Planning a trip to Dallas

Neighborhoods in Brief

In addition to the six major neighborhoods discussed below, the city is surrounded by concentric rings of ever-expanding suburbs. (I grew up in one, Richardson, and went to high school in another, Plano, which was one of the fastest-growing small cities in the United States until displaced by new juggernauts farther north, such as Frisco.) In addition to ever-bigger homes, these areas, especially north of the city, are marked by scores of megamalls, minimalls, and strip malls of chain stores and restaurants that make the new developments very difficult to distinguish from one another. New stadiums and shopping and entertainment facilities are drawing more and more people to Plano, McKinney, and Frisco.

Downtown Dallas -- This area encompasses the Dallas Arts District, the nexus of downtown Dallas's fine and performing arts, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Meyerson Symphony Center, Crow Collection of Asian Art, and others; the West End Historic District, a former warehouse district and one of the oldest parts of the city transformed into a popular hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and shopping scene; and the core of downtown offices that extend east from Reunion Arena and Dealey Plaza, where the flagship Neiman Marcus is the sole remaining department store. Though some urban-minded professionals are finally beginning to renovate residential loft spaces, downtown Dallas remains pretty much a ghost town after 6pm (except for West End). Still, it has a number of major hotels and makes a good place to drop anchor, especially for visiting businesspeople.

Deep Ellum -- Located east of downtown and bounded by Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets, is Deep Ellum. Until recently, this area was Big D's best impersonation of Austin, the live-music capital of the Southwest. Unfortunately, Deep Ellum has experienced a recent eruption of violence, gang-related and otherwise, so the nightlife scene here is not what it once was, though there are still a number of nightclubs and bars. Simultaneously ragged and chic, the former industrial district is home to alternative, blues, rock, and other music clubs interspersed with discos, honky-tonks, art galleries, furniture and secondhand shops, and upscale restaurants. During the day the area is dead, but at night and on weekends it gets pretty rowdy. The name is said to be a southern drawl pronunciation of the main street, Elm.

Uptown & Oak Lawn -- Located northeast of downtown and promoted as "Uptown," McKinney Avenue, Knox-Henderson, and the emerging Victory Park are destinations for chic restaurants, shopping meccas, and in places to live (chic, modern condos defy housing slowdowns and just keep going up, as do luxury hotels). McKinney Avenue, once the site of elegant old homes, is now the center of the Dallas art gallery scene, while Knox-Henderson is split right down the middle between trendy restaurants and upscale furnishings stores. Some of the hottest shopping and nightlife options are in West Village in Uptown. Victory Park, the area around American Airlines Center, is home to hip, upscale hotels and is taking off as an entertainment enclave. Oak Lawn, Cedar Springs, and Turtle Creek, the heart of artsy and gay Dallas, are home to some of its finest hotels, restaurants, shopping, and the Dallas Theater Center, built by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Greenville Avenue & East Dallas -- The high point of Dallas nightlife, as it has been for decades, is this long strip located northeast of downtown Dallas, from LBJ Freeway south to Ross Avenue. Upper Greenville draws a slightly older and sophisticated crowd, while Lower Greenville (below Mockingbird) swims with nightclubs, bars both shabby and snooty, bohemian restaurants, vintage clothing stores, and resale furniture shops. East Dallas is home to the party district Deep Ellum, the Lakewood residential neighborhood, and old Dallas sites like the Cotton Bowl and Texas fairgrounds.

Park Cities -- The traditional haunt of the Dallas elite, Park Cities encompasses one of America's wealthiest residential districts, Highland Park, as well as the none-too-shabby University Park and the city's major university, preppy SMU, where the presidential library of George W. Bush will be located in the near future. Park Cities is located north of downtown and west of Central Expressway. Plenty of Dallasites tend to refer to the entire zone as Highland Park, if only to use the best-known district as shorthand.

North Dallas -- The northern edge of the city and southern edge of the suburbs is where the hard-core shopping begins (in places such as the Galleria, Valley View, and Prestonwood malls in Addison). It is also home to an ever-growing contingent of hotels and restaurants away from the downtown business scene.

Getting Around

By Public Transportation

Until recently, Dallas was a typical Southern city covering a huge area but where there wasn't a lick of public transportation. Things have really improved with the addition of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) buses and light rail, whose coverage is constantly expanding out from the downtown area. Pick up a map at any visitor information center as well as most hotels and major attractions. Single-ride fare (no transfers) is $1.50 (75¢ for seniors, students, and children). Day passes are available for $3 ($1.50 for seniors, students, and children); for premium routes (serving the suburbs), the 1-day pass is $5 ($3 discounted). You can purchase single tickets and day passes from the new Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) on all rail station platforms.

Of particular interest to visitors (especially kids) in the downtown area is the free McKinney Avenue Streetcar Service (also called the M-Line Trolley), which travels from the Dallas Arts District to Cityplace Station and the West Village (it goes along McKinney Ave. from Uptown's Allen St. to downtown's Ross Ave. and St. Paul Ave., next to the Dallas Museum of Art). The vintage trolleys are from 1906, 1913, and 1920, and operate year-round between 7am and 10pm weekdays, 10am and 10pm weekends (every 15 min. during peak and lunch hours, every half-hour off-peak hours and weekends). The trolley is perfect for bar, gallery, and restaurant shopping in Uptown, and great for getting from hotels in the area to the Arts District downtown.

Note: I've included nearby DART Light Rail stations in the listings, but only when one is within a 20-minute walk of the hotel, restaurant, or attraction. For additional route and fare information for all of DART, call tel. 214/979-1111, or log on to www.dart.org.

By Car

You can now actually get around Dallas without a car, if you stick to the major downtown sights, hotels, and restaurants. However, if you want to visit shopping centers in North Dallas or outlying areas, like Arlington and Fort Worth, most people will be better off with an automobile. Be advised, though, that if your hotel doesn't have parking, street parking can be an expensive hassle in the downtown area.

The major car-rental agencies, which have outlets at DFW and Love Field airports and at several addresses throughout the Metroplex, include Alamo (tel. 800/462-5266; www.alamo.com), Avis (tel. 800/230-4898; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (tel. 800/800-3665; www.dollar.com), Enterprise (tel. 800/736-8222; www.enterprise.com), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131; www.hertz.com), National (tel. 800/227-7368; www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty (tel. 800/847-4389; www.thrifty.com).

Note: Yellow lights do little to slow down drivers in Dallas; even the running of red lights seems to have become epidemic in recent years, so be very careful before proceeding when the light turns green.

By Taxi

Don't expect to hail a cab as you would in midtown Manhattan, though you will find taxis parked in front of the bigger, upscale hotels and at the airports. Mostly, though, you'll need to call a cab. Among the more than dozen taxi companies are Cowboy Cab Company (tel. 214/428-0202) and Yellow Checker (tel. 214/426-6262).

Fares are $2.25 (initial drop) and 20¢ each additional 1/9 mile. Extras include a $2 extra passenger charge, a $3.60 airport exit fee, and a $2.60 airport drop-off fee.

Fast Facts

American Express -- There are offices at 8317 Preston Center Plaza (tel. 800/363-0214; Mon-Fri 9am-6pm), and at Landmark Travel Services, Two Turtle Creek Village Tower, 3838 Oak Lawn, no. 230 (tel. 214/520-9998; Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm).

Babysitters -- If your hotel doesn't offer babysitting, contact Baby Sitters of Dallas (tel. 214/692-1354; www.babysittersofdallas.com) for child-care.

Dentists -- To find a local dentist, call tel. 800/DENTIST (336-8478).

Doctors -- The Doctor Directory at St. Paul Medical Center (tel. 214/879-3099) is a physician's referral service that can direct you to an appropriate health professional or specialist.

Drugstores -- There are 24-hour Eckerd drugstores located at 10455 N. Central Expwy. at Meadow (tel. 214/369-3872), and 703 Preston Forest Center (tel. 214/363-1571). There's also Kroger, 17194 Preston Rd. at Campbell Road (tel. 972/931-9371), and Albertsons, 7007 Arapaho Rd. (tel. 972/387-8977).

Hospitals -- Major hospitals include the Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Ave. (tel. 214/820-0111; for 24-hr. emergency, 214/820-2501); the Children's Medical Center of Dallas, 1935 Motor St. (tel. 214/456-7000); and Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, 8200 Walnut Hill Lane at Greenville Avenue (tel. 214/345-6789).

Internet Access -- The Visitor Information Office at the Old Red Courthouse (Houston, Main, and Commerce sts.) has computers with Internet access for an hourly fee. Decidedly hipper is Main Street Internet, 2656 Main St. (tel. 214/237-1121); it's got a full bar, overstuffed couches, and occasional live music.

Maps -- The Visitor Information Offices at DFW Airport and the Old Red Courthouse (at Houston, Main, and Commerce sts.) have several maps of varying detail of Dallas and the surrounding area. If that's not enough, contact MAP Dallas/Fort Worth (tel. 817/949-2225), which provides free street maps and visitor guides.

Newspapers & Magazines -- Both the Dallas Morning News "Weekend Guide" (which comes out on Fri) and the Dallas Observer, a free weekly, have plenty of current arts, entertainment, and dining information. D Magazine, a local monthly, has similar listings, as well as restaurant reviews. Dallas Voice is a free weekly serving Dallas's gay and lesbian community, with listings of upcoming events.

Police -- For a police emergency, dial tel. 911; for nonemergencies, call tel. 214/742-1519 or 972/574-4454. The main precinct headquarters is located at 334 S. Hall, in the central business district (tel. 214/670-5840).

Post Office -- The central post office, 400 N. Ervay St. (tel. 800/275-8777 or 214/760-4700), is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 5pm.

Safety -- In most areas during the day, Dallas is as safe as any big American city. You should exercise particular care, though, around Fair Park and after 7pm in downtown. Gay and lesbian travelers should exercise caution in the Oak Lawn section; even though it is the area of greatest concentration of gay residents and establishments, harassment has historically been a problem.

Taxes -- The general sales tax is 8.25%, hotel tax is 15%, and restaurant tax is 7%.

Transit Information -- For public transportation questions, call tel. 214/979-1111.

Weather -- For weather information, call tel. 214/787-1111; for current time and temperature, call tel. 214/844-6611.