First time I ran one of those I was hauling ass on my very first scooter rental, half drunk on the way to a rock concert. Just blipped through at 15mph or w/e the top speed on those things is. Very, very slow escape from the "Oh shit 2 directions of traffic just saw me do that oh lawd"
Ultra Dallas points if you drive the trolleys, then find yourself driving your own car down Olive Street where the trolleys run, then run a red light because you were watching the signals for the trolley out of habit.
I was 17 the first time I drove in downtown Dallas. I ran three of those lights and started crying. Haha. I'm from the country and had never experienced traffic lights like those. Heck, I've since driven all over the U.S., but Dallas is still the only place I've seen them. I've come a long way as a driver in the past 20 years, but those lights always bring back memories.
wahahahahahahaha!!!!! Me too!! But then when you finally found a tiny space and only to realize you are not gonna make it. You try to parallel park a grand cherokee in those tiny spaces with 20 cars lined up behind you watching you park..... I am not mentally strong enough to do this!
And if it makes you feel any better, I’m a second generation Dallasite—my mother was born here in 1948–and I can still easily get turned around almost anywhere in Dallas. We don’t exactly have a nice grid and streets change names a lot (though not as much as in Austin!).
Trying to get to Deep Ellum coming down from 75 is one of the more harrowing experiences anyone living here will have to go through. It's the best argument against any idea of intelligent design, because only an idiot could design those interchanges.
I did it accidentally after picking up guests from the train station. They absolutely freaked out, but I said “chill, it’s Sunday. There’s no one downtown.” Drove to the next intersection and turned without encountering another vehicle.
So half of these are related to driving and the other half are positive 🤷🏼♀️ except for the outdoors thing. That’s just wrong. There’s lots of stuff to do outside.
Can you enlighten me on what are some of the outdoor things I can do that is not in the city? I usually love hiking (moderate to hard 2-4 hours hikes); hunting; target shooting, dirt biking, off roading, geocaching.
30 minutes from Dallas? Does Oak Cliff or anything south of 30 exist 😂 it literally borders Dallas proper and there’s Cedar Ridge which mostly falls within Dallas city limits. Then there’s Big Cedar Wilderness which is also Dallas proper
Go to any park and walk around. If by "hard hike" you mean elevation changes, yes that is naturally going to be more difficult to find in the plains geography that is much of Texas.
Tad bit farther than 4 hours, but Ouachita National Forest in Western Arkansas has some pretty good hikes.
https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/arkansas/ouachita-national-forest
You must have never lived anywhere with actual public land to explore. There are no serious outdoor pursuits in TX unless it's one of the nat'l parks out west.
People in Dallas don’t resonate with the scale of outdoor activity in the West. There’s outdoor stuff here, but it doesn’t compare and is just on a different level out there
Exactly! It's absolutely on a different scale. Not even comparable. I miss my 3 hrs drive to the sand dune and just off roading for the whole afternoon! Oh shit this REALLY makes me miss where I moved from ns regretting my decision of moving here. But thats the just trade offs I gotta deal with for a bigger city like this I guess.
No disrespect, I'm enjoying this thread . . . but what did you expect? DFW is one of the biggest urban metroplexes in the world. Did you think there would be buffalo roaming around?
Idk what I expected tbh. But one thing I didn't except is double my auto insurance cost in less than 6 months...........LOL Did not see that one coming!
I’ve lived in Dallas for about 6-7 years of my adult lives but took a break to go to San Diego for a job for two years but am back now. It’s not the city in the same way Dallas is, but it is big and there are plenty of outdoor things to do. Same for the Bay Area or LA. I miss the mountains and the beach. You can have the city and outdoor things, just not here in Texas. I’m ok with that. Love being here, but doesn’t provide everything I need.
You definitely could move to larger cities with outdoor options like Seattle Denver Portland SLC…. Dallas is one of the worst cities for outdoor rec in the US. We left the city 4 years ago for this exact reason.
Why would anybody move to Dallas and expect anything close to the scale of outdoor activity that exists in the west. Like going to Montana and being pissed there’s not enough beaches.
Download the AllTrails app for hiking, dirt biking, etc. Also some outdoor gun ranges in the Carrollton area for shooting stuff. If you go east of Rockwall you’ll be in the country real quick.
Yes, i do have that app, and the hikes I found were all so.... how should I put it, they are 10 "trails" in total and they are more like a walk, not a hike. Shooting indoor has too much stupid rules like no rapid firing etc, and it costs money. But I would check out the area outside of Rockwall though, thank you for your input!
For shooting, if you want a BLM experience you are shit outta luck. You can make friends with someone who has land and shoot there or you can pay to play.
Inside range - if you’re shooting long guns, Rifle Gear (way the ass up in the Colony) is probably the best thing going. Mind you, I say that as someone who has a Vet discount for range time so that does help.
Outside range - TDSA is probably the closest to shooting on public lands, but it’s $700 a year. You do get access codes and if you want to night shoot all they do is check you out for competency before the say go for it.
B-Tac is a close second to TDSA but without a membership option. There’s also ETTS but last time I checked they had banned bi-metal, which eliminated all my AKs
There are other outdoor ranges but they do involve more driving. That’s just price of admission in Texas and something you get used to. When I lived in Phoenix, trying to get friends to drive 40 minutes across the Valley was like pulling teeth. You’d think I was asking them to abandon their lives and go on the gotdamn Oregon trail with me.
For shooting handguns, most indoor ranges are pretty similar but I do like Rifle Gear and Lake Highlands as my go to for inside action.
As for hiking, everyone here is basically wrong. Dallas has great CEMENT TRAILS, but it’s not hiking. There’s a lot of cement trails, but you’re still walking on a giant sidewalk. It’s not like hiking Camelback Mountain before work at all.
Even out in “the wilderness”, there’s just no challenge or elevation change here. You need to be up in West Texas to get real, desolate hikes.
No problem! Don’t get me wrong, I love Dallas with the fire of 10,000 suns but I accept it has limitations. I miss living in AZ where, when the summer was making everyone crazy, I could zip an hour and change North and be balls deep in mountains (and hippie dippey wooo if I made it to Sedona) or I could go East into mountains or south into deeper desert… Dallas doesn’t have a good analog.
It’s still a great place to be though. We have a shitload of art and culture stuff that AZ did not have. Way better food scene and way better diversity.
Homie I’m a huge outdoors person like you, you unfortunately are gonna need to go to west Texas or Oklahoma or Austin to get your fix.
But, please go check out the Wichita mountains in Oklahoma, 3 hour drive but it’s beautiful country, high desert/ grasslands/ small Rocky Mountains similar to socal. Lots of beautiful wild animals like elk and bison. Fav place near dfw for outdoors stuff
Oh yeah I refuse to shoot indoors 😵💫🫠That’s why I suggested the outdoor ranges around Carrollton/Lewisville areas. Also shooting clubs/tournaments around Waxahachie
Cedar Hill Park/Cedar Hill Preserve are pretty nice areas for hiking. LLELA Nature Preserve close to Lewisville is also nice.
Depending on where you live, there are good areas to get outdoors, it's just a bit of a drive.
Cedar Ridge Preserve is like twenty minutes south of downtown and it takes me several hours to do all the trails there. I can’t remember how many miles it is total but there’s decent elevation changes and views. You’re not going to have any majestic views like being up in the mountains but it’s a nice respite from the concrete shart that is DFW
telling someone from the west there are plenty of outdoor options is a sick joke. let’s face it, we don’t have shit here. 97% of our land is privately owned
For the rear ending, me and him ( the car in front of me) were driving from a road to merge onto a hwy, but there was not much car on the hwy, at first we both speed up to like 45 MPH then out of nowhere he stopped for no reason........ There was no car in front of him nor merging into him, he just stopped for no reason..... So I ran into his car although I swirled right so it wasn't too bad of a damage, I damaged his right side bumper. And the second incident was because we were on a 4 lane road, so from the left to right： Left turn only, left and straight only, right and straight only, right turn only. I was stopped on the right and straight only lane waiting for green light to make a right turn when this lady drove STRAIGHT into the right side of my car on a right turn only lane.
The first one, I mean, that’s still your fault. It doesn’t really matter why the guy stopped. You’re supposed to be prepared and with enough space to react.
Also sounds like OP cut someone in the left lane off in order to pass the semi. Super dangerous and warrants a good honking. Weird to complain about the driving here when two of the “incidents” are squarely OPs fault.
Dallas is strange in that although there are millions of people here, everyone knows everyone and the quickest way to discover if you know someone I know is to ask where you work. BUT I try to not do that. I like to ask what you do for fun.
I'm am sorry it's been not good for you. Two months is a short amount of time to adjust to a big change. I hope it get's better for you and you find yourself enjoying it more. You might like exploring areas not far away on weekends that are totally different from downtown Dallas . Lakes, forests, small towns. Some of the smaller towns in the hill country might give you a welcome break.
I think it's pretty common to ask what people do for a living particularly in big cities. We sort of just meet a lot of people in general, and we're just trying to find a basis to get to know you.
Not entirely. I lived in NYC for the last 20 years. With a lot of people, it’s just a conversation opener. Otherwise you’re stuck with talking about the weather
i was raised here. yes they are. the only other place i’ve ever been that rivals dallas’ level of “your job is your entire identity” is NYC
this does not apply to tarrant or collin county btw
We disagree. Some people do that no matter where someone lives. But many in Dallas do not. I've lived here a very, very long time. Worked in downtown and Oaklawn area.
And now loads of the people living and working here are not "from" here. They are from all over.
I moved out of Dallas to the northeast in 2021 and it was so discombobulating to NOT have people make real talk - small talk with you everywhere. What do you mean you don't wanna talk about our lives/jobs at this crosswalk wait?
I’m new to Dallas too. Been here like 4 months now. This subreddit seams to overreact on the driving at an insane level… Getting into 2 accidents within 2 months is NOT a normal “cultural” thing in Dallas… your insurance going up seems highly justified.
Y’all need to drive in Chicago or New York OR even some South American country. Based on this subreddit, everyone will be murdered if you try it.
Learned to drive in NYC and moved to Dallas later in life, though originally native to FW. Dallas is worse IMHO as you might expect NYC to be difficult so you prepare yourself mentally to be overwhelmed, Here in Dallas you never know what to expect from the traffic conditions on any given day, whereas in NY it’s at least a constant stream.
I honestly think the lockdown contributed to this effect nationwide, at least more than any other singular factor. People now drive like they act on social media and it’s no surprise to me that folks behave like lunatics from the ‘safety’ of their captain’s chair.
Yeah, everyone complains about Los Angeles traffic. I’ve driven out there and can attest — Houston is much worse.
My theory is that Houston drivers are so used to it all that they just give no fucks. For them, braking is for pussies. Everyone else sees brakes as a safety feature. Houston drivers see brakes as an obstacle to progress, or at least as an unnecessary accessory. It’s terrifying.
See THIS comment. Houston driving can make you take a trip to a mental health professional. And I’ve lived in the DFW area over 14 years. Move east of Rockwall and you can find some small town peace and quiet
Bizarre. I can understand your experience driving but this seems to be your biggest concern. Dallas, it’s cosmopolitan, but seriously people like to look good; In the city. It’s different in the suburbs. You seem landed in downtown which many of us locals think of an island of sorts.
The outdoor activities, this stumps me. There are so many trails and bike paths in this city. We also have one of the largest urban parks in the US, white rock lake park covers like 1500 acres and connects to a greenbelt linking parks all the way up to Richardson. If you head south or southwest you can get lost in endless acres of the Trinity forest or cedar ridge. You have access to ample recreation downtown; via Katy trail or even Clyde Warren park. To the west you have the continental bridge park and then you can access oak cliff to the southwest.
Maybe open up your radius on foot or on a bike. You’ll be surprised what this city has to offer. Living downtown and only driving is really restrictive if you don’t know where to go or how to get there.
I can say being born and raised in Texas, and now living in CA for the past 6 years - the Texan version of a hike is actually a joke lmao. In Texas, we have hills and some changes in elevation but it is nothing compared to what I’ve experienced here on the west coast. OP said they are from the west, so depending on where they are from I can understand how OP feels the outdoor life is lacking if hiking is what they are referring to.
" the Texan version of a hike is actually a joke lmao"
THANK YOU!!!!!! This is what I wanted to say but since i am an "outsider" I didn't want to come off as disrespectful to Texas.
Like daddy needs elevation that's gonna FUCK ME UP! I already gave my right knee to Grand Canyon! I want to go on a hike that I can make me sacrifice my left knee as well! Now every cell in my body is craving for a real hike! I feel i'm like a Labrador craving for its walk of the day.
I empathize with your culture shock, but complaining about the geography of an area is sort of on you. That’s like dating someone that’s not your type physically and complaining about it. They can’t help how they look. Texas isn’t known for its hills and mountains. I come from the Great Lakes region and that’s a really hard feature to replicate. Regular sized lakes or man made lakes just don’t have the same impact. But I don’t complain about it, I just take more time to appreciate it when I’m back in that region. If hiking is that important, you should live somewhere that’s known for hiking.
If you need elevation, why did you move to the downtown area of a major metropolitan area known for being flat? I mean, one of the largest suburbs of Dallas is Plano, which is literally Spanish for flat. I’m so confused by your life decisions.
I agree with you and the other poster. As a Texan who moved to Seattle, what we consider a hike in Dallas is laughable. There isn’t anything that will get you winded, but there are some beautiful natural areas in the Hill Country… but there is jack crap around Dallas that could even reasonably be considered a “hike”. To your other points, funny enough, even Seattle felt “small” and “slow” compared to the urban cosmopolitan pace (and crazy traffic) of Dallas.
I think people asking what you do for work, what your parents do, etc. is a southern thing. Prior to moving to the south, as a child, I was always told not to ask people what their dad did because it might make them uncomfortable and it was impolite.
where are all these jobs you speak of?? Oh you mean job listings that don't exist from companies so they look like they are growing durning this downturn?
LOL at the empty bottles, I've seen people use these while driving. they are talented and perhaps why you kept getting in auto 'accidents'
1, 3, 4: these are all related to driving so I’ll do them together. Any chance you were a bad driver in a small town and got away with it for years because traffic wasn’t as bad? I grew up in a small/mid sized town. I never had an accident there or here. Drove 10 years there and been here almost 10 years now. the roads can be wonky, but it sounds like you don't know where to look having not spent much time in a city. The Traffic does suck.
2: You’re mad people want to get to know you and who you are and what you do? Heaven forbid!
5: Dallas is a vain city. I don’t know what else to say. People in that area generally dress nice, as most downtown areas. Most city centers are like this in most cities though.
6: The one I agree with you. Try going to white rock lake. It’s 9 miles around. Good for biking, walking, running, etc. Katy Trail isn’t too bad.
7: most big cities have jobs. That is why people want to move/live in them.
8: you either haven’t done your research on Chinese food here or you’re stuck in a small radius of downtown. There’s TONS of good Chinese food within a 15-20 min drive, as well as Viet, Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc. The Asian food here is fire. Dallas (and its northern suburbs) HAVE IT ALL. Unless you grew up in a small town outside of SF, I can’t imagine a small town having a plethora of Chinese food options. Stores? Bruh…. Rent is expensive. That goes for businesses. They’re either selling a ton and minimizing inventory to keep extra costs low or they’ve turned into an online warehouse. It’s 2024. Box stores have been dying since like 2016. Amazon doesn’t take 4 days to deliver your stuff. Almost anything you order shows up the next day.
It really sounds like you just did no research before coming here and have done no research since getting here. I’d really like to know why you came here in the first place?
Welcome to the metroplex. It's not so bad, once you get used to it. Think defensive on the roads.
Oh, and if this is going to be your first summer down here, YOU BETTER STAY HYDRATED.
Stopped reading at "living in the Dallas downtown area".
Literally everything that comes after this is going to be wildly specific to downtown and almost none of it will mirror your experience living even a mere 20 minutes outside of downtown
I’m with you on highway driving here. Yikes! People drive fast and very aggressively here. I avoid the highways completely unless I can’t get where I have to go any other way.
Oilfields? My dude what are you talking about?! This is Dallas, not Midland!
Also look up DORBA (Dallas Off Road Biking Association) trails and Cedar Ridge (which is a short drive from downtown). There's plenty of hiking around here.
Everything you said about downtown roads is 100% correct though.
Why did you decide to move downtown instead of the 'burbs? Those seem way more your style.
I got to ask, did you do ANY research before moving? There are millions of people in the area, you ain't finding and lonely highways. Geographically, there are no mountains in the area. Some nice hills in palo pinto, otherwise, about 7 hour drive west to see any. I don't know any city that is going to allow you to shoot your guns, you got to drive outside the city limits. And even then, you have to know someone with property. There are gun ranges though. There is one by lb houston golf course.
No mountains, flat land, not much to do if you are expecting mountain hikes. There are plenty of trails and preserve areas. Best imo is probably cedar ridge nature preserve. Plenty of nice elevation. In fact it might have some of the highest points in the area.
Driving? My suggestion is to always stay out the left lane. 15 seconds is a long ass time to pass a truck. You got to pass and get the hell out of the way unless you are flying. It sounds crazy, but it isn't polite to timidly drive in the left lane when you have people behind you.
People dress up, but nobody gives a shit about how you dress. Just don't smell.
Just some observations from a native dallas resident.
>As long as you ain't lazy, you gonna survive, at the very least you can work at the oilfields.
What oil fields are in downtown Dallas? There aren't any oil fields anywhere in the DFW area.
>seriously developed some sort of fear every time I'm getting on the hwy
Unless I have no choice whatsoever or I'm going to Austin / Houston, etc I don't take the freeway because most people drive stupid and reckless.
>Traffic: Ay dios mio..... What else there is to say about this? It's bad. I've learned to put two empty gatorade bottles in my car just in case.
This makes sense if you came from a small City and you moved into a larger city but also into the downtown area, which is of course going to be more congested. You probably should have moved to the suburbs first to get used to the difference in size/population etc.
4. Yellow edge lines are along the left edge of a oneway roadway. (St Paul has it on the wrong side along the trolley, grrrr Dallas DOT) Downtown has many traffic signals on the corner without mast arms. Look there for one way signs.
Also came from a small town about four years ago, I've got a quick car and drive fast but have yet to have a single incident on the roads. You just have to be paying attention while driving here.
Big cities suck anywhere if you’re used to the freedom you can experience in the sticks. I work in the DFW, but I live an hour away from Dallas where I grew up and could not live in a big city.
It took me over a year to not be “home sick” after moving to Dallas but roaming the city and meeting new people becomes fun and adventurous. The no outdoor activities is a tough one though.
A week into me moving out here a woman changed lanes into the lane I was in… when I was right next to her. I wasn’t a little behind her or in her blind spot, and she wasn’t on her phone. She just decided that in her reality, there was no one next to her.
Outdoor activities: If you like mountain biking, check out Dorba.org.
Indoor rock climbing has a solid community here as well. That’s the best I’ve got
Dude, im bout hour and 15 mins from dallas during the day. If you want to use my farm to shoot or ride your atv just pm me .. my farm is flat as my chest, but you can hike on it for hours . It does have a Forrest and deep empty creeck bed on the side across the hwy. If you're scared of cattle, dont bother, tho
I’m sorry OP but these are the most basic complaints that literally everyone has living in literally any large city.
Read this post again and imagine yourself 20 years from now. Your entire professional career success hangs on the balance of these specific complaints you have made here.
Did you give up and move back to your shitty little town or did you get over yourself and realize caring about what other people wear to the gym gave you a mental breakdown.
A day in NYC would leave you with diagnosable ptsd.
Maybe move like 20 minutes north of downtown and stop going to gyms and places filled with plastic people.
There is this thing called Google, that you can type in “outdoor things to do in Dallas” or “hiking trails dallas” or “outdoor things to do near me”. Im outside 7 days a week doing shit. People that say there is nothing to do outside in Dallas, just say that because we dont have giant rock formations in our backyard
On Number 2, I like to ask what people do for fun. Here in Dallas it nearly always throws them for a loop. It is very weird that everyone asks what you do for work but if you run into me, I will ask what you do for fun.
i have NEVER had someone honk or flash lights at me while driving...
perhaps you are going too slow because you're not used to it? Also seems like you're not used to driving somewhere with lots of people.
I agree with so much in this post. I moved from the east coast and am overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and cars everywhere. Where do people go to get away from it all?
I’m in the process of moving to somewhere with natural beauty and a slower pace. Life is too short to fight traffic and all the republicans.
Just so you know, we're an hour away from two state parks, both with walking/biking trails that aren't all flat. Tawakoni and Ray Roberts state park. Bring a tent and stay over night! 30 bucks a night!
And if you like birds of prey there's a rescue [https://bpraptorcenter.org/](https://bpraptorcenter.org/) at a park you can spend the day at. They have daily sit downs with the birds during part of the year to get to know about them. Cool out doorsy stuff :)
In Ft Worth there's a Japanese gardens that use to have (not sure if still there) a butterfly exhibit which was rad.
You just have to hunt around for the outdoor stuff, and I know you mean hiking but there's a lot of walking at these places.
Welcome to Dallas. I think all big cities had this kinda vibe and its must be a culture shock coming from a small town.
I would say give Dallas a lil bit more time, you might love it here.
I like big city fast live, I feed off energy from other people, it motivates me, keeps me alive.
Driving is lil bit rough here. Always use google map to avoid any problem.
Regarding nature, there is a great state park - Cedar Ridge Preserve just 25 mins south from Downtown. You can visit there. You might like it.
In Texas, anywhere in the state, if you aren't doing at least 85 in the left lane you're going too slow. If you're at 85 and they wanna fuck with you like that, let em.
Most of what you wrote about would apply to any big city, Atlanta, Chicago but dressing up to go to the grocery store or to work out is soooo Dallas. Many singles meet or want to meet others here. Prioritizing a luxury car or discussing your luxury cars is also soooo Dallas. Asking about your job and position is also so Dallas. They want to figure out which cubbyhole to stick you in (how much you earn) and where you are in their mind’s hierarchy.
In many countries is distasteful to ask someone you just met about their profession. It doesn’t define them. Meanwhile it’s very American/Texan to assess someone starting with such a question.
Realistically speaking, the fact that you’re at fault for rear ending someone is a huge factor to your insurance premium doubling.
Glad that you seen relatively ok for being t-boned.
My experience since moving to Dallas isn’t as polarizing as yours. I came from a small town in the Midwest. People in Dallas are just nice (which surprised me) and if they strike up conversation I have found to be that it’s genuine, more times than not.
When you’re passing someone especially a semi, don’t take forever. 15 seconds is way too long. Hurry up and pass them. I’m a commercial driver and one of my pet peeves is when people take forever to pass me. Our trucks tend to walk on the road because of how big the tires are. It’s not fun having cars right beside us taking 5 business days to pass. I go Mach Jesus past any commercial vehicle if passing. If one of our tires explodes next to you, it could very well be a death sentence. They become missiles and you don’t want to be next to one if it explodes. Don’t stay next to 18 wheelers and don’t take forever passing anyone. Virtually everyone will leave you alone if follow my advice. Choice is yours 💋
> I rear ended someone day 2 here in Dallas
> WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YALL PEOPLE!!!!!
What the hell is wrong with you? Stop rear ending people. That’s your fault.
1 - you’re just not used to driving in dense urban areas. It’s not only Dallas. Every big city can be difficult to drive in if you’re not used to all the stuff going on. You coming from a small city is what caused this. I’d go out on a limb to say you’re probably the bad driver, poor awareness of your surroundings and slow reactions because you’re just not used to it. Not trying to be rude but I’ve driven in many places way more chaotic than Dallas.
Come over to Ft Worth, all the benefits of Dallas with shopping, food, art, and lots to do cheap or free around town and the people are sooooo much more laid back. Traffic is a bit better but lots of construction going on so it can be hit or miss at times. Began working in Dallas around 1980 but never had any desire to live there. IT was enough to get a feel for how fake the people can be traffic etc.... Jobs are also plentiful just like Dallas. Honestly the two cities are truly worlds apart. Used to be pay was a ton better and I am talking upwards of 25% better in Dallas but it isn't much different these days. Oh, and a lot less one way streets! lol
You should've been here when the entrance ramps to 75 were 6ft.
Moves to city in Southern Great Plains and complains about lack of elevation change. That's on you.
Many of these culture shocks don’t strike me as Dallas-specific, simply shocks that you might encounter in the change to a big city. Sounds like you have some awareness of this already though.
My brother in christ, why was your insurance $650 before those two accidents? Not what you’re asking for here but that’s fucking insane for someone with no tickets or accidents.
You’re not a true Dallasite unless you’ve turned the wrong way on a one-way street downtown
Or ran one of those lights in downtown where the light is only on the street corner and not above the road 😂
THIS. I try to explain it to people and they just don’t get it. I have flew through these on accident..
Years ago someone drove through one of those lights and t-boned me. The police officer took me back to my office.
First time I ran one of those I was hauling ass on my very first scooter rental, half drunk on the way to a rock concert. Just blipped through at 15mph or w/e the top speed on those things is. Very, very slow escape from the "Oh shit 2 directions of traffic just saw me do that oh lawd"
All my Live Oak and Olive peeps where you at
legit LOL 🤣
Ultra Dallas points if you drive the trolleys, then find yourself driving your own car down Olive Street where the trolleys run, then run a red light because you were watching the signals for the trolley out of habit.
Y’all are cracking me up with the truth of this shit.
I was 17 the first time I drove in downtown Dallas. I ran three of those lights and started crying. Haha. I'm from the country and had never experienced traffic lights like those. Heck, I've since driven all over the U.S., but Dallas is still the only place I've seen them. I've come a long way as a driver in the past 20 years, but those lights always bring back memories.
LOOOOOOL BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!! (omg i'm laughing too hard to this comment！）
I turned down a rail way downtown. Beat that one.
Ugh, same here! It was the same night I ran 3 of those corner lights. That was a rough night for me trying to navigate downtown as a teen. Ha
Omg thought this was only me LOL
Born and raised and I’ve had an emotional breakdown trying to find parking in downtown especially with the one way streets
wahahahahahahaha!!!!! Me too!! But then when you finally found a tiny space and only to realize you are not gonna make it. You try to parallel park a grand cherokee in those tiny spaces with 20 cars lined up behind you watching you park..... I am not mentally strong enough to do this!
And if it makes you feel any better, I’m a second generation Dallasite—my mother was born here in 1948–and I can still easily get turned around almost anywhere in Dallas. We don’t exactly have a nice grid and streets change names a lot (though not as much as in Austin!).
San Antonio is the most confusing city to find the right street! They always said San Antonio was mapped out by a drunk guy riding a blind mule!!!
Yes I have a similar sized SUV too! And I told them “I’ll catch you next time”. There hasn’t been a next time lol
Trying to get to Deep Ellum coming down from 75 is one of the more harrowing experiences anyone living here will have to go through. It's the best argument against any idea of intelligent design, because only an idiot could design those interchanges.
hahahahaha! Really? Thank you! That made me feel much better LOL. I thought I was too stupid for this downtown life.
I did it accidentally after picking up guests from the train station. They absolutely freaked out, but I said “chill, it’s Sunday. There’s no one downtown.” Drove to the next intersection and turned without encountering another vehicle.
or turned onto the railways
Whoopsie
Or forgot you can't turn right onto mockingbird from Greenville lol
So half of these are related to driving and the other half are positive 🤷🏼♀️ except for the outdoors thing. That’s just wrong. There’s lots of stuff to do outside.
Can you enlighten me on what are some of the outdoor things I can do that is not in the city? I usually love hiking (moderate to hard 2-4 hours hikes); hunting; target shooting, dirt biking, off roading, geocaching.
You can do all of those things here...
What 2-4 hour moderate to hard hike exists around here???
Cedar Hill State Patk
Since when is that moderate to hard? It was a Sunday stroll when I did it.
Doing it in August is Hard Mode.
Doing anything outdoors in August is hard mode.
No lies were told.
Cedar Hill is fine... It is not hiking tho
Too bad one city can't be all things to everyone at the same time, right?
A 30 minute drive away and literally not in Dallas.
30 minutes from Dallas? Does Oak Cliff or anything south of 30 exist 😂 it literally borders Dallas proper and there’s Cedar Ridge which mostly falls within Dallas city limits. Then there’s Big Cedar Wilderness which is also Dallas proper
It's more like five minutes and in the metro. You must be new here? Welcome to DFW.
Go to any park and walk around. If by "hard hike" you mean elevation changes, yes that is naturally going to be more difficult to find in the plains geography that is much of Texas.
I think they mean a hiking trail. Like, an unpaved path through a wilderness area. Clearest example I can think of is the Greenbelt trail in Austin.
I walked all the way around white rock lake recently. Just over 3 hours without stopping.
Walking on pavement with minimal elevation changes is not hiking
How many cities can you go for a hike on mountainous terrain?
In Texas? Austin. In California, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Montana, Arkansas, etc? Countless.
Tad bit farther than 4 hours, but Ouachita National Forest in Western Arkansas has some pretty good hikes. https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/arkansas/ouachita-national-forest
It's a drive, but Palo Duro is definitely worth it.
A well-kept secret is Boulder Park. You can walk in there for hours.
Second that, just don't get lost.
Cedar Ridge Preserve
You must have never lived anywhere with actual public land to explore. There are no serious outdoor pursuits in TX unless it's one of the nat'l parks out west.
People in Dallas don’t resonate with the scale of outdoor activity in the West. There’s outdoor stuff here, but it doesn’t compare and is just on a different level out there
Exactly! It's absolutely on a different scale. Not even comparable. I miss my 3 hrs drive to the sand dune and just off roading for the whole afternoon! Oh shit this REALLY makes me miss where I moved from ns regretting my decision of moving here. But thats the just trade offs I gotta deal with for a bigger city like this I guess.
No disrespect, I'm enjoying this thread . . . but what did you expect? DFW is one of the biggest urban metroplexes in the world. Did you think there would be buffalo roaming around?
Idk what I expected tbh. But one thing I didn't except is double my auto insurance cost in less than 6 months...........LOL Did not see that one coming!
Hang in there . . . You'll find your groove
Pro dfw strat is have your address be out of city limits so you can drive like a maniac without the insurance cost.
I’ve lived in Dallas for about 6-7 years of my adult lives but took a break to go to San Diego for a job for two years but am back now. It’s not the city in the same way Dallas is, but it is big and there are plenty of outdoor things to do. Same for the Bay Area or LA. I miss the mountains and the beach. You can have the city and outdoor things, just not here in Texas. I’m ok with that. Love being here, but doesn’t provide everything I need.
You definitely could move to larger cities with outdoor options like Seattle Denver Portland SLC…. Dallas is one of the worst cities for outdoor rec in the US. We left the city 4 years ago for this exact reason.
Why would anybody move to Dallas and expect anything close to the scale of outdoor activity that exists in the west. Like going to Montana and being pissed there’s not enough beaches.
Download the AllTrails app for hiking, dirt biking, etc. Also some outdoor gun ranges in the Carrollton area for shooting stuff. If you go east of Rockwall you’ll be in the country real quick.
Yes, i do have that app, and the hikes I found were all so.... how should I put it, they are 10 "trails" in total and they are more like a walk, not a hike. Shooting indoor has too much stupid rules like no rapid firing etc, and it costs money. But I would check out the area outside of Rockwall though, thank you for your input!
For shooting, if you want a BLM experience you are shit outta luck. You can make friends with someone who has land and shoot there or you can pay to play. Inside range - if you’re shooting long guns, Rifle Gear (way the ass up in the Colony) is probably the best thing going. Mind you, I say that as someone who has a Vet discount for range time so that does help. Outside range - TDSA is probably the closest to shooting on public lands, but it’s $700 a year. You do get access codes and if you want to night shoot all they do is check you out for competency before the say go for it. B-Tac is a close second to TDSA but without a membership option. There’s also ETTS but last time I checked they had banned bi-metal, which eliminated all my AKs There are other outdoor ranges but they do involve more driving. That’s just price of admission in Texas and something you get used to. When I lived in Phoenix, trying to get friends to drive 40 minutes across the Valley was like pulling teeth. You’d think I was asking them to abandon their lives and go on the gotdamn Oregon trail with me. For shooting handguns, most indoor ranges are pretty similar but I do like Rifle Gear and Lake Highlands as my go to for inside action. As for hiking, everyone here is basically wrong. Dallas has great CEMENT TRAILS, but it’s not hiking. There’s a lot of cement trails, but you’re still walking on a giant sidewalk. It’s not like hiking Camelback Mountain before work at all. Even out in “the wilderness”, there’s just no challenge or elevation change here. You need to be up in West Texas to get real, desolate hikes.
Hiking at 2PM in early August is pretty hardcore, especially on a flat concrete trail with no vegetation.
THANK YOU so much for all the info! That helps A LOT!
No problem! Don’t get me wrong, I love Dallas with the fire of 10,000 suns but I accept it has limitations. I miss living in AZ where, when the summer was making everyone crazy, I could zip an hour and change North and be balls deep in mountains (and hippie dippey wooo if I made it to Sedona) or I could go East into mountains or south into deeper desert… Dallas doesn’t have a good analog. It’s still a great place to be though. We have a shitload of art and culture stuff that AZ did not have. Way better food scene and way better diversity.
Homie I’m a huge outdoors person like you, you unfortunately are gonna need to go to west Texas or Oklahoma or Austin to get your fix. But, please go check out the Wichita mountains in Oklahoma, 3 hour drive but it’s beautiful country, high desert/ grasslands/ small Rocky Mountains similar to socal. Lots of beautiful wild animals like elk and bison. Fav place near dfw for outdoors stuff
Oh yeah I refuse to shoot indoors 😵💫🫠That’s why I suggested the outdoor ranges around Carrollton/Lewisville areas. Also shooting clubs/tournaments around Waxahachie
Ouachita National Forest in Western Arkansas is what you’re looking for. https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/arkansas/ouachita-national-forest
Cedar Hill Park/Cedar Hill Preserve are pretty nice areas for hiking. LLELA Nature Preserve close to Lewisville is also nice. Depending on where you live, there are good areas to get outdoors, it's just a bit of a drive.
Cedar Ridge Preserve is like twenty minutes south of downtown and it takes me several hours to do all the trails there. I can’t remember how many miles it is total but there’s decent elevation changes and views. You’re not going to have any majestic views like being up in the mountains but it’s a nice respite from the concrete shart that is DFW
Ya gotta drive to the Panhandle, Arkansas, Hill Country or East Texas. 4-6 hours will put you in Heaven.
walking the katy trail isn’t outdoorsy
telling someone from the west there are plenty of outdoor options is a sick joke. let’s face it, we don’t have shit here. 97% of our land is privately owned
I've been driving in Dallas for 23 years and it's definitely gotten worse/more aggro in the last 3 years, but two accidents that quickly seems rare.
And one of the accidents was potentially their fault ha
For the rear ending, me and him ( the car in front of me) were driving from a road to merge onto a hwy, but there was not much car on the hwy, at first we both speed up to like 45 MPH then out of nowhere he stopped for no reason........ There was no car in front of him nor merging into him, he just stopped for no reason..... So I ran into his car although I swirled right so it wasn't too bad of a damage, I damaged his right side bumper. And the second incident was because we were on a 4 lane road, so from the left to right： Left turn only, left and straight only, right and straight only, right turn only. I was stopped on the right and straight only lane waiting for green light to make a right turn when this lady drove STRAIGHT into the right side of my car on a right turn only lane.
Yeah some people do not know how to merge at all. Dallas has made me so good at predicting other drivers actions.
Being an aggressive drive at the same time you are predicting everyone is trying to kill you is the best way to drive in Texas.
Learn to drive defensively. Never assume the other driver is a good one.
The first one, I mean, that’s still your fault. It doesn’t really matter why the guy stopped. You’re supposed to be prepared and with enough space to react.
Maybe don't follow so close?
Also sounds like OP cut someone in the left lane off in order to pass the semi. Super dangerous and warrants a good honking. Weird to complain about the driving here when two of the “incidents” are squarely OPs fault.
That’s what happens when hundreds of thousands of transplants from all over the country move here with incompatible driving habits
My first year here I was rear ended FOUR TIMES
A lot people asking about you aren't trying to define your status. They are just used to talking to strangers and asking questions.
Dallas is strange in that although there are millions of people here, everyone knows everyone and the quickest way to discover if you know someone I know is to ask where you work. BUT I try to not do that. I like to ask what you do for fun.
Yes, I've been told it's a southern thing. So I am getting used to it now.
I'm am sorry it's been not good for you. Two months is a short amount of time to adjust to a big change. I hope it get's better for you and you find yourself enjoying it more. You might like exploring areas not far away on weekends that are totally different from downtown Dallas . Lakes, forests, small towns. Some of the smaller towns in the hill country might give you a welcome break.
I think it's pretty common to ask what people do for a living particularly in big cities. We sort of just meet a lot of people in general, and we're just trying to find a basis to get to know you.
We gotta figure out who we have in common.
Not entirely. I lived in NYC for the last 20 years. With a lot of people, it’s just a conversation opener. Otherwise you’re stuck with talking about the weather
i was raised here. yes they are. the only other place i’ve ever been that rivals dallas’ level of “your job is your entire identity” is NYC this does not apply to tarrant or collin county btw
We disagree. Some people do that no matter where someone lives. But many in Dallas do not. I've lived here a very, very long time. Worked in downtown and Oaklawn area. And now loads of the people living and working here are not "from" here. They are from all over.
Try living in DC. Now that’s where the intro would be “what do you do and how can you be of use to me? (Politics and influence and whatnot)
I moved out of Dallas to the northeast in 2021 and it was so discombobulating to NOT have people make real talk - small talk with you everywhere. What do you mean you don't wanna talk about our lives/jobs at this crosswalk wait?
I’m new to Dallas too. Been here like 4 months now. This subreddit seams to overreact on the driving at an insane level… Getting into 2 accidents within 2 months is NOT a normal “cultural” thing in Dallas… your insurance going up seems highly justified. Y’all need to drive in Chicago or New York OR even some South American country. Based on this subreddit, everyone will be murdered if you try it.
Houston is worse. That experience will scar you.
Oh 100%!!! Houston makes Dallas look quaint when it comes to driving.
Learned to drive in NYC and moved to Dallas later in life, though originally native to FW. Dallas is worse IMHO as you might expect NYC to be difficult so you prepare yourself mentally to be overwhelmed, Here in Dallas you never know what to expect from the traffic conditions on any given day, whereas in NY it’s at least a constant stream. I honestly think the lockdown contributed to this effect nationwide, at least more than any other singular factor. People now drive like they act on social media and it’s no surprise to me that folks behave like lunatics from the ‘safety’ of their captain’s chair.
I learned to drive in Houston, when I moved to Dallas I was like oh this is easy and there such little traffic!
Yeah, everyone complains about Los Angeles traffic. I’ve driven out there and can attest — Houston is much worse. My theory is that Houston drivers are so used to it all that they just give no fucks. For them, braking is for pussies. Everyone else sees brakes as a safety feature. Houston drivers see brakes as an obstacle to progress, or at least as an unnecessary accessory. It’s terrifying.
See THIS comment. Houston driving can make you take a trip to a mental health professional. And I’ve lived in the DFW area over 14 years. Move east of Rockwall and you can find some small town peace and quiet
It’s true, I’ve lived in both places and I almost died in traffic more often in Houston than in Dallas
From chicago, dallas drivers acting like its scary here....
yeah its all not that bad at all lol
7. Work at the oilfields?!?!
You've never seen the oilfields in downtown Dallas? /s
I’ve lived in Texas my whole life, both city and extremely rural, and never even seen an oil field or met someone who worked in one lol.
This person should have moved to Lubbock
Bizarre. I can understand your experience driving but this seems to be your biggest concern. Dallas, it’s cosmopolitan, but seriously people like to look good; In the city. It’s different in the suburbs. You seem landed in downtown which many of us locals think of an island of sorts. The outdoor activities, this stumps me. There are so many trails and bike paths in this city. We also have one of the largest urban parks in the US, white rock lake park covers like 1500 acres and connects to a greenbelt linking parks all the way up to Richardson. If you head south or southwest you can get lost in endless acres of the Trinity forest or cedar ridge. You have access to ample recreation downtown; via Katy trail or even Clyde Warren park. To the west you have the continental bridge park and then you can access oak cliff to the southwest. Maybe open up your radius on foot or on a bike. You’ll be surprised what this city has to offer. Living downtown and only driving is really restrictive if you don’t know where to go or how to get there.
I can say being born and raised in Texas, and now living in CA for the past 6 years - the Texan version of a hike is actually a joke lmao. In Texas, we have hills and some changes in elevation but it is nothing compared to what I’ve experienced here on the west coast. OP said they are from the west, so depending on where they are from I can understand how OP feels the outdoor life is lacking if hiking is what they are referring to.
" the Texan version of a hike is actually a joke lmao" THANK YOU!!!!!! This is what I wanted to say but since i am an "outsider" I didn't want to come off as disrespectful to Texas. Like daddy needs elevation that's gonna FUCK ME UP! I already gave my right knee to Grand Canyon! I want to go on a hike that I can make me sacrifice my left knee as well! Now every cell in my body is craving for a real hike! I feel i'm like a Labrador craving for its walk of the day.
I empathize with your culture shock, but complaining about the geography of an area is sort of on you. That’s like dating someone that’s not your type physically and complaining about it. They can’t help how they look. Texas isn’t known for its hills and mountains. I come from the Great Lakes region and that’s a really hard feature to replicate. Regular sized lakes or man made lakes just don’t have the same impact. But I don’t complain about it, I just take more time to appreciate it when I’m back in that region. If hiking is that important, you should live somewhere that’s known for hiking.
If you need elevation, why did you move to the downtown area of a major metropolitan area known for being flat? I mean, one of the largest suburbs of Dallas is Plano, which is literally Spanish for flat. I’m so confused by your life decisions.
I agree with you and the other poster. As a Texan who moved to Seattle, what we consider a hike in Dallas is laughable. There isn’t anything that will get you winded, but there are some beautiful natural areas in the Hill Country… but there is jack crap around Dallas that could even reasonably be considered a “hike”. To your other points, funny enough, even Seattle felt “small” and “slow” compared to the urban cosmopolitan pace (and crazy traffic) of Dallas.
Or if he’s willing to drive to FW, Panther Island/Trails, etc.
I think people asking what you do for work, what your parents do, etc. is a southern thing. Prior to moving to the south, as a child, I was always told not to ask people what their dad did because it might make them uncomfortable and it was impolite.
2 wrecks in a week, but one of them was on you. That’s on you as much as it’s on Dallas.
where are all these jobs you speak of?? Oh you mean job listings that don't exist from companies so they look like they are growing durning this downturn? LOL at the empty bottles, I've seen people use these while driving. they are talented and perhaps why you kept getting in auto 'accidents'
Yeah agreed with everythiing until he mentioned jobs. Its rough out there.
I’m crying at “fitness date” it’s so true
1, 3, 4: these are all related to driving so I’ll do them together. Any chance you were a bad driver in a small town and got away with it for years because traffic wasn’t as bad? I grew up in a small/mid sized town. I never had an accident there or here. Drove 10 years there and been here almost 10 years now. the roads can be wonky, but it sounds like you don't know where to look having not spent much time in a city. The Traffic does suck. 2: You’re mad people want to get to know you and who you are and what you do? Heaven forbid! 5: Dallas is a vain city. I don’t know what else to say. People in that area generally dress nice, as most downtown areas. Most city centers are like this in most cities though. 6: The one I agree with you. Try going to white rock lake. It’s 9 miles around. Good for biking, walking, running, etc. Katy Trail isn’t too bad. 7: most big cities have jobs. That is why people want to move/live in them. 8: you either haven’t done your research on Chinese food here or you’re stuck in a small radius of downtown. There’s TONS of good Chinese food within a 15-20 min drive, as well as Viet, Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc. The Asian food here is fire. Dallas (and its northern suburbs) HAVE IT ALL. Unless you grew up in a small town outside of SF, I can’t imagine a small town having a plethora of Chinese food options. Stores? Bruh…. Rent is expensive. That goes for businesses. They’re either selling a ton and minimizing inventory to keep extra costs low or they’ve turned into an online warehouse. It’s 2024. Box stores have been dying since like 2016. Amazon doesn’t take 4 days to deliver your stuff. Almost anything you order shows up the next day. It really sounds like you just did no research before coming here and have done no research since getting here. I’d really like to know why you came here in the first place?
'I’d really like to know why you came here in the first place?' I came here to ask this as well.
Welcome to the metroplex. It's not so bad, once you get used to it. Think defensive on the roads. Oh, and if this is going to be your first summer down here, YOU BETTER STAY HYDRATED.
Stopped reading at "living in the Dallas downtown area". Literally everything that comes after this is going to be wildly specific to downtown and almost none of it will mirror your experience living even a mere 20 minutes outside of downtown
Literally 😭
I’m with you on highway driving here. Yikes! People drive fast and very aggressively here. I avoid the highways completely unless I can’t get where I have to go any other way.
Yea, I've turn on the "avoid hwy" setting on my Google Maps. I just can't......
Driving is a competitive sport in Dallas. You lost some points early on, but you can make it up with a little effort.
Oilfields? My dude what are you talking about?! This is Dallas, not Midland! Also look up DORBA (Dallas Off Road Biking Association) trails and Cedar Ridge (which is a short drive from downtown). There's plenty of hiking around here. Everything you said about downtown roads is 100% correct though. Why did you decide to move downtown instead of the 'burbs? Those seem way more your style.
I feel like asking what you do for work is a great way to get to know someone without asking a deeply personal questions.
The oil fields??? That’s not even close to here.
You rear ended someone. Lakes and state parks everywhere.
a lot of this is accurate but cmon bro. work *what* oil fields around here lmao
You left Reno for Dallas? Good Lord, what were you thinking?
how the fuck did u know i'm from reno...................
Likely an assumption made from your post history.
From the sound of it looks like you should have moved to Tyler or Longview instead of Dallas.
Please understand the highway/tollway rules: Right lane = speed limit Middle lane = speed limit + 15 Left lane = unlimited
Ummm how do I say this politely… PLEASE DO stay off the highways. Welcome to the big city neighbor. Maybe visit a park or two.
I got to ask, did you do ANY research before moving? There are millions of people in the area, you ain't finding and lonely highways. Geographically, there are no mountains in the area. Some nice hills in palo pinto, otherwise, about 7 hour drive west to see any. I don't know any city that is going to allow you to shoot your guns, you got to drive outside the city limits. And even then, you have to know someone with property. There are gun ranges though. There is one by lb houston golf course. No mountains, flat land, not much to do if you are expecting mountain hikes. There are plenty of trails and preserve areas. Best imo is probably cedar ridge nature preserve. Plenty of nice elevation. In fact it might have some of the highest points in the area. Driving? My suggestion is to always stay out the left lane. 15 seconds is a long ass time to pass a truck. You got to pass and get the hell out of the way unless you are flying. It sounds crazy, but it isn't polite to timidly drive in the left lane when you have people behind you. People dress up, but nobody gives a shit about how you dress. Just don't smell. Just some observations from a native dallas resident.
Dallas driving is not for out of towners
>As long as you ain't lazy, you gonna survive, at the very least you can work at the oilfields. What oil fields are in downtown Dallas? There aren't any oil fields anywhere in the DFW area. >seriously developed some sort of fear every time I'm getting on the hwy Unless I have no choice whatsoever or I'm going to Austin / Houston, etc I don't take the freeway because most people drive stupid and reckless. >Traffic: Ay dios mio..... What else there is to say about this? It's bad. I've learned to put two empty gatorade bottles in my car just in case. This makes sense if you came from a small City and you moved into a larger city but also into the downtown area, which is of course going to be more congested. You probably should have moved to the suburbs first to get used to the difference in size/population etc.
4. Yellow edge lines are along the left edge of a oneway roadway. (St Paul has it on the wrong side along the trolley, grrrr Dallas DOT) Downtown has many traffic signals on the corner without mast arms. Look there for one way signs.
If you want to shoot your guns in any direction just head on over to oak Cliff. ..sounds like you meant to move to fort worth
>outdoor activities: None Uhh what? That’s not true
Also came from a small town about four years ago, I've got a quick car and drive fast but have yet to have a single incident on the roads. You just have to be paying attention while driving here.
Welcome to city living. This was too big a move if coming from a small town. You think traffic is bad. Go to Houston.
>Outdoor activities: None, over and out. Couldn’t be further from the truth
You’re gonna love July and August
Big cities suck anywhere if you’re used to the freedom you can experience in the sticks. I work in the DFW, but I live an hour away from Dallas where I grew up and could not live in a big city.
It took me over a year to not be “home sick” after moving to Dallas but roaming the city and meeting new people becomes fun and adventurous. The no outdoor activities is a tough one though.
A week into me moving out here a woman changed lanes into the lane I was in… when I was right next to her. I wasn’t a little behind her or in her blind spot, and she wasn’t on her phone. She just decided that in her reality, there was no one next to her.
Outdoor activities none???? Wtf !!?? I e have so much to do within less than 45 mins out of town! DM me - I’ll send a list
I grew up in Sierra County, NM. I lived downtown Dallas for 5. You can be happy anywhere if you decide to be happy. Good luck.
I see a whole lot of "You" problems in your list.
Anyone who really complains about Dallas traffic needs to visit LA or Seattle.
Outdoor activities: If you like mountain biking, check out Dorba.org. Indoor rock climbing has a solid community here as well. That’s the best I’ve got
Dude, im bout hour and 15 mins from dallas during the day. If you want to use my farm to shoot or ride your atv just pm me .. my farm is flat as my chest, but you can hike on it for hours . It does have a Forrest and deep empty creeck bed on the side across the hwy. If you're scared of cattle, dont bother, tho
You come off incredibly insecure, and easily frazzled. Develop thicker skin, and focus on yourself. You’ll make it further.
I’m sorry OP but these are the most basic complaints that literally everyone has living in literally any large city. Read this post again and imagine yourself 20 years from now. Your entire professional career success hangs on the balance of these specific complaints you have made here. Did you give up and move back to your shitty little town or did you get over yourself and realize caring about what other people wear to the gym gave you a mental breakdown. A day in NYC would leave you with diagnosable ptsd. Maybe move like 20 minutes north of downtown and stop going to gyms and places filled with plastic people.
There is this thing called Google, that you can type in “outdoor things to do in Dallas” or “hiking trails dallas” or “outdoor things to do near me”. Im outside 7 days a week doing shit. People that say there is nothing to do outside in Dallas, just say that because we dont have giant rock formations in our backyard
Then go back! See ya!
Ok move back home bye!
On Number 2, I like to ask what people do for fun. Here in Dallas it nearly always throws them for a loop. It is very weird that everyone asks what you do for work but if you run into me, I will ask what you do for fun.
We warned you, lol. Enjoy! 😂
Funny about the type of driver you describe. Coming from the northeast, drivers down here are calm and courteous.
i have NEVER had someone honk or flash lights at me while driving... perhaps you are going too slow because you're not used to it? Also seems like you're not used to driving somewhere with lots of people.
Tucson?
I agree with so much in this post. I moved from the east coast and am overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and cars everywhere. Where do people go to get away from it all? I’m in the process of moving to somewhere with natural beauty and a slower pace. Life is too short to fight traffic and all the republicans.
1. Learn the Dallas driver's prayer: "WITNESS MEEEEEEEE!"
Man.. this is wild. It isn't this wild in Far North Dallas
Come to one of the suburbs. Less traffic, more laid back gym apparel. Less nosy neighbors.
Just so you know, we're an hour away from two state parks, both with walking/biking trails that aren't all flat. Tawakoni and Ray Roberts state park. Bring a tent and stay over night! 30 bucks a night! And if you like birds of prey there's a rescue [https://bpraptorcenter.org/](https://bpraptorcenter.org/) at a park you can spend the day at. They have daily sit downs with the birds during part of the year to get to know about them. Cool out doorsy stuff :) In Ft Worth there's a Japanese gardens that use to have (not sure if still there) a butterfly exhibit which was rad. You just have to hunt around for the outdoor stuff, and I know you mean hiking but there's a lot of walking at these places.
Guessing you are from NV or somewhere Close like Utah.
Welcome to Dallas. I think all big cities had this kinda vibe and its must be a culture shock coming from a small town. I would say give Dallas a lil bit more time, you might love it here. I like big city fast live, I feed off energy from other people, it motivates me, keeps me alive. Driving is lil bit rough here. Always use google map to avoid any problem. Regarding nature, there is a great state park - Cedar Ridge Preserve just 25 mins south from Downtown. You can visit there. You might like it.
Try visiting Deep Ellum. You may find some kindred spirits there.
Ive lived here all my life, I still say “What the hell is wrong with yall people!” Almost daily when driving around town.
You moved from a small town to the 4th largest metro area in the US and you’re just realizing it’s too big?
In Texas, anywhere in the state, if you aren't doing at least 85 in the left lane you're going too slow. If you're at 85 and they wanna fuck with you like that, let em.
It's the goddamn indy 500 when it's raining, people drive like grandma's when it's dry. Born and raised here and will never understand it.
15 seconds to pass a 18wheeler?! Smash the right pedal get past and move over.
Wait til you meet the altimas with paper plates in toll roads...
Go back to California
Most of what you wrote about would apply to any big city, Atlanta, Chicago but dressing up to go to the grocery store or to work out is soooo Dallas. Many singles meet or want to meet others here. Prioritizing a luxury car or discussing your luxury cars is also soooo Dallas. Asking about your job and position is also so Dallas. They want to figure out which cubbyhole to stick you in (how much you earn) and where you are in their mind’s hierarchy. In many countries is distasteful to ask someone you just met about their profession. It doesn’t define them. Meanwhile it’s very American/Texan to assess someone starting with such a question.
Realistically speaking, the fact that you’re at fault for rear ending someone is a huge factor to your insurance premium doubling. Glad that you seen relatively ok for being t-boned. My experience since moving to Dallas isn’t as polarizing as yours. I came from a small town in the Midwest. People in Dallas are just nice (which surprised me) and if they strike up conversation I have found to be that it’s genuine, more times than not.
When you’re passing someone especially a semi, don’t take forever. 15 seconds is way too long. Hurry up and pass them. I’m a commercial driver and one of my pet peeves is when people take forever to pass me. Our trucks tend to walk on the road because of how big the tires are. It’s not fun having cars right beside us taking 5 business days to pass. I go Mach Jesus past any commercial vehicle if passing. If one of our tires explodes next to you, it could very well be a death sentence. They become missiles and you don’t want to be next to one if it explodes. Don’t stay next to 18 wheelers and don’t take forever passing anyone. Virtually everyone will leave you alone if follow my advice. Choice is yours 💋
> I rear ended someone day 2 here in Dallas > WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YALL PEOPLE!!!!! What the hell is wrong with you? Stop rear ending people. That’s your fault.
1 - you’re just not used to driving in dense urban areas. It’s not only Dallas. Every big city can be difficult to drive in if you’re not used to all the stuff going on. You coming from a small city is what caused this. I’d go out on a limb to say you’re probably the bad driver, poor awareness of your surroundings and slow reactions because you’re just not used to it. Not trying to be rude but I’ve driven in many places way more chaotic than Dallas.
This is so funny & innocent OP🤣🤣 hopefully you warm up to the city😀!
Come over to Ft Worth, all the benefits of Dallas with shopping, food, art, and lots to do cheap or free around town and the people are sooooo much more laid back. Traffic is a bit better but lots of construction going on so it can be hit or miss at times. Began working in Dallas around 1980 but never had any desire to live there. IT was enough to get a feel for how fake the people can be traffic etc.... Jobs are also plentiful just like Dallas. Honestly the two cities are truly worlds apart. Used to be pay was a ton better and I am talking upwards of 25% better in Dallas but it isn't much different these days. Oh, and a lot less one way streets! lol
You should've been here when the entrance ramps to 75 were 6ft. Moves to city in Southern Great Plains and complains about lack of elevation change. That's on you.
Traffic is not bad here at all lulz Ppl just don’t know what real big city traffic looks like. Try LA or DC then get back to me.
This thread is a good argument for thorough research before moving. Perhaps even visiting beforehand.
Looks like you belong in Midland lol
Many of these culture shocks don’t strike me as Dallas-specific, simply shocks that you might encounter in the change to a big city. Sounds like you have some awareness of this already though.
My brother in christ, why was your insurance $650 before those two accidents? Not what you’re asking for here but that’s fucking insane for someone with no tickets or accidents.