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Old 06-25-2010, 11:18 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
2,169 posts, read 5,152,993 times
Reputation: 2473

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I see your point but, regarding bookstores/reading, there are at least two notable things in North Texas

1) The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference which seems to get bigger every year, and is coming up next month. This year's features Mark Bowden, Mary Karr, Gary Smith, Madalit del Barco, Bryan Burrough, Hampton Sides, David Grann, Amanda Bennett, Kevin Fedarko, Paula Butturini, and Hannah Allam:

The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference

2) And the opening of Legacy Bookstore in Plano, one of the largest independent bookstores to open anywhere in the US in awhile and they bring in some interesting authors occasionally.

Welcome to Legacy Books - An Independent Bookstore
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Old 06-26-2010, 02:56 PM
 
Location: At your mama's house
965 posts, read 1,876,591 times
Reputation: 1148
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walter Benjamin View Post
There are many wonderful things about Dallas, starting with the cost of living. There are also a number of challenges. In addition to those already mentioned, two others are less frequently discussed:

* In spite of the best efforts of SMU, UTD, etc., the amount of intellectual stimulation in the form of authors, books, readings, (reading level of people you meet), etc., is very low. The "events" page of even a single top-tier bookshop on the coasts is far beyond anything that exists here. (1) [NB I'd love to be proven totally wrong on this point]

* Ethnic food (other than Mexican) that stands up to what's available on the coasts is mighty scarce. If someone touts a place that serves "great" Mediterranean or Asian food, take that with a huge grain of salt. Food criticism is extremely lax and generous. Dallas News critic Leslie Brenner has taken heat merely for accurately observing the low culinary standards. Yes, you can get a great meal for $100 here. A great meal for $20 that isn't greasy and beefy is much harder to do. [NB I love greasy & beefy]


(1)
Harvard Book Store
Events | Politics and Prose
Labyrinth Books
Calendar of Events - Powell's Books

Unless people consider great shopping as intellectually stimulating, the Dallas area is pretty low on the totem pole in regards to that aspect of city life.
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Old 07-15-2010, 03:59 PM
 
26 posts, read 78,993 times
Reputation: 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by seattlerain1 View Post
Hi-
So I've lived in Dallas for 10 months and I'm still not in love with it (not even a deep like). I had to move here for husband's job, so I accept that I will be living here for awhile. I feel that I am in some sort of arranged marriage with Dallas as this is what the cards dealt us.

Granted I havent been able to explore to much because of family obligations, but the only things that I found so far that are cool about Dallas are: Central Market, the Aquarium, and the All Good Cafe in Deep Ellum.

Whats your favorite things to do in Dallas? Favorite coffee shops? Favorite local galleries? Local boutiques? I'm looking for things that are uniquely Dallas.

Thanks for your help! My goal for the next month is to go out, explore, and hopefully find some love for my new city.

First, Turtle Creek. Get yourself to the corner of Beverly and Lakeside Drive, turn south on Lakeside and park somewhere along the creek. Get out and walk, all up and down the creek or up and down the lovely streets of Highland Park. If you have kids, take them with you and feed the ducks, take pictures and just enjoy the wonderful charm of it all.

Then go to Highland Park Village ( Preston at Mockingbird) and browse the shops and restaurants. Or just go for coffee at Starbucks and stop in the Ralph Lauren store, across the street. Terrific boutiques, gorgeous stuff, and even fun just to window shop. Absolutely GORGEOUS at Christmastime, when the entire shopping village is trimmed with billions of lights. And don't forget to tour Highland Park at Christmastime as well.....the lights and decorations are fabulous. Take an evening drive.

Check out Northpark for shopping too....it's on Northwest Highway near Central. Neiman's is there, of course, and lots of other good stores. And at the corner of Northwest Highway and Preston, you'll find Preston Center, which has a slew of great restaurants and great shopping.

Go for drinks to the bar at the Mansion, on Turtle Creek Boulevard. In summer, go for drinks and/or dinner on the patio at Bugatti's which overlooks a creek on Northwest Highway west of Inwood. Great shopping and fun restaurants and bars in the Knox Street area, where it runs into Central. The Dallas Art Museum is GREAT...don't miss it. Go to the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth too, and a bunch of others in the arts district there. Great art galleries and art evenings/tours and shopping in the arts district at the junction of Turtle Creek and the downtown area. Dallas used to have summer musicals....don't know if they do that anymore. There's the State Fair which is in October, I think, at Fair Park....huge and fun.

I'm from Dallas, of course, so I'm prejudiced, but certain parts of Dallas are lovely. You have to get down towards Highland Park to find them though....the outlying areas might as well be the moon.

Good luck!

Last edited by Bougainvillea; 07-15-2010 at 04:13 PM.. Reason: typographical errors
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Old 07-15-2010, 10:05 PM
 
101 posts, read 288,060 times
Reputation: 52
I also am not in love with Dallas. I visited both Dallas and Houston and am still in Dallas right now looking for housing. I absolutely loved Houston, Dallas not so much. There is something in the air here that I don't get when I am in Houston. Houston is the best. Since you are in Dallas as I will be in Dallas also due to jobs make the most of it.
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Old 07-16-2010, 02:40 AM
 
3 posts, read 44,930 times
Reputation: 15
I totally agree with LANative 10. I moving to North Texas Plano/ Frisco area from Northern California( 2 hours from Lake Tahoe) and 3 hours from where I was born and raised SF Bay Area. Its the people,family oriented environment that I am wanting... just a brake from the sky high rent , sky high housing ,sky high... everything. I am sorry I am having the courage to I trade in that I have been paying for great weather/outdoors for some genuine frendliness, down home living ,a real house-with a backyard,a piece of mind for once in my life. I love the Bay Area but you sometimes need to break away to appreciate where you were raised, where you came from and see how other fairly young people your age are living , working professionally and owning a house. But Dallas ,the city is metro enough that you can do everything in Dallas that you can in SF- believe me, I was born and raised in San Francisco. It just will cost you less to do it! Your right ,you will not fall in love with it like SF- thats just a special place. I love that I am from there. But I have learned from countless visits to DFW its special tooo, just in a different way.
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Old 07-16-2010, 03:52 AM
 
990 posts, read 2,294,557 times
Reputation: 1149
Quote:
Originally Posted by KylaY12345 View Post
I also am not in love with Dallas. I visited both Dallas and Houston and am still in Dallas right now looking for housing. I absolutely loved Houston, Dallas not so much. There is something in the air here that I don't get when I am in Houston. Houston is the best. Since you are in Dallas as I will be in Dallas also due to jobs make the most of it.
What did you do in Houston? The places are very much alike except for the horrible surface streets inside of 610.
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Old 07-16-2010, 04:13 AM
 
Location: Katy,TX.
4,244 posts, read 8,716,681 times
Reputation: 4014
Quote:
Originally Posted by seattlerain1 View Post
Hi-
So I've lived in Dallas for 10 months and I'm still not in love with it (not even a deep like). I had to move here for husband's job, so I accept that I will be living here for awhile. I feel that I am in some sort of arranged marriage with Dallas as this is what the cards dealt us.
Spend a weekend in Houston, San Antonio, or El Paso.....that will make you appreciate your situation lol
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Old 07-16-2010, 04:17 AM
 
Location: Katy,TX.
4,244 posts, read 8,716,681 times
Reputation: 4014
Quote:
Originally Posted by KylaY12345 View Post
I also am not in love with Dallas. I visited both Dallas and Houston and am still in Dallas right now looking for housing. I absolutely loved Houston, Dallas not so much. There is something in the air here that I don't get when I am in Houston. Houston is the best. Since you are in Dallas as I will be in Dallas also due to jobs make the most of it.
It must be the smell of trash and weeds.
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