Les

I'm going to Dallas in April next year and would like to know what the shopping is like (for the wife) and the restaurants ?.

We're staying at the Dallas Grand - anyone been there before ?

Sandy

The Dallas Grand is anything but. It's an old Hilton that needs to be destroyed and then rebuilt.

Dallas shopping is among the nation's best. She'll need a car!

Christie

I would definitely change your hotel reservation NOW! As Sandy says, the Dallas Grand is a dump. If you'd like somewhere nice to stay downtown, try the Fairmont, Hyatt, Le Meridien, Adam's Mark, Hampton Inn, or the Amerisuites. All of these are much classier properties than the Grand.

If your wife would like to take the train to shop, she can ride the Red line to the Park Lane station. DART runs a shuttle bus from the train station to North Park Mall a mile away. It is an upscale mall with nice stores. There is also some shopping in the West End historic area at the West End Marketplace. If she'd like some culture, the Dallas Museum of Art is also nearby. The Dallas World Aquarium and Sixth Floor museums are also worth a visit.

Dallasitse LOVE to go out to eat, and we have tons of wonderful restaurants! You can get reviews at www.guidelive.com. The West End has lots of chain places (and a few good local ones), and Deep Ellum has some really funky places. McKinney Avenue also has wonderful restaurants. If you stay at one of the hotels above, ask the concierge for recommendations.

If you need more info on Big D, just ask.

Les

Thanks for the info. guys.

I'll change the Hotel ASAP !

Owen O'Neill

I have stayed at Adam's Mark and can recommend it with one important proviso: stay in the orginal or older of the two towers. The newer one was orignally an offcie building and although the rooms are spacious and comfortable, the street noise seems to be amplified in these rooms to an unbelievable level. I stayed on the 16th floor and found the street noise in the room to seem louder than it was when I stood outside the hotel at street level. Colleagues who stayed in the other tower did not have this experience.

lena

Is your wife going to have money to spend, is she looking to do serious shopping or does she want the shopping experience? On a recent trip to Dallas,several malls were recommended but they were the same as any mall in a big city. On my way to the airport I came across a nice shopping area, I think hear Highland Park. It was a nice ambiance, most stores were out of my price range but there were also the usual AnnTaylor and Gap stores. It was different, pretty, upscale, and a place I would go back to for the "experience". Maybe a Dallasite can give us more specifics. I'd like to go back there when I return to Dallas in October (when I get the nerve to make my plane reservations).

lena

oh, I also managed a visit to the Art Museum during my 3 days business trip and it was very nice. I'll try to visit again on my next trip. I think it's downtown. I asked a business acquaintance to drop me off there late one afternoon so I'm not really sure where it is. Afterwards, I met another business associate and we ate at Green Room in Deep Ellum. Interesting area. Expensive, trendy, funky but the food was too weird for my plain taste. Glad I saw it. Recommend atleast 1 night at a restaurant in Deep Ellum.

OliveOyl

Lena, I imagine you are talking about Highland Park Village at Preston and Mockingbird, or Inwood Village, at Inwood and Lovers. Probably the former. Yes, big $$$, but stores you won't see elsewhere for the most part, including a Hermes store.

lena

It was Highland, what's at Irvin Village? I'm going to Dallas in a few weeks and will probably stay at the Bradford Suites, where the other out of town participants are staying. Is it close by?

Christie

Irvin Village? I've lived here all my life and never heard of that one before.

True, most of the malls here are not unique, but Highland Park Village truly IS! Anotehr place you might like is downtown McKinney, which is just north of Dallas in Collin County. There are all sorts of antique and artsy shops there, and lots of good home-cooking restaurants.

Yes, the Dallas Museum of Art is on the northwest side of downtown Dallas, and it is definitely worth a visit, especially when Church's "Icebergs" is at home.

Bedi

For restaurants and some neat "funky" shopping, hit Elm Street...locals call the area "Deep Elum" (don't know why.) It's an interesting area with lots of great graffitti artwork and paintings on the sidewalks. You'll also have fun driving around and looking at the unique hodgepode of architecture...it's especially nice to see the city skyline at night.

lena

I deceided to stay at the Bradford where the other guests are staying. I'm not feeling very adventurous these days. I will try to get to restaurants around town while I'm there. I checked prices recently, just in case they dropped at the nicer hotels but they didn't.

dan dame

My suggestion if you are coming to shop, stay at the Westin Hotel in the Galleria, that would be a great place to start. She may not need to rent a car. Macy's, Nordstroms and 100's of other cool stores right there. Remember Dallas has more places to shop than any place on earth. I would agree that the Dallas Grand has seen better days. Dallasites love to eat, there are many great places. Try Mi Casa in the Highland Park Village for upscale Mexican, S&D Oyster Co for the best Cajun outside of New Orleans, located on McKinney, all of the tourist spots, Hard Rock etc are here. Have a great time!

Chris

the last person meant to say Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village. It's not upscale Mexican at all, it's just Tex-Mex in an upscale shopping area. If you want upscale Mexican, you need to go to Javier's.

lisa

Have to butt in to disagree about the Adam's Mark. I stayed there on business last year and it was awful. It's a convention hotel (right across from the Convention Center), is constantly packed with conventioneers (the line was 10 deep to check in and then again to check out), they screwed up my messages causing me to miss dinner with a business contact and the room was an expensive version of an Embassy Suites. There was simply nothing to recommend it. For my money, I'd stay elsewhere.

P.S. If you're staying downtown, one of my favorite restaurants is Dakota's.
JMHO.

Les

Has anyone stayed in the Renaissance in North Dallas or the Westin Galleria ?

Any comments would be welcomed.

Arabella

I lived in Dallas for eight years and stayed at the Westin Galleria on my last visit. There are lots of shops there, of course, but none are particularly special.

If you want a more authentic Dallas experience, you might want to be in the more established, tree-lined areas near the Park Cities. Have you considered the The Melrose Hotel?

Brooke

If you want to stay downtown, I would highly recommend the Magnolia Hotel. Very nice, comfortable, semi-new (probably 5 years old)and art-decoish type decorating. my entire wedding party stayed there and enjoyed it. Also, I listed a bunch of recommended restaurants/bars that I gave my wedding guests on this site in January of this year I belive -- places on greenville, in deep ellum, downtown/uptown/mckinney area. Maybe you can do a search for my name?

judith

A good place to eat is Sevie's Grill on Preston near Highland Park Village. Wonderful food and service, nice surroundings, affordable.