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Here is the dictionaries definition of materialism. It has an unethical element to the definition that I never knew about. Very interesting. People might see rich people flaunting their expensive cars and clothing but it's hard to assume that their behaviors are materialism. <not in any regards to materialism the philosophy>
I disagree, Hstfan. There are no intellectual pleasures, there are only intellectual delusions. If you want to understand the real world of matter and energy and space and time, you won't do it by building an intellectual fantasy in your head. You do it by observing the material world and regulating your behavior to maximize your ability to control it.
It has been said that intellectuals are stupid. Not unintelligent, not slow, or dense, or mentally defective... stupid... in the sense of being unwise. Of being divorced from the real consequences of their thought and behavior as it pertains to the material world.
If you are not materialistic you are ineligible to live in this world... unless you think you can live on ideas instead of food.
Why do I bash Austin? Because the Austin snobs bash Dallas, and I want them to realize that there is a price to pay for demeaning other people.
Materialism is everywhere. I think it is the bragging, boasting, and snubbing that is a problem, people tie that in with materialism for whatever reasons.
Good point. Demeaning other people for no reason is pretty crass, but being clever in handling your material possessions with taste and class is not.
I just got back from my trip to Dallas and I definitely learned a lot. My friend and I checked out places in Uptown and think we found a pretty nice place. near Mckinney and Cole.
1) The girls are unbelievably goodlooking
2) It is more LA than Texas if you ask me. I didn't see people with cowboy hats or anything - they were all driving Mercedes and what the realtor called $30,000 millionaires which I think I read on here somewhere as well.
3) The people I talked to seemed pretty nice, but the models that I saw - ya umm, I didn't really make an effort at this time because they just were too pretty. haha
4) Weather - pretty hot - like 95 degrees - but I didn't really mind it. Better than the snow I get in Boston
MORE QUESTIONS if you don't mind
It seemed like Uptown is very small and I know there are a billion places outside of the area. What would you consider some areas nearby that are close to uptown.
I didn't see a ton of bbq places in Uptown - where else should I be going for nice restaurants.
I actually thought I was going to get more for my money to be honest. A lot of the 2br apartments were 1400-2000 that we were looking at, thought that was a little high - but then maybe I am in the most expensive area - I have no clue.
Need Recommendations (when I move there)
Where am I going to meet people? Any sports leagues I can join? I am going to be working from home so it will be tough.
Are any of you around 24-30 that are cool and like to go to bars and rip it up? hahaha
I am nervous, but excited at the same time. I really enjoyed my time there and if you are going to be renting and need a realtor - ask for Ashley at ModTown. That girl works her butt off to make sure you are happy. She legit drove us to the rental car place, made sure we had a car, and had us follow her back to our hotel because we didn't have a GPS. I am not sure if all the people are that nice there, but it was UNREAL from what I have ever experienced. I would have to say she is the best realtor I have ever dealt with in my life. Ashley Moss - Modtown Realty, Dallas, Texas, TX Broker (http://www.modtownrealty.com/Ashley-Moss - broken link)
Thanks for your help guys!!!! There really should be a site for people moving to a new city that want to make friends with others moving there as well.
[quote=ar8739;10431818]I MORE QUESTIONS if you don't mind
It seemed like Uptown is very small and I know there are a billion places outside of the area. What would you consider some areas nearby that are close to uptown.
I didn't see a ton of bbq places in Uptown - where else should I be going for nice restaurants.
I actually thought I was going to get more for my money to be honest. A lot of the 2br apartments were 1400-2000 that we were looking at, thought that was a little high - but then maybe I am in the most expensive area - I have no clue.
Need Recommendations (when I move there)
Where am I going to meet people? Any sports leagues I can join? I am going to be working from home so it will be tough.
Are any of you around 24-30 that are cool and like to go to bars and rip it up? hahaha
I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll tackle a few of them. Yes, Uptown is one of the most expensive parts of Dallas. If you want to be close to Uptown but spend less $$$$, you might consider living in one of the many apartment buildings in downtown (I love the newly renovated Mercantile Place - esp. the pool). But that particular building might be Uptown expensive Luxury Apartments in Metropolitan Dallas TX. You might also consider living in the Knox-Henderson 'hood. This is just one mile north of Uptown and it offers tons of restaurants and bars. There are plenty of apartment complexes (new and old) in the area. You might also like some of the many apartments in Oak Lawn (if it's not too gay for your metrosexual sensibilities). Great location.
As for BBQ places, I can only think of one in Uptown (Dickie's). There are a few more on Inwood Rd. near the hospital district (Sonny Bryan's is one). There are lots of great restaurants in Uptown, Downtown, Oak Lawn and Knox-Henderson. Whatever you're looking for you should be able to find.
You can meet people anywhere, but if you like to get out and run, rollerblade or just hang, then I would suggest the Katy Trail Friends of Katy Trail:. It's an old railroad track that runs for about 4 miles thru the heart of Dallas. As for meeting people, this is a city of 1.3 million so there will be lots of organizations, clubs, volunteer opportunities, etc... And of course there are lots of bars full of people your age who like to rip it up. If you like dive bars, as I do, then I recommend the Grapevine in Oak Lawn Welcome to Grapevine Bar - 3902 Maple Rd. Dallas, TX 75219 - (214) 522-8466. It's straight/gay/bi/try/metrosexual/tranny and everybody gets along very well. It has a great jukebox too. Another place that has ambience out the a** is Lee Harvey's Lee Harvey's - 214-428-1555 just south of Downtown in the 'hood. Another great jukebox there. At the opposite end of the bar spectrum, check out the Rattlesnake Bar at the Ritz Carlton in Uptown or the outdoor Live Oak Bar in the same hotel Dallas Restaurant: The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Fine Dining at Fearing's. It's known as a bit of a cougar bar in case you're into that sort of thing.
As for shopping malls, Northpark is a temple of retail about 6 or 7 miles north of downtown (accessible by DART rail). I hate most malls, but Northpark is definitely an exception NorthPark Center - The Premier Shopping and Dining Center in Dallas. Mazel Tov on your decision to move to Dallas!
Also based on what everyone was saying Uptown was the place to be. What is wrong with Downtown? (I think they mentioned it was dangerous). Besides uptown - where could I get more for my money that is still safe - close to everything (bars/restaurants)?
Healthy take out/delivery restaurants
A grocery store that is close by
Any help with that? (Uptown)
I eat out for every meal except breakfast, so I don't know much about delivery or take-out. Given the population in Uptown/Oak Lawn and the number of restaurants, I'm sure it's quite common. One place I do like for take-out is Eatzi's on Oak Lawn Blvd. near Lemmon Ave. Eatzi's. That's less than a mile to the NW of Uptown. For regular grocery stores, there is an Albertson's at McKinney @ Lemmon in the middle of Uptown. If you want something healthier, there is a Whole Foods on Lemmon Ave. about 2 miles west of Uptown Stores | WholeFoodsMarket.com (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/StoreList.php - broken link). For a spectacular grocery store, there is Central Market Central Market | Stores | Dallas on Greenville Ave. at Lovers Ln. about 3 miles north of Uptown.
Also based on what everyone was saying Uptown was the place to be. What is wrong with Downtown? (I think they mentioned it was dangerous). Besides uptown - where could I get more for my money that is still safe - close to everything (bars/restaurants)?
There's nothing wrong with downtown and it's not any more dangerous than Uptown (which is not very). Downtown just has fewer residents, restaurant, retail, services, etc than Uptown. But downtown has made tremendous strides in the last several years and I think it is very livable. For more bang for the buck, I would look at some of the brand new apartment buildings on or around Henderson Ave. in the Knox-Henderson area. Sorry, I don't know any of the names. But I live in the area and there are tons of restaurants and bars within walking distance. Since there is so much new residential and the economy is still sucky, you might be able to get a good deal in that area. It's also a different vibe than you get in Uptown (in a good way). Plus it's close to the bars and restaurants on Lower Greenville Ave.
I'll try to tackle some of your questions (answering as a late 20's female who lives in that area):
Take- out / Delivery: Delivery is much harder to find here vs Northeast or Chicago. Honestly, the only place I can think of is my sushi place (Sushi Zushi, @ Blackburn & Oak Lawn) or pizza. Almost any casual restsurant will let you call in an order for pick-up, or you can stop by Eatzi's, Whole Foods on Lemon, or Central Market. All three of these have amazing selections of salads, sandwiches, fruit, and meals you can heat up at home.
BBQ: closest good one in Uptown is Sammy's, over by the Federal Reserve building. It is only open for lunch during the week. My favorite is Big Al's (Lemon & Inwood).
Other good resturants:
For mid-priced food ($20-30 without alcohol), the hottest places in Dallas now are Nick & Sam's Grill (off-shoot of $$$ amazing steakhouse Nick & Sam's), pretty much anything on Henderson (east of 75) including The Porch, Fireside Pies, Park, Sushi Axiom, & brand new restaurant Hacienda. Southwest of Uptown is an area called Oak Cliff, which has a trendy district called Bishop Arts. Bolsa, Eino's, and Tillman's Roadhouse are three hot spots in that area. Mi Cocina, Chuy's, and Taco Diner are perineal favorites for Tex-Mex in the Uptown area.
For a short list of the finest restaurants in Dallas, check out Nick&Sam's and Bob's Steak & Chop House for steak, Shinsei and Tei An for sushi/ Japanese, Fearing's, The Mansion on Turtle Creek, and Abacus for continental cuisine, and Bijoux for French.
For nightlife, great casual (beer) bars are: Gingerman, Idle Rich, Black Friar, Old Monk. Great casual bars known for their patio scene are Primo's, Stoneleigh P, Capital Pub, Barcadia, and TABC in State Thomas. Young people will also be at Cretia's and Corner Bar. I hate both places, but check them out.
Nicer bar/ wine bar/ lounge options (aka good date places) are Veritas Wine Bar, Cru Wine Bar, Bodega Bar, The Ritz, Bar at The Mansion on Turtle Creek.
Once you're ready to break out of the Uptown area, try Cosmos (laid back lounge in Lakewood), The Libertine (great pub food on Greenville), Lee Harvey's (mentioned above), Time Out Tavern (Lovers & Inwood), The Slip Inn (great 80s dj on Friday nights),..
As for meeting people, 1) pick a place with a great pool & you will meet all your neighbors. 2) Join a few "young professional organizations" like Young Friends of the Ronald McDonald House, Young Texans Against Cancer, or Junior Associates of the Dallas Museum of Art. These are groups that have several happy hours and other social events throughout the year, as well as opportunities to volunteer, network, etc. Yes, you have to pay $50-300 per group to join, but it's a very easy way to find like-minded young professionals.
Also, $1,400-2,000 is pretty fair for a 2 bedroom in the area. Be sure you are looking in this whole area: north border is Monticello (n of Knox), east border is 75, west border is Oak Lawn/ Preston, south border is Woodall Rogers. Nothing wrong with downtown, but there still are not the ammenities you will need down there (dry cleaners, corner store, grocery store, there is 1 drugstore...)
As for shopping, NorthPark Mall (Northwest Highway & 75) has pretty much everything from The Gap & J Crew all the way up to Neiman's/ Barneys/ Ralph Lauren. Stanley Korshak is a very nice small dept store in Uptown. There are some trendy shops in the West Village. St Bernard Sports (Tollroad & Lovers) is a great shop for things like Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, etc if you're a preppy- coming from Boston, thought you might be!
Dallas is often considered the capital of the Bible Belt and it is a very Evagelical Christian city. It's home to several conservative Christian universities and megachurches. Socially, it is very conservative. I'm from California who lived in Dallas for 3 years and people would regularly ask me what Church I attended. People on this forum are in denial about it but the facts speak for itself. Dallas is one large suburb so don't think of it like a separate city because it's really one large metroplex that includes Ft. Worth. The cit of Dallas itself is slighly more liberal than the other cities but the area as a whole is very conservative. Being Jewish and from Boston, it's a no brainer, if I had to choose between Dallas and Austin, I would go with Austin.
One last misconception, there is far more to do in Austin than Dallas. Dallas is flat and has no real outdoor or recreational activities. There are no mountains, hills and very few lakes. I didn't even think their nightlife was very impressive. Austin has more to do. They have much better nightlife than Dallas and they have more outdoor activities and lakes. They have a better live music scene and the people are more educated and liberal.
Unlike the people here, I'm an objective 3rd party reviewer. I'm not from Austin or Dallas. I'm from LA who now lives in Phoenix.
The major advantage Dallas has over Austin is its job market. I will give Dallas credit with regard to that. It is by far better than Austin with that regard but with regard to social activities and the people itself, Austin is better. Oh, and Austin isn't crunchy granola. Texas is pretty conservative in general so to Texans, Austin is mocked for being granola but to people like you and I who are from large cities outside the South, Austin is just somewhat normal (albeit its more conservative than Boston, LA or Phoenix socially speaking)
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Just visited Dallas? Here is what I have learned
). Great location. 
