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We have many restaurants and amusements to choose from, but in general the city shuts down at 10pm.
Abundant roads make it easy to get anywhere, but being so car-dependent makes it difficult for local scenes/hangouts to organically develop (few opportunities to rub elbows happenstance).
We have the most valuable sports team in the world, but the fans abandon hope -cold- and get very quiet and leave early whenever the Cowboys are behind. It's often more about winning than having a good time.
Economically, it's great. Still relatively inexpensive to live in a bustling metroplex of this size. However, this has the side-effect of enabling an entitlement-minded lifestyle. AKA $30,000 millionaire/living-on-credit syndrome: "I can have everything the way I want including keeping people like you (hippies, bus riders, ethnic minorities, etc, fill in the blank) at arm's length." Which lends a certain "transactional" quality to social interactions. Lots of invisible boundaries and cliqueishness.
Dallas drivers are among the most self-centered, road-controlling, oblivious, lane stealing, merge-denying, slow drifting people in North America. They simply cannot comprehend the notion that the left lane is the passing lane. Oftentimes, you will be waiting a full six seconds at a green light before the person ahead of you hits the gas pedal. In particular, owners of large black pickup trucks exemplify all of this behavior tenfold... BEWARE. Only Atlanta and Boston drivers are worse.
Statistically, Dallas skews liberal, but liberal "by Texas standards"... not in general. Dallas is a blue candle flickering in a wide, deep swath of red. Whatever progressive gains are made locally are constantly challenged by the strong Republican state legislature and their decisions thereof. Like the idiotic bathroom bill. Also a tremendous number of churches. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but they thus exert far more influence than one might otherwise expect. Robert Tilton's megachurch/pyramid scheme got started here after all.
For a city of this size, its "EQ" (emotional awareness) is surprisingly low. Most folks aren't terribly good at making small talk around here. Largely because they don't have to. You may notice Dallas is still a fairly economically (and racially) segregated place made worse by the "I can have it my way" attitude and spread-out topography. The net effect of which feels like living in a much smaller city than it actually is. AKA Dallas is "The Biggest Little Town In Texas".
Uptown along McKinney Avenue is one of the only walkable, bustling parts of the city at any given time, especially beyond 10pm. However, it is also deservedly known as the Jersey Shore of Dallas. Which is great if you are still in your 20's, easily entertained, fit the general stereotype, and haven't ruined your credit score (yet). Otherwise, tough luck. Dallas has no local social equivalent for you unless you are gay (Oak Lawn). But that would be another story altogether, wouldn't it? To be fair, Lower Greenville has improved as an alternative (and Deep Ellum is rebounding again), but both similarly skew young & mostly privileged.
Dallas has no forests, rivers, oceans, mountains, or really any sort of nature to provide inspiration... but there are a few pockets here and there and the winters are mild. Recommended coping strategy: Seek panoramic views of the skyline from high-rise restaurants and bars and take nature treks out of the city often.
Dallas has a high proximity of hilariously mismatched couples. The women are fairly heavily devoted to cosmetics and glamour, but the guys still wear sports jerseys and shorts or that routine untucked button-down-shirt-and-jeans uniform with Cole Haan brown/black shoes thing. Each person apparently existing in their own parallel world, doing their own thing. Par for the course, indeed.
In short, Dallas is as proud as it is insecure. A city for stuff and business, not so much for people. So if you're still living here, and you're -not- making serious hay, you could do a lot better in terms of living in a place which nurtures your soul and sense of community.
Otherwise, with decent cashflow, you can buy yourself a pretty nice reality here. Even if, by and large, you'll be enjoying it primarily by yourself.
Last edited by TheRedTelephone; 07-26-2017 at 05:01 PM..
So if you're still living here, and you're -not- making serious hay, you could do a lot better in terms of living in a place which nurtures your soul and sense of community.
Thank you, Debbie Downer. I've had the exact opposite experience of you. But I had no idea this whole time I was living in such a soul-sucking place . I've been to all of the major cities in Texas and they're really not that fundamentally different socially, unless you're in ones that are smaller and with less transplants.
There really is no excuse to have these issues in a metro this big and diverse, especially in an era of social media and apps. And speaking about car dependency, how are Austin, Houston, and San Antonio NOT car dependent? Houston is even worse for walkability and spontaneous interaction via walking/public transit, yet they manage better than Dallas socially? Dallas has gotten much better at that, btw. And what you're describing can actually apply just about anywhere. We live in that era where "stuff" and climbing the ladder seems to be the main purpose, unfortunately.
Even if Dallas was completely like you described, don't you think there would be a growing subgroup of people pushing for the opposite? Especially given how big and diverse the city is. There's transplants from all over.
Fort Worth is socially different. It's more of a city for people versus "stuff". The old joke goes, "Dallas is famous for its Fort Worth art galleries"... rings true for the culture that goes with it. People drive more courteously in Fort Worth. They are often better conversationalists, too. More apt to look you in the eye when speaking. Spend a day bar-hopping Magnolia and Sundance then come back to West Village and Ellum and compare. No contest. Way more realness out west. The only drawback is that if you are too different, that friendliness can backfire. After all, a fair share of that Fort Worth hospitality is, let's face it, derived from a somewhat more rural frame of mind.
Speaking of which, I watched David Byrne in concert several years ago in Tampa Bay. He drew a roaring crowd which sang along, interacted with the dancers, overall high energy level and everyone was totally, selflessly plugged in. Afterward, I saw him again at the Majestic in Dallas. Even though it was the same guy, doing the same songs, with the same dancers... the crowd was, at best, passively appreciative. Goes with the "low EQ" character of the city. People are just a little too bottled up and self-conscious here. Or is it apathy? Not sure, but it's pretty damn apparent after disembarking from the plane after traveling all over the country.
Of course, it's not all negative. Nowhere is. Dallas has improved after the S&L crash & through the bitter 90's. But by and large this is a materialistic city of concrete and debt, divided by logistics and comfort. It voraciously destroys its own history whenever a buck can be made from it. Dating scene isn't so hot either. Hugely unrealistic expectations from both sides of the fence (Halloween costume of a gold miner w/t-shirt "Keep Dallas Pretentious" took the cake).
Dallas = Live relatively cheaply, make money, buy yourself a workable reality. But don't veer too much from the stereotypes. "Liberal" only stretches so far on these streets.
Even if you disagree... the drivers. Good lord. The drivvvveerrrssssssssssss......
How about you come live in Dallas. Maybe YOUR mind will change.
I did for four years between 2010-2014, uprooted the fam and all. Never had a single negative thing to say about Dallas, unlike the raging chip on your shoulder with Austin.
Fort Worth is socially different. It's more of a city for people versus "stuff". The old joke goes, "Dallas is famous for its Fort Worth art galleries"... rings true for the culture that goes with it. People drive more courteously in Fort Worth. They are often better conversationalists, too. More apt to look you in the eye when speaking. Spend a day bar-hopping Magnolia and Sundance then come back to West Village and Ellum and compare. No contest. Way more realness out west. The only drawback is that if you are too different, that friendliness can backfire. After all, a fair share of that Fort Worth hospitality is, let's face it, derived from a somewhat more rural frame of mind.
Speaking of which, I watched David Byrne in concert several years ago in Tampa Bay. He drew a roaring crowd which sang along, interacted with the dancers, overall high energy level and everyone was totally, selflessly plugged in. Afterward, I saw him again at the Majestic in Dallas. Even though it was the same guy, doing the same songs, with the same dancers... the crowd was, at best, passively appreciative. Goes with the "low EQ" character of the city. People are just a little too bottled up and self-conscious here. Or is it apathy? Not sure, but it's pretty damn apparent after disembarking from the plane after traveling all over the country.
Of course, it's not all negative. Nowhere is. Dallas has improved after the S&L crash & through the bitter 90's. But by and large this is a materialistic city of concrete and debt, divided by logistics and comfort. It voraciously destroys its own history whenever a buck can be made from it. Dating scene isn't so hot either. Hugely unrealistic expectations from both sides of the fence (Halloween costume of a gold miner w/t-shirt "Keep Dallas Pretentious" took the cake).
Dallas = Live relatively cheaply, make money, buy yourself a workable reality. But don't veer too much from the stereotypes. "Liberal" only stretches so far on these streets.
Even if you disagree... the drivers. Good lord. The drivvvveerrrssssssssssss......
Fort Worth is also smaller with less transplants. Great city, but it's really an apples to oranges comparison. You also acknowledge it isn't exactly that friendly when it comes to people who are "different." I guess it's not paradise either. Have you lived in Houston or Austin? Or any other city similar in size and transience to Dallas? I can't speak about a Tampa Bay concert, but I've been to plenty of concerts in Austin. It seems down there that the locals don't genuinely care about the music -- they just go to get drunk and be seen. It's very noticeable at Blues on the Green. Not exactly paradise down there either. But is a concert really reflective of the general population?
Speaking of tearing down history, Dallas isn't any worse than Houston in that regard. Austin is even replacing old buildings with new. You might not know this, but Dallas was recognized as having the most historic preservation projects in the state last year. Adaptive reuse is finally more of a reality here, with tons of projects throughout the city. Dallas isn't perfect and has plenty of issues. What you described does apply to some people here, but that doesn't mean most are like that.
One last bit on apathy -- have you ever been to the Northeast or any slow growth, rust belt town? My God, the people there are chronically negative and apathetic. The roll out of bed look, the constant cynicism, etc. makes Dallas's image focused population feel like a breath of fresh air. I really encourage you to travel around.
Thanks for the encouragement. I visited 20 states last fall, including Canada. Might need to slow down a bit, actually.
I do think concerts are a reflection of the local cognoscenti. I have friends who tour internationally and remark upon how the crowd functions as a giant feedback loop. The differences between cities manifest themselves clearly on the road. In that regard, Dallas is relatively "low energy" on the participation scale, though it has been improving with so much population influx over the past few years.
Agreed NE and rust belt towns often manifest canned resentment and apathy like no one's business. By comparison, Dallas is an aspirational city. It desperately wants to achieve higher status, like LA/SF/NYC... but has decades to go and isn't quite willing to admit that. Which is made obvious by the sheer number of entitlement-focused people (and businesses) playing dress up versus having actual class (tip: it can't be bought). A lesson often lost upon the faithful here.
Dallas is hardly the worst place on earth. Hope I didn't leave that impression. A good analogy would be the insecure kid who tries too hard to be popular. Good kid, a bit misguided, spends his time and money on the wrong things, but can be sincere and enjoyable when his defenses are down. Still, a little goes a long way.
Red you need to leave if you are so sad about living there -your jaded view shows its time to leave and look for your utopia in other state or city
Advice taken. I've long since outgrown 'Lil D (probably 1989 would have been ideal). Leaving next spring, permanently, without bitterness. It's all good. Gonna make room for someone else to resume the Sisyphean effort.
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. I've been to all of the major cities in Texas and they're really not that fundamentally different socially, unless you're in ones that are smaller and with less transplants. 
