, but often. They don't necessarily become big because they are good, but because they are bland enough anyone can eat there. Is McDonalds the biggest because it is the bets burger? No. It is the biggest because it has almost no flavor, no "odd" ingredients, and is totally resistant to change. When they try change i.e. Arch Deluxe, it fails because it isn't same old same old.
They also tend to have worse ingredients because they can leverage their size to buy in bulk. this requires shipping form further away, then breaking it up and distributing it, ... so less fresh.
Does anyone really think KFC is the best fried chicken, TGI Fridays the best causal dinning food, Olive Garden the best Italian, and IHOP the best pancakes?
No, but they are edible, and safe.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

And there are just as many chains in the city limits as there are in the burbs. Chains are everywhere including Chicago, New York, LA, EVERYWHERE.

Actually there aren't many chains in NYC. The only Chili's left about a decade ago. There's a TGI Friday's near Times Square that tourists eat at. If there is an Olive Garden, I can't think of where. No On The Border, Cheesecake Factory, etc. NYC is pretty anti-chain.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Actually there aren't many chains in NYC. The only Chili's left about a decade ago. There's a TGI Friday's near Times Square that tourists eat at. If there is an Olive Garden, I can't think of where. No On The Border, Cheesecake Factory, etc. NYC is pretty anti-chain.

There are lots of chains in NYC, and there are two Olive Gardens..There is Ted Turners restaurants, Quiznos, Hard Rock Cafe, KFC, Applebees, Outback Steakhouse, Pizzaria Uno, Ruby Tuesdays, the list goes on...Usually a person is too caught up in all the awesomeness to be bothered eating in a chain restaurant when in NYC. Overall though you're right, they are simply outnumbered by all the unique places so they can go unnoticed.

Actually, the buffalo burgers at Teds Montana Grill are tasty. They cook em on a flat iron and cover em up with a metal bowl so they steam real nice-like.

Now, don't ask me why I know about all the chains in NYC, cause I share the same disdain for them most people here do. I just try to keep the expense report low so I eat lunch there since everything is so expensive in NYC. Call me cheap!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by skids929

There are lots of chains in NYC, and there are two Olive Gardens..There is Ted Turners restaurants, Quiznos, Hard Rock Cafe, KFC, Applebees, Outback Steakhouse, Pizzaria Uno, Ruby Tuesdays, the list goes on...Usually a person is too caught up in all the awesomeness to be bothered eating in a chain restaurant when in NYC. Overall though you're right, they are simply outnumbered by all the unique places so they can go unnoticed.

Actually, the buffalo burgers at Teds Montana Grill are tasty. They cook em on a flat iron and cover em up with a metal bowl so they steam real nice-like.

Now, don't ask me why I know about all the chains in NYC, cause I share the same disdain for them most people here do. I just try to keep the expense report low so I eat lunch there since everything is so expensive in NYC. Call me cheap!

You can get a better, cheaper meal from most food carts and neighborhood restaurants & diners than those chains while in NYC. It's certainly not hard to find lunch on a < $15 budget. Not every NYC non-chain restaurant costs as much as Peter Luger or Per Se.

[MaryS80]

Originally Posted by VonHuffenHausen

This person is confused. The only areas that are all chain restaurants are suburbs outside of the city. The city of Dallas is littered with great non-chain restaurants and bars. The external burbs are not Dallas and those are also the places that have the 300k homes that are affordable to middle and upper middle class, not just about everybody. There is plenty of poverty in the actual city of Dallas, and crime, etc.

If you are looking for cheaper, you will not be living in actual Dallas. The best areas for a family if you want more city life would be East Dallas, but you would probably have to pay for private schools. The nice homes are also a lot more expensive than the burbs.

Plus you will make less money here, that is if you can find a job. Visit first.

Housing anywhere in Dallas with the exception of maybe Preston Hollow is much less expensive than anything even near NYC. Many would consider NJ a cheaper option to living in the city, what would by you a nice but not over the top home here would get you a dump in NJ, and Philly does not fare much better. Comparing housing costs and COL in Dallas to the tristate area is like comparing apples to oranges.

Owning a home in the Dallas area is a pretty reasonable goal. Can someone who dropped out of high school and makes minimum age own a home, probably not. With an average income and some good money managing skills, its can be easily done.

I won't dispute that there is poverty in Dalllas, and maybe poor people get swept up under the rug here, but it's different up there. You can have block after block of homes that in disrepair, falling apart, rotting, and abandoned. There's a lot of old row houses and similar style homes where your "yard" is just a couple of square feet, and you may even share a common driveway with a neighbor. Dallas definitely has its poor and run down areas, but nothing here is old enough to reach that level of decay you find in the NE.

Even renting in the NY area is insane expensive. There was an article recently about a woman in NYC who wanted to downsize and live a more affordable life. She did manage to find a place to rent for under $800/mo, it was also literally just biger than a walk in closet.

[MaryS80]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

Yes and no. A chain will very rarely serve you something that is rancid, but if it is a big chain it tends to be LCD(lowest common denominator) food. Tends to be, not always, but often. They don't necessarily become big because they are good, but because they are bland enough anyone can eat there. Is McDonalds the biggest because it is the bets burger? No. It is the biggest because it has almost no flavor, no "odd" ingredients, and is totally resistant to change. When they try change i.e. Arch Deluxe, it fails because it isn't same old same old.
They also tend to have worse ingredients because they can leverage their size to buy in bulk. this requires shipping form further away, then breaking it up and distributing it, ... so less fresh.
Does anyone really think KFC is the best fried chicken, TGI Fridays the best causal dinning food, Olive Garden the best Italian, and IHOP the best pancakes?
No, but they are edible, and safe.

I second this. Chains serve boring, safe, predicable, inauthentic food. Many serve what amounts to little more that a glorified TV dinner.

I think Dallas is starting to catch on, its no secret that the best Tacos in Dallas aren't at Taco Bell, or even at On The Border but at Fuel City.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

You can get a better, cheaper meal from most food carts and neighborhood restaurants & diners than those chains while in NYC. It's certainly not hard to find lunch on a < $15 budget. Not every NYC non-chain restaurant costs as much as Peter Luger or Per Se.

Mmmmmmm Peter Luger..Actually haven't been there, from what I have seen on TV looks awesome, dying to get the time to trek over the bridge. Good point food trucks are also something I need to try out, hopefully they take Amex!

[Twincam666]

Originally Posted by Philly42

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Dallas. The cost of living seems a lot less than the NYC area. We enjoy what NYC has to offer with culture, nightlife and entertainment. However, since we're looking to start a family our priorities are changing. We feel that we can get more as in schools, housing and savings there compared to NY.

What are you thoughts...I'm on the outside looking in.

I would love to hear from former New Yorkers or people from other big cities of their experiences living in Dallas.

Ok, I lived in both Queens and Brooklyn and came to Texas in 1993. Had family here so that was a help.

Things here you HAVE to Remember is:

DFW does not have a mass transit system that even comes close to NYC
so cars are a necessity!

The traffic at rushhour here is everywhere, so get close to your work in a good safe area....DFW has a lot of good safe and not so safe areas.

Check the school systems as there are some that are really poorly rated and others that are top notch.

Also, even though there is no State Tax, property and school taxes are very high here and homeowners insurance can be crazy in some areas too

The heat here from June thru September is terrible! But the winter cold does not last long! However if the get a 64th inch of ice. almost EVERYTHING CLOSED! It was so funny first year I was here....The city was crippled and there was barely anything on the roads......

If you go with a newer home, check out the builder! Most of the newer stuff is poorly built using mostly illegals to build them and it's mass production, not quality oriented.....Even the very expensive homes!

If you need a realtor, PM me if you want:
I know 3 different realtors in the DFW metro area, that are all located and work in different areas so most likely one of them can help you and I have used them personally

I'm also adding this as I see it's turned into a food debate instead;
The food in NYC, Italian, Greek/Lebanese and others is MUCH BETTER then in Texas! PerIoD My family owned 4 Deli's in NYC Burroughs and there are NO real Deli's here!
......But Texas does have a lot of good places to eat and too many Mexican food joints!.....I don't do Buffets, so I cannot comment on them much. But you're not going to go hungry here by any means!

[TX75007]

My neighbors moved to TX from Manhattan to have kids. They now have four!

The best advice is to rent for the first year or two until you decide that you like it and then come to find an area that you like.

There are a number of quality builders in the area and a realtor acting as your buying agent can negotiate a lot off the price.

[Philly42]

Originally Posted by skids929

Mmmmmmm Peter Luger..Actually haven't been there, from what I have seen on TV looks awesome, dying to get the time to trek over the bridge. Good point food trucks are also something I need to try out, hopefully they take Amex!

I had Peter Lugers and it was good but was in no comparison to the steaks we had in Dallas. We prefer the rub/seasonings that seems to be used in TX. Im my opinion you shouldn't have to use A1 or any other sauce on a steak. I felt that Peter Lugers and a couple of other steakhouses that I tried in NY just age the meat and cook it with salt and pepper.

Yeah so TX BBQ is def something we look forward to in moving to Dallas