48 hours to see Dallas, help! (Arlington, Plano: sales, real estate, to rent)

[Chad842]

My fiancee and I are visiting Dallas next weekend to make a decision on whether or not to transfer to our Dallas office from NYC. We have never been to the state of Texas and we have only a limited time in Dallas, so we want to maximize our trip. Can anyone make suggestions on what are the "most-see" places/neighborhoods in Dallas? Keeping in mind we have a limited time-frame (2 days).

Our background: We are a 20-something couple who enjoy going out to nice dinners/entertainment on the weekend. My fiancee especially enjoys the shopping/dinner/theater scene in NYC and would like to find a Dallas alternative. We are looking to leave NYC due to the astronomical cost of living and to live a more "suburban" lifestyle after many years in the urban enclave of Manhattan.

Finally, are there any towns outside of Dallas-proper where young people live? Right now we are looking at Richardson, Valley Ranch-North Lake area, and North Dallas. We do well financially so living costs will not be an issue.

Thank you very much for your help.

[eddie cantrell]

Chad842 - I lived in Dallas for 5 years and enjoyed it greatly. I worked in sales that covered the smaller towns, and Pastored a small country church, and also had the benefits of the big city. Here are a few suggestions -
Be sure to go down to the West End, walk around, eat , look at the shops, that was one of my favorite places to go and hang out when I lived there.
Some of the better shopping malls inculde the Galleria Mall, just outside LBJ on the North Side, If you are driving on the North Side of LBJ, the Galleria will be easy to find.
We loved all the sports when we were there, and while it has been many years since we moved away, I understand the Dallas Cowboys Complex in Arlington is Amazing.
We lived in Mesquite when we lived there many years ago, but I would go North if possible - Plano, Maybe Richardson, etc.
Some tourist things I would recommend -
Ride to the Top of the Hyatt and get a drink and chips as sit as you rotate around to see all views of the city. I would go at night. (The restaraunt is not that good, and pricey, choose the lounge.
The 5th floor is amazing if you enjoy the JFK experience.
Two good zoos in area - the Dallas Zoo and the Ft. Worth Zoo
If you are in town in October it would be worth the experience to go down to the fairgrounds and visit the fair.
Have fun and good luck on the possible move. I hope this helps but it has been many years ago when we lived there.

[FarNorthDallas]

Go to downtown Dallas and check out the new Performing Arts complex. It opens soon and there will be a brunch of free shows. AT&T Performing Arts Center

There is also the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Garden, Crow Asian art place, Dallas World Aquarium downtown.

Just north of there is Uptown which has a lot of bars, pubs, restaurants, nice hotels (Ritz, W, ZaZa, Crescent, etc). The American Airlines Center is there which is pro basketball, pro hockey, concerts, etc. Drive north on McKinney Ave in Uptown.

When you get to Knox street take a right. When you cross Hwy 75/Central it becomes Henderson. It's a happening place with bars, restaurants, etc.

Northpark Mall is nice - high end. It's just a bit north of Knox-Henderson off Hwy 75/Central.

Only a small part of Dallas - downtown, Uptown - has an urban feel to it. You don't have to go to the suburbs to get a suburban feel. You can stay in Dallas proper.

[FarNorthDallas]

Oh, and don't forget the State Fair of Texas is going on right now.
BigTex.com

[WillysB]

Start from downtown and travel north on McKinney. When you get to Highland Park switch over to Preston, keep going north to the Northwest Hwy. You'll have had enough by then. The NW Hwy is as far north as I'd ever go excepting for the Blue Goose in Addison, and that wasn't usually my decision.

As far as a place to live, if you haven't decided from the above trek then I'd just say, don't limit yourself to some given suburb. Any young couple is going to find themselves traversing the county most any weekend to get to some new location to meet up with other young couples out for the day or night. At least the northern half of the county. You won't find yourself south of downtown on many occasions, other than the zoo which, in your wildest imagination won't even compare to Manhattan.

The Dallas North Tollway is going to be your best north/south artery, the NW Hwy or 635 you best east/west.

[TurtleCreek80]

Without being disrespectful, everything Eddie mentioned is bad advice and not what I would recommend for someone trying to figure out if they want to relocate to Dallas (ie, only tourists hang out in the West End, many upscale stores have abandoned the Galleria and moved to NorthPark, and Mesquite is an aging eastern suburb).

The young couples with money (ie, $450-$650k to spend on housing) live in Dallas - in condos/ townhomes in Uptown or houses in the M Streets, Lakewood on the east side of downtown or Devonshire on the northwest side.
These areas are all within 5-15 minutes of downtown.

I broke out my tour into 2 days, mixing sightseeing and home looking together as you drive through the neighborhoods. Also, all of these areas are safe, so you can feel free to hop out of your car and walk around to explore more.

Day 1 (Google these for directions & more info):
1. Start downtown. Drive by the Farmer's Market. Check out the Arts District, which is complete as of this month after 20 years of planning & building. It runs along Ross Ave and includes the Dallas Museum of Art (which has a very fun young professionals group called "Junior Associates"), The Nasher Sculpture Garden & Museum, The Crow Museum of Asian Art, the Meyerson Symphony Center, and the brand-new Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theatre. Stop at the Nasher- one of the very best small museums in the country (on par with the Morgan Library & Museum in NYC).
2. Drive north of Woodall Rogers and you are now in the area called Uptown. Drive north along McKinney Ave and take a right on Routh. Park anywhere on the street. This is a pocket of uptown called State-Thomas, a great walkable neighborhood filled with apartmets, condos, and townhomes. Most of the residents are in their 20s and 30s. It would be impossible not to make friends here! Pop into Crooked Tree Coffee Shop on Routh. Walk east towards Thomas and north on Thomas about 2 blocks until Allen. There is a great place called TABC on the corner- a bar/ restaurant with an amazing patio. Have lunch here! Now walk west on Allen to McKinney and south on McKinney back to Routh, where you parked. You will pass lots of the bars & restaurants on McKinney.
3. North on McKinney, you will pass the West Village at Lemmon Ave- lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and the Magnolia Theatre (indie).
4. North on McKinney to Knox Street. Great little area for furniture & decorative accents for your home, many restaurants with great patios, and the main entrance to the Katy Trail (a 5 mile jogging/ biking trail that cuts through Uptown Dallas).
5. Cross 75 on Knox and it turns into Henderson. This is the hottest area in town now for restaurants & bars. Drive down Henderson all the way to Ross Ave to get a feel for the area.
6. Take a right on Ross and curve left when it splits & you will be northbound on Greenville. Funky bars & live music places line Greenville for the next 3 miles or so. When you see a light at McCommas, take a left & drive back to 75, then work your way north zig-zagging through the "M Streets." The neighborhood was built in the 1930s-1940s and there are Tudor and Traditional houses here that range from the high $200ks for a 1200sf 2 bed/1 bath to the $600ks for a completely remodeled 2,800sf 3/2. The neighborhood is friendly and full of singles, young couples, and young families. Good appreciation here over the past few years (and pretty stable through the past year, too).

7. North on Greenville to Mockingbird, right on Mockingbird. Drive to Abrams & go right. You are now in Lakewood, a neighborhood in east Dallas developed in the 1920s-1950s that is known for being family friendly (a small town in the big city) and for it's proximity to White Rock Lake. Take a left on Lakewood Blvd and drive all the way down to the lake. The architecture is amazing (grand Tudors, Spanish style, & Traditional homes, with a few contemporaries mixed in). These are in the $1M+ range. Streets north & south of Lakewood Blvd are more modest, but in the same architectural feel.

8. End up at Lakewood Village (Abrams & Gaston). Have dinner at Matt's El Rancho (yummy Tex-Mex) and have a glass of wine at Times Ten Cellars afterward.

Day 2:
1. Start from downtown & go north on Cedar Springs. This turns into Turtle Creek, where high rises dot the western side of the street. I lived in NYC and now live in a high rise & love it. They range from $150k up into the millions to buy, and start around $1,200 to rent a 1 bedroom.
2. Drive up Turtle Creek until it turns into Lakeside and dead ends into Armstrong. Slight right, then left onto Lakeside. You are now in Highland Park (akin to Greenwich or Scarsdale), on one of the prettiest streets in Dallas. People love to run along the park, picnic here, or feed the ducks.
3. Drive up Lakeside until it dead ends at Beverly, then take a left and then right at the light onto Preston Road. Turn into Highland Park Village for some of the best shopping in Dallas! (Scoop NYC, Tory Burch, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, etc).
4. If your housing budget allows you to spend $1M+ on a home, add Highland Park & it's adjacent sister city University Park to your list. The best public schools in Dallas (HPISD), extremely low crime, and beautiful small town atmosphere.
5. Drive north on Preston to Lovers Lane & take a left. Cross under the tollroad and you are in another area I recommend, Devonshire. Eat lunch at Zoe's Kitchen (casual healthy food, amazing chicken salad! And good neighborhood scene). Take a left onto Devonshire and zig-zag through the area north to Northwest Hwy. Cottages here start at $450k and the 1/2 acre lots closest to Northwest Hwy run into the low $1M's for a 3,000sf 1950s remodeled ranch. Wonderful neighborhood, full of successful young couples & families!
6. Back to Lovers Lane & west to Inwood. Remember this intersection & come back for dinner to Shinsei (best nice sushi in Dallas & great bar scene). Another indie theater is in Inwood Village.
7. Finale- north on Inwood to Northwest Hwy and east on NW Hwy to Boedecker to see NorthPark Mall. Significant art collection inside the mall (no kidding! The developer was Ray Nasher, for whom the Nasher Museum is named. You will almost feel at home in NYC when you see Barneys, Intermix, and several other NYC institutions at NorthPark, along with everyhing from Neiman's, Gucci, MaxMara, & Louis Vuitton, to the Gap, Forever 21, & Urban Outfitters. Stop & have a piece of cake or an afternoon cocktail at La Duni, which has an amazing courtyard patio at this location, and also locations in Uptown and Highland Park.
Now back to Shinsei for dinner, or you could try Tei An (Japanese) or Dali (wine bar with small plates) in One Arts Plaza downtown.

[TurtleCreek80]

One more thing- Dallas has so many great organizations for young professionals in their 20s & 30s to network, socialize, and support the arts & community. You mentioned your fiancé is into the art/ theatre scene, so check these out. Most have websites and/ or Facebook pages for more info. Membership runs $100/ year per couple up to $650 for the Junior Associates. Includes 4-12 events per year per organization, Holiday parties, and is nearly always 100% tax deductible.

Junior Associates Circle of the Dallas Museum of Art
Associate Producers of the Dallas Summer Musicals
Young Friends of the Ronald McDonald House
Young at Heart (American Heart Association)
Young Texans Against Cancer
Marquee Circle of the Center for Performing Arts
Élan Circle of the Dallas Symphony (women only)
Junior League of Dallas (women only)
Amici di Opera
Lee Park Junior Conservancy
Also, several men's social groups (Calyx Club, Dervish, Terps) that are invitation-only, but easy to meet guys who are involved if you run in the legal/ finance/ commercial real estate circles.