Will Dallas ALWAYS be a boring place to live? (Houston: violent crime, transfer)

[Lakewooder]

I go to Cox and Meadows (degrees from both) plus a frat tent or two and then there are some other friends who have tents. Most are pretty welcoming if you have some sort of connection. I would agree with you about the game but then many people are having so much fun on the boulevard that they don't want to leave.

[HockDad]

I agree, to some extent, with the original poster. When I have friends come to town I often struggle with places they should see, activities, etc. I certainly have more fun in NOLA for the weekend than most weekends in Dallas.

That being said, Dallas is a great place to live. You could not pay me to live in NOLA or Baton Rouge. We have better jobs, it is safer, the schools are better, etc. Dallas is not perfect, but it is our home, and most of us are pretty darn proud of it.

[vinhmen]

Lots of sensitive folks on these boards, but OP is correct in the sense Dallas is kind of a boring city to live in. Good to place to work and raise family, but when visitors ask about must-see or do, I tell them Kennedy site, shopping and ... Ft Worth?

[Lakewooder]

I've been to Mardis Gras multiple times and Oktoberfest in Munich twice. I would put our state fair up there or above both of them. I've also been to several St. Patty's celebrations in other large cities. I quit going to those because the one in Dallas is the most fun. Not to mention Irish Fest at Fair Park...

But besides the big events (also Easter at Turtle Creek, Halloween on Cedar Springs, Mother's Day Home Tour on Swiss Ave, Dallas Blooms, etc.) there is something to do every single day and night. I really have to pick and choose. Sometimes there are 2 or 3 things in one evening I want to do but I can't get to all of them. My Facebook events calendar is so crowded that I can't keep up...fall is especially busy with football games, homecoming events and reunions... I usually run into someone I know everywhere I go.

[globe9]

I'm from New Orleans and can see where the OP is coming from. I struggle to find stuff to do with relatives when they visit if it's not a weekend with a major event going on such as the State Fair. They can only do grassy knoll, Arboretum, Ft Worth stockyards so often.
Some of the festivals here are great, but some are kinda lame like the Baloon festival. Once you've seen 2 or 3 hot air balloons, you've seen them all + they don't serve alcohol at some of these events b/c it's "family friendly"
I do find New Orleans more exciting and fun. Mardi Gras lasts for more than 2 weeks. We have more than 3 St.Patricks parades and an Irish/Italian parade as well. And I'm sorry, but our parades are just better. Halloween weekend and the day itself in the French Quarter blows Cedar Springs away. Easter parade in the French Quarter is awesome.
Jazzfest, Po Boy Fest, Oyster Fest, Strawberry Fest, Oktoberfest, Tomato Fest, Satchmo Festival, Crawfish Fest, Seafood fest, etc etc
Christmas in the Oaks in City Park, White Linen Night, Dirty Linen Night, Running of the Bulls etc all popular events throughout the year.
We also have the Saints, Pelicans, Zephyrs and Jesters
Also New Orleans is NOT that dangerous. Don't go buy crack in the 9th ward and you'll be fine. I thought we were dangerous until I started watching the news here and it seems like Dallas has its share of murders rapes etc too.
Dallas is a good place to live but New Orleans is a good place to live too and much better to visit.

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

I've been to Mardis Gras multiple times and Oktoberfest in Munich twice. I would put our state fair up there or above both of them. I've also been to several St. Patty's celebrations in other large cities. I quit going to those because the one in Dallas is the most fun. Not to mention Irish Fest at Fair Park...

But besides the big events (also Easter at Turtle Creek, Halloween on Cedar Springs, Mother's Day Home Tour on Swiss Ave, Dallas Blooms, etc.) there is something to do every single day and night. I really have to pick and choose. Sometimes there are 2 or 3 things in one evening I want to do but I can't get to all of them. My Facebook events calendar is so crowded that I can't keep up...fall is especially busy with football games, homecoming events and reunions... I usually run into someone I know everywhere I go.

Deep Ellum Art Fest, all the October fests, Savor Dallas, Taste of Dallas, Texas beer fest, Cedar preserve, reunion tower observation deck, etc.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by vinhmen

Lots of sensitive folks on these boards, but OP is correct in the sense Dallas is kind of a boring city to live in. Good to place to work and raise family, but when visitors ask about must-see or do, I tell them Kennedy site, shopping and ... Ft Worth?

We usually go with some sort of unique watering hole, of which Dallas has MANY. There are so many districts to visit and sample new eats & drinks. OK, so maybe that's not the end-all be-all, but it's the kind of fun my friends and I like to have! Plus, there are the non-stop festivals esp this time of year, and live music of all kinds all over the place. We can't get to HALF of the events and places we want to because there's just not enough time!!

In fact, we SHOULD be well on our way to buying a place here by now, but we've been too busy having fun!

[TommyTucker]

Simmer down people. The truth hurts. Go back to your ostentatious lifestyle. Have fun driving around in your cheesy BMW's. It's so Dallas.

[rantanamo]

I don't usually say stuff like this, because I'm not exactly the harbinger of fun, but if you aren't having fun in Dallas these days, you simply need to get out. There is stuff going on every week or weekend. There's great food everywhere. There's more than the stockyards, West End, Kennedy Memorial, Dealy Plaza.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

I don't usually say stuff like this, because I'm not exactly the harbinger of fun, but if you aren't having fun in Dallas these days, you simply need to get out. There is stuff going on every week or weekend. There's great food everywhere. There's more than the stockyards, West End, Kennedy Memorial, Dealy Plaza.

Agreed. Cluelessness is a big player in these threads.

A few unusual things I like to do/show to out of towners........

1. Cavanaugh Air Museum, most of their birds fly and flights may be arranged in some of them if one has the stones.
2. Frontiers of Flight at Love Field
3. Daylight mansion cruises along Essex, Strait Lane, Park Lane, Turtle Creek, Volk Estates, Beverly Drive etc. Out of towners are floored.
4. The Warren Deck Park
5. Tacos at Fuel City
6. Lunch at Adelmo's
7. DMA, Kimbell, Meyerson, Bass Hall, Nasher
8. Dinner and drinks in The Belmont at BarBelmont or Smoke especially at sunset looking towards downtown.
9. Squeezing off a few rounds at Elm Fork.
10. Shopping for guns, ammo and hardware at Ray's.
11. The World Aquarium
12. Drinking and eating in Bishop Arts
13. The Big Four pro-sports plus pro soccer plus horse racing plus TMS and fun college sports
14. Downtown Fort Worth and 7th Street
15. Music concerts every night
17. Cool live music
18. Dallas Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo
19. Checking out Fair Park when the fair is not going on.
20. Drinking wine at Mercy (Addison)

Also to the guy claiming the NOLA is safe. The FBI says NOLA has one of the very worst violent crime rates in the country and that's not limited to the Ninth Ward.

ETA - http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainm...l-and-more.ece