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I love my adopted hometown.
I love the weather, the size, the location (sans the fact the beach is so far away), and the people...for the most part. Dallas is a dynamic and eclectic city where you can find Southern comfort combined with big city charm.
Dallas prides itself on being apart of Texas, yet shies away the cowboy connotation. To the West is Dallas' "little brother" Fort Worth, and Dallasites yield to these kind folk on all things country. To the South is Austin, Dallas' hippie neighbor (Dallasites tend to avoid comparison to them), and even further South is San Antonio, where Texas and Mexico really combine in to one culture (Alamo, anyone?). And finally, to the Southeast is Houston. "Dirty" Houston...though many Dallasites envy the wealth and success that comes from this city.
Dallas likes to be considered in a league unto itself. When you think Texas, you think Dallas, after all. The Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones tend to garner much national attention (good and bad). Dallas is the site (obviously) of the old TV show "Dallas". Dallas is where President Kennedy was shot and where the SMU Mustang Football team got the Death Penalty in the '80's.
Dallas offers shopping, nearly to the level of a Chicago or even New York. You could spend hours, or even days wandering around Northpark Mall or all of the shopping centers around town. Every high fashion designer has staked a claim on real estate in this city, and Dallas, in turn, provides the clientele for such places...in abundance.
Dallas offers food. Ah, yes, my favorite topic. Dallas has a tremendous amount of restaurants per capita...and delicious ones at that. Of course you can get Mexican, and Tex-Mex (yes, they are different things), but there are equally delicious Italian eateries or Asian-infused cafes around town and, my personal favorite, steakhouses. If ever you make a trip to Dallas, please let me know what you are craving, because trust me, I've tried it, and I'll let you know where to find it.
The Katy Trail is one of Dallas' proudest achievements. It is a trail, just shy of four miles one way, that extends from the Highland Park neighborhood (right by SMU), all the way to the American Airlines Center (where the Mavs and Stars play). It is for running, biking, walking dogs and, my personal favorite, people watching. You see, Dallas is nothing without its people.
The Dallas natives can be spotted a mile away, no matter where you are (the trail, the grocery store, the pool, or the Winspear Opera House for a Black Tie affair) Dallasites are dressed to the nines. Dallas is a city built on perception, and a carefully crafted ideal of what one should be, look like, or do.
Now, before you get a bad taste about this city, the people are very friendly. There is not the facade of Southern charm and hospitality, it truly does exist. People are very willing to lend a hand, and it is quite easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger wherever you are.
The one thing that sets Dallas apart from its Texan neighbors is that Dallas is influenced from the outside, too. Where most cities in Texas are very content to be Texan, Dallas looks to New York for fashion, Chicago for finance, Atlanta for Southern-ness, and Los Angeles for its culture.
In the end, Dallas, like any other city you will find, has its good points and bad. For me, this city is perfect...for now...as it offers a great standard of living, the previously mentioned good weather, and most importantly, my wonderful friends. This city, the city of my alma mater, will always hold a special place in my heart. I have fantastic memories from college, from all the dates and adventures my fiance and I have been on, and from starting my career (not to mention, where I am getting married)...right here, in Dallas, Texas.
So y'all come check it out sometime!
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