Uptown Dallas for 1 Sep
I know there are at least 2 other old threads that address hotels in Dalls for the game against Alabama, but I was hoping to get some clarification from those in the know:
There are quite a few folks saying stay in "Uptown Dallas" for the game, but can someone please clarify what area that exactly is?
Is Addison a good area to stay in? We're possibly looking at Embassy Suites by the Galleria.
great info... thanks!!
Deep Ellum was going to hell in a hurry when I left in the mid-2000s. It was great in about 2000. How is it now?
To me, if it is safe and still loaded with hopping bars, that's your choice. It was always a pretty unpretentious crowd. Lower Greenville was always consistent but didn't have the number of bars in a row to give you good variety.
Actually downtown Fort Worth was my favorite and about the same distance from the stadium as Dallas.
Addison, Uptown, and the Park Cities (near SMU) was always full of snots and credit card millionaires. I'd steer clear of all those places for nightlife.
Last time I was in Dallas (a couple years ago) Deep Ellum had experienced kind of a comeback, at least it seemed (I left in 2007). Fewer 18+ clubs where there were always fights breaking out. If you're looking for a strip of bars, I think that's the place to go. It definitely attracts a more diverse crew of people than Uptown, which, as many people have said, is largely post-collegiate professional. If that's what you're looking for, there it is, it's just not much different than what you can find in every other neighborhood like it in the country (Buckhead in Atlanta, Murray Hill in NYC, Lakeview in Chicago), just with more expensive cars. There are some hidden spots in and around uptown that are very interesting (the Grapevine Bar is awesome, and its right across from my favorite Tex-Mex dive in Dallas) but it's just harder to stumble across them.
Deep Ellum has a mix of bikers, hipsters, young professionals, older folks, artists or those who say they are, varying bar to bar (and it does vary a lot). Down there, I like Adair's for drinking and seeing live music, the Black Swan is tiny but a great bar to drink at, great bartenders, the AllGood Cafe has excellent chicken fried steak. Off the main strip a bit, the Sons of Hermann Hall has really great Austin-style honky tonk music regularly (but check the schedule becuase they're not open if there's no music) and, across the street, Double Wide, which is more of a compound than a bar, but has a main bar in a double wide trailer, can be weird, can be unpleasant, or can be incredibly fun, depending on the crowd. (If you're heading to those places, just know where you're going because they're getting close to Exhibition Park, which is the only "bad" part of Dallas that anyone visiting for the game might accidentally stumble in to).
Lower Greenville has a bunch of neighborhood bars that are great places to hang out at. At Nate said, though, it's tough to bar hop because stuff's pretty spread out.
I'd echo the thoughts above about either downtown Ft Worth or the Stockyards. You could certainly do worse on Friday night than fajitas at Joe T. Garcias, the rodeo at the Stockyards, and then Billy Bob's or downtown if the rodeo provided your fill of boots and hats.
I am staying at the Renaissance Hotel(Marriot). It is about a mile or so away from the Mavericks and Stars arena and about 1/2 hour away from Arlington.
Having been stationed in Oklahoma city when I was in the military I made it down to Dallas a handful of times. House of blues is good for both music and food. The Dallas World Aquarium is a very underrated nature getaway. Also, my hotel is right across the street from Medieval Times. Dealey Plaza is also a good place to walk around and get pictures. Pioneer Plaza has a what looks like a stampede of bulls made out of metal, so I also recommend heading there and snapping some photos.
In Fort Worth, there is a great art museum, which I believe is called Kimball. That is, if you're into that kind of thing. I'm hoping to see even more this time down.
However, when I went to the Kimball, they had a traveling impressionist exhibit. It was cool to see the old Van Gogh's and Monet's . Depending on what my group wants to do I may attempt to make it to the Amon Carter, since after all, I have been to Amon Carter stadium to see a TCU game. May as well see everything related to Amon Carter.
I can't help with any specific hotels, but the little bit that I do know I'll share. First off, while the DFW (AKA Metroplex) does have a decent mass-transit train system, it does not have any stops within walking distance of either Rangers Ballpark or Jerryworld, which are basically next to each other. So if you're looking for a place to stay, and driving to and from the game will be an issue, I'd suggest staying close by. Obviously getting a cab will most likely cost a small fortune. If you're looking to stay close to Cowboy Stadium, which some of the locals like to call the Death Star, I can say that the "Mid-Cities" area is nice, of which, few have many questionable neighborhoods. FYI Mid-Cities just means the area between Fort Worth and Dallas, so basically near the DFW Airport. It's also generally the area where a lot of the more recent transplants live. I work in Keller and I work with more people of Polish descent than of Hispanic descent (3-2, myself included, 2 of us from the old Warrendale neighborhood, in Detroit, the other from Chicago). I'm mentioning that because if you are looking for that "Texas flare", you may be somewhat disappointed.
Some of the cities that I know that are safe enough to stay in without a threat of being knifed are, and in no specific order: Grapevine (home of Great Wolf Lodge), Southlake (similar to Birmingham, maybe richer), Keller, North Richland Hills (has NRH20 a local water park), Northern parts of Arlington (Rangers/Cowboys/Six Flags) H-E-B which is Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Haltom City, Watauga, Roanoke, Richland Hills, Trophy Club, Grand Prairie (Huge live & simulcast Horse track and sports bar), if you're looking to stay in either Forth Worth or Dallas proper, it's fairly common to hear that as long as you're north of I-30, you're OK.
Hopefully this helps, and again, I've only lived down here since March of '11, so I'm still finding things out myself. If anyone has anything to add or correct, please feel free.
PS Not to ruin it for anyone, but "Don't mess with Texas", is literally a 25 year old anti-littering campaign.
we went for cheap and decided on the La Quinta on 4440 North Central Expressway.
Deep ellum seems to be a highly regarded place... are we going to be too far away from there? Is there a cheap hotel alternative near Deep Ellum?
Guess we are neighbors for the weekend, we also went cheap and are staying at the Best Western CityPlace inn @ 4150 N Central Expressway.
Snagged the last room for like $50 bucks a night, couldnt resist the cheapness for such a short trip.
Anyone know of a decent hang out in Arlington? Staying at a cheap Knights in (about 2 miles from stadium).
I hope this place doesn't blow (which it shouldn't -- good hotels), but I know getting around may be a pain in the ass. I may have my truck, and so we'll be mobile, but I will need a DD for sure. Just being realistic.
Maybe should hire a car...
I am staying at the Knights Inn as well. Did anyone respond to the area being safe or what are some good bars to hit near Knights Inn?
...is to not go (other than for the game itself).
Thanks for the heads up! I guess that killer lookin pool at the knights inn will get some use! Yeee-Haw!
There's some good restaurants and bars in the Highlands. Other than that, Arlington is pretty boring.
BTW - there are no liquor stores in Arlington. However, there are tons on the Arlington / Ft Worth border.
I know in a lot of major cities there are bars that are specific gathering spots for certain schools..... is there a "Michigan Bar" in Dallas?
for anyone that has questions about the area. It is almost impossible to find the "best area" in the motroplex because there are so many places to stay and things to do in DFW (pick a couple of places to visit and keep it simple). There are almost 7 million people living in DFW so everyone will have a different opintion on what is "fun" or "nice." My rec is stay close to Cowboy Stadium because traffic is hell all the time, construction up the ass all over the city , and on game day if it rains you will want to add two hours to your commute. My 35 minute drive from my house to Cowboy Stadium is 1.5-2 hours when it rains, more if there is an accident and there always is one.
Thanks for the info... Glad I decided to stay in Arlington!
I live in Addison, and as described above is overflowing with great restaurants and bars -Glorias, Sherlocks, Twin Peaks, Flying Saucer, Houlihans, also several 5 star restaurants, all within a 1/2 mile radius. Uptown is essentially the nice end of downtown. Very nice atmosphere - you'll spend a lot more for your time down there but worth it. Deep Ellum is definitely a thing of the past unfortunately. Arlington is such a long drive from these areas, but the game isn't until 8 so traffic should be no concern. There are several ways to get to and from Arlington. Dozens of highways intertwine the metroplex.
The SMU area is a nice place to stay and the down town Ft Worth area is nice as well with lots of food and bars. There are alot of areas to steer clear of while you are here Oak Lawn, the Grove and parts of the Greenville area can get rough as well. Can't wait for all of the Wolverines to flood the city!
...is the place to be. Anyone recommending JV Addison should have their posting privileges revoked. If someone came to visit Detroit/Ann Arbor for a game, would you tell them to go hang out in freakin' Canton?!?
Go grab dinner at Bob's or Del Frisco's if you want a steak, and go hit up Javier's if you want Mexican and a really good cigar bar. After dinner, if you want the strongest drinks in town and a dive bar feel (plus a lot of talent) go hit up The Loon. If you want a fancier experience, hit up Sfuzzi or Renfield's and your head will be on a swivel.
You don't want to stay in Addison if you're wanting to go out at night unless its to a chain restaurant. You also don't want to STAY in Deep Ellum - visit yes, but not STAY. I suggest uptown to stay and play. Coal Vines is good brick oven pizza; Javier's is Mexico City Mexican fare (not Mexican Fiesta, though I love and miss it too); Nick & Sam's or Al Biernet's are good steakhouses in uptown area; and you should try one of the restaurants in the Bishop Art's district (Bolsa, Hattie's etc.) in Oak Cliff for a different vibe.
For those looking for location help see D-Magazine's location map. My wife and I lived in Dallas for the last two years so I'll offer a few comments.
Uptown is a sure thing, but perhaps pricey.
Deep Ellum is a bit of a mixed back, but seems to be trying to make a comeback.
Park Cities is a neighborhood with money.
Addison has most restaurants per capita, but won't have the downtown feel.
Stay north of downtown if possible.
And may I also recommend Fort Worth, especially Sundance Square, quieter than Uptown, but a nice place.
Also be careful saying, "I'll stay near x place." Things can change quickly from street to street in Dallas.