Dallas or San Antonio
 

Hello,

I am planning a trip this weekend,leaving this Friday, but cant decide between Dallas and San Antonio. Actually, it has mostly to do with the weather. The weather just got quite chilly here. I hear that it gets quite windy in Dallas and cold, whipping winds can be quite uncomfortable. In San Antonio, I would probably be spending most of my time at River Walk. However, again, cold evening could make the walk with 9-month old baby a bit unpleasant. As per weather report, it would be low 70s in the day, which is good, but low 50s in the evening this Friday. So, perhaps, I should wait till it gets a bit warmer?

If I do end up in Dallas, could you recommend places to go? I am not much into museums or art. Places popular among the locals, shopping and just exploring the city would be our main interests.

If I end up in San Antonio, is the day after Thanksgiving a good time to visit River Walk or is everything closed and deserted? Also, have they setup all those christmas lights yet?

What are the good areas in San Antonio to find family-friendly hotel? Is downtown San Antonio/RiverWalk area a good area to get a hotel?

Also, I just learned about light parade set for this Friday and thousands of people are expected. Is this a family-oriented event or more like Mardi Gras?

Come to San Antonio--it is going to be beautiful this weekend! The river parade and lighting ceremony are totally family oriented--our friends take their children every year. It's a special time to be downtown and popular so you may have difficulty finding a room. The only area downtown I would avoid at this time due to construction, etc. is the market place--otherwise, you should be fine.

http://thesanantonioriverwalk.com/Events/index.asp

I second SA. It's going to be very nice weather this weekend. AND, if it's the lighting ceremony, even more reason.

It is quite chilly this weekend in Dallas. We almost made it to freezing last night! Fortunately, the wind has died down, and it is supposed to be about 65 for the high on Saturday.

Honestly, I'd vote for San Antonio!

Another vote for S.A., especially to experience the river parade and lights. It's really nice.

Dallas metro is four times the population of San Antonio metro and has much more to see and do. SA's basic attraction is, as you suggested, the Riverwalk. That and a couple of theme parks. It is popular mostly as a weekend getaway for the much larger metros of Dallas and Houston.

Dallas and San Antonio weather will be similar. They both are on the same prairie, about 300 miles apart.

In Dallas, you go to places like the downtown World Aquarium, go up Reunion Tower for a view of the city, visit the Kennedy museum and historic area, you stroll along McKinney Avenue, or ride an old-fashioned trolley to a popular neighborhood called West Village.

Many people who visit Dallas take a day trip to nearby Fort Worth, for its unique old west atmosphere.

Dallas is a business town; San Antonio is a great tourist town. In Dallas, you'll be spending a lot of time in the car trying to get someplace. In SA, it's all on the Riverwalk. And the Christmas tree lighting ceremony is beautiful!

I'd agree with you, happytourist, that once you're on the Riverwalk, there's not much else in SA to visit.

Unlike San Antonio, however, Dallas has a good rail transit system that will take you to many points of interest, such as Mockingbird Station, the West Village, NorthPark Mall, downtown Plano, the Dallas Zoo, the nature trails around White Rock Lake...

But downtown Dallas has some attractions you can reach on foot.
. The Kennedy Museum and historic site
. Reunion Tower
. The Dallas World Aquarium and Zoo
. The original Neiman-Marcus store
. Pioneer Park ... an entire cattle drive with three drovers and about 70 steers ... all life-sized
. The McKinney Avenue Trolley ... kids love it
. Ice skating in a downtown hotel
. Old City Place ... a 19th century village of old buildings, that will show you farmhouses, doctor's offices, a blacksmith shop, things like that...
. Many restaurants and some shopping in the West End
. Walk on the wild side in Deep Ellum
. Stroll thru the sidewalk cafes and galleries of Texas' only true urban residential neighborhood... Uptown Dallas along McKinney Avenue...

Other things are just a cab ride away... for example, there is a new airplane museum, Called Frontiers of Flight... many aircraft hanging from the ceiling, interactive displays, the cockpit of a 737 cut away from the rest of the aircraft...

Fair Park is also a short cab ride away... it is a huge assembly of art deco buildings, many of them museums... my favorite is the railroad museum.

You can reach downtown Fort Worth easily by frequent commuter train... and then go to a place of interest called the Fort Worth Stockyards... fun.

The Galleria Mall is so unusual and out-of-the-ordinary that about 35% of its customers are from out of town, if not from out of the United States. If shopping is one of your interests, Dallas is where you need to be.

gzseattle
I am in SA right now, visiting for Thanksgiving from PA. Having been to Dallas before, which is a great town, my vote having now been to SA to come here. Weather is great, not overly cold although they have been having their share of rain. There is no cold weather forecast from what I can see, maybe just some more rain which the Big D will possibly get as well. The parade is scheduled for tomorrow night but reservations are suggested so you can view it. We are staying at the Marriott Rivercenter which is a 4* hotel and well deserving of it. The staff here just can't do enough for us, and constantly asking to do more. Very service oriented, lots of families around. Also, don't know about this weekend, but we were upgraded to the concierge level due to low occupancy on Weds. Nice perks there, cont. breakfast, tea, evening hors d'oeuvres and then late night brownies. Come on down!

The Galleria Mall is so unusual and out-of-the-ordinary??????????????
How do you figure?
It has nothing but typical mall stores and no Neiman's. The few independant stores are VERY ordinary.
I like the Galleria, but it's nothing special.
McKinney Ave and Oaklawn have better 'shops'.

TxTravelPro, I can't believe we're talking about the same Galleria. I'd say it has shops that are definitely not "typical". The electronics shop on the third floor has high priced goods that Best Buy doesn't carry. The book and record shop (Shakespeare, Beethoven...) is the only one of its kind in Dallas. What about the Gianni Versace shop... is that "typical"? No. Or the Tiffany's... expect to find that in Mesquite or Frisco?

The last time I was there, a sizable fraction of the customers were obvious foreigners, like the elderly Japanese couple I gave a seat to. The reason for the seat... so they could watch the ice show on the ground floor skating rink.

A lady I work with, from San Jose, CA, was stunned by the Galleria... she has seen nothing like it in the Bay Area. My daughter's boyfriend, from Oregon, was muttering things like... "this blows away anything we've got back home".

The Grand Lux restaurant... I hear that there are only 4 or 5 others in the United States... another example of the specialized product offerings you can find there.

Of course it has mid-range shops... not everybody is wealthy. But it also has the high end product that people are apparently willing to travel to Dallas to find.

Hello,

Wow! Thanks for the great info. For now, I have made a reservation at Wyndham (St. Anthony) hotel in SA for Friday night just so that I can also be there for the thanksgiving events. Has anyone stayed at this hotel? How far is it from River Walk and how is the location (can we walk to River Walk in the evening)?

I will be in Big-D in Spring.

gzseattle, I'll be happy to offer some more suggestions when you come to visit the DFW area. I can definitely help you with places to go, shopping trips and exploring the city, as you suggested.

Not this weekend, though. I'm getting ready for a weekend camping trip on the the forested shores of one of our lakes... the weather is forecast to be gorgeous, and as much as I like being in the city, sometimes getting away into the woods is a pretty good relaxant.

When you come to Dallas, you will find many picturesque urban neighborhoods, but one that I reccommend is called West Village, in Uptown Dallas. Its street life and architecture is more like a city in Europe than a city in Texas, and you can sit back on an outdoor table, drinking a coffee, and watch the world go by. I reccommend Paciugo's ice cream shop for some of the best Italian Gelato you've ever tasted.

Also, as for shopping... there is a district in Northwest Dallas that has dozens, if not hundreds of import shops from various Asian countries, and other parts of the world. Formerly a warehouse district, the buildings have been converte to vast low-cost retail... when I go byon the weekends, the crowds are so thick they have off-duty police working to direct traffic.

Hi gzseattle, glad you chose San Antonio--you won't be disappointed! You'll be just a block or two from the River Walk. The St. Anthony is beautiful and they have one of the best Sunday brunches in town. It's a little overcast this morning but no rain is in the forecast. Enjoy a safe trip :-)

The DMN's www.guidelive.com is a good source for current info re: Dallas and the metroplex.
Dallas has more restaurants per capita than anyplace in the US (perhaps the Americas) and shopping cannot be far behind.
M

I travel to both SA and Dallas regularly, and would definately vote for SA. Dallas is a business town. Lots of Lexus and BMW SUV's, but not alot to do for a tourist. I actually lived there for a while, didn't mind it, but if I had to choose one it would be SA.

As for Dallas, if I did go as a tourist, I'd spend most of my time in Ft Worth. Outside of the 6th floor museum and Sammy's BBQ (which both could easily be done in 3 hours) Ft. Worth has all of the true feeling of the area.

Gz:

Never been to either city but did research on the Internet of San Antonio and no matter what is in Dallas I'd take San Antonio in a minute! It looks like a gorgeous city. What I've heard from others is that Dallas isn't such a great town for sightseeing.

Ok, the Galleria has a Tiffany's and Versace but it's still a mall, with standard mall stores: Old Navy, Gap, Banana Rep, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, William's and Sonoma, Cache', etc... it does have a great Macy's.
Like I said, I really do like the Galleria but other than a few stores which may or may not be what someone is looking for, it's just a mall.
Most US tourists are NOT looking for a Versace store. They are looking for interesting shopping, unique shops.
Because of the exchange rate, many foreign tourists are interested in buying high dollar fashion in Dallas. I just took some Europeans last month. They found some good deals (for them) at the Galleria but REALLY loved Sam Moon and all the silver shops on Harry Hines and the small boutiques at Oak Lawn and they LOVED First Monday at Canton. The Galleria was on the bottom of the list of 'favorite things' they did while in Dallas.

Add me to the list of Galleria haters. The awful parking garages are a major turn off for me, as is the traffic in the Galleria area. I've never bought anything at Tiffany or Versace in my life.
Sam Moon and First Monday are also much more my style! :-)

Stephanie, I have a question... what is there in San Antonio, in your opinion, to sightsee, other than the riverwalk, Alamo area? Just curious. I would think... nothing. Perhaps you can substantiate your claim.

Christie, TxTravelpro... the reason people fly to Dallas to shop in the Galleria is because there aren't that many places like it in North America. The stats say... about 30% of the Galleria's customers are from out of town. The couple of people you mentioned are a very unrepresentative sample of visitors to the area.

Dallas has provided what no other city in Texas or the South-Central US has... genuinely urban neighborhoods... places where you can stroll for miles and find things to excite and amuse. Along McKinney Street, for example, every few steps brings about a different thing to see, a changing panorama of urban interest. It is a neighborhood that is open to the pedestrian, open to the street.

There are so many Dallas neighborhoods you can stroll in... and many of them are connected by rail transit, so you don't need a car to go from one to another.

Fort Worth? Yes, there are some cute places there... easy to get to from Dallas... but just 3... parts of downtown, the Stockyards district and the museum district. Other than that, Fort Worth is pretty forgettable. Its restaurants and culture are second-rate compared to Dallas. But FW is a good day-trip for what it has.

Bottom line... San Antonio is basically the Riverwalk... fly in... see the river, eat Mexican food, take a boat ride on the river, hang around for a couple of days, see the river, fly away.

Dallas, by contrast is a complete urban experience... true urban neighborhoods, rail transit, first-class culture, specialty films, stage shows, restaurants, shops, architecture, major league sports, history, Art Deco...

xbt2316,
No argument re: San Antonio, but I have lived in Northwood Hills (Dallas) for nearly 25 years, and I would suggest that Rest Bistro Louise and the Amon Carter and Kimbell Museums in Ft. Worth make Dallas look very humble.
M (from San Miguel de Allende, MX)

I'll jump into this discussion...

San Antonio has a good tourist attraction in its Riverwalk area, and I've been there... but on the whole, Dallas is the big city and it has the big city attractions that my family likes.

My vote is for Dallas.

Hi qzeattle,
You've already left for your trip but I couldn't help but let you know that whatever destination you choose, you can't go wrong. Texas is a great place to be, and San Antonio is beautiful with the milder weather this time of year giving you an opportunity to do the River Walk. There are a ton of places to eat and the Alamo is certainly every person needs to see, this coming from a person who spent a good deal of my childhood in Texas. Of course, I hope Dallas is on your next trip through. It is a city not to miss. My husband, daughter and I just came home from a wonderful visit there. We go this time every year to celebrate our marriage (26 this year-and yes it is a family affair)and shop for Christmas, sort of kicking off our holiday season. If you go, stay in the Westin at the Galleria. The Galleria has just completed a renovation project that makes the Galleria sprakle. The Grand Lux Cafe is superb in cuisine and atmosphere. As someone earlier wrote, there are only a few in the states and the one in Dallas is an experience in itself. This time of year, shopping is sport and the Galleria offers so much for everyone one. I shopped while my daughter ice skated and my husband sipped coffee. If you want to be pampered the Westin/Galleria is the place, especially if you have a little one. We can park (valet is nice), settle into your room and shop with your baby until you or baby becomes tired and all you have to do is take the elevator up to your room for a rest. I love the "stay in the park" sort of thing. Cuts down on traffic fighting and parking problems. Of course, it isn't the season, but the Roughriders (minor league baseball) have a goregous new stadium and then there are the Dallas Cowboys, The Dallas Stars (hockey), too. My sport is shopping and eating and you can find your fill of everything from real Mexican food to bistro to haute cuisine. Dallas is worth the trip!

girlwilltravel, thanks for your trip report.

Christie, I don't think that avoiding parking garages is very important to most people, and whatever the traffic is on and around the Galleria, it obviously does not discourage people, otherwise there would be no traffic. I drive through that area very often and I don't see a problem. This is not Los Angeles.

If you like to shop on Harry Hines, well, that's also a good experience... but others will have different tastes and interests than you do.

TxTravelPro, you seem to want to focus on what is ordinary about the Galleria, and you ignore what is extraordinary about it. I don't think you're helping anyone enjoy it, or appreciate what a wonderful resource it is.

In my case, I think it is a wonderful place, filled with interesting and valuable experiences. Like... sipping coffee while watching a skating program... or finding an unusual Bossa Nova CD in Shakespeare, Beethoven and Company. Or rubbing shoulders with many people from foreign lands.

For the vast majority of the American population, coming from smaller cities than this one, the Galleria is bigger and faster and glizier than anything they have ever seen. A major metro like Dallas has the wealth and population to support a shopping area, mall though it may be, that is unavailable and unaffordable in small-city USA.

In my experience, the locals are the worst judges of what to do and where to go in a city. They don't live there in "vacation mode" and don't see their own city as a visitor would see it. If they have negative opinions of some local attraction, it's usually due to a personal frustration of some kind, rather than anything that would be relevant to me. The daily grind of living and surviving in a city will bias and desensitize the locals to what is all around them. Like a fish that is unaware of the water he swims in. So no, I don't trust the opinions and perspectives of the locals.

Whatever xbt2316... as you said, "others will have different tastes and interests than you do"
Working in the travel industry for a global company, I have hosted people from Europe (Germany, UK, Italy, Poland, Spain) and Asia Pacific (Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia) and also Mexico and Canada.
My sister owns a 3000 acre beef ranch in east Texas. Visiting the ranch and First Monday in Canton are ALWAYS the favorite things to do in Texas.
I drove a group of German's to Fredericksburg, which they loved.
To me, San Antonio is merely one stop in a great Hill Country loop which would possibly include San Antonio, Austin, Burnet, Inks Lake, Pedernales Falls, Boerne, Gruene, and on and on.
As a native Texan that has had the opportunity to show this great state to many foreign travel professionals, I can say that my pride lies outside of the shopping, as great as it is. Shopping is what we plan as shoulder activities... before or after the 'Texas' stuff.

TxTravelPro, thanks for clarifying the scope of your discussion. I do find it unfortunate, however, that your foreign guests can't find anything better to like in Texas than a working cattle ranch or a flea market.Perhaps there's a failure to promote the metro area, the region...

Perhaps your visitors simply want confirmation of the wild-west Texas stereotypes they have been fed by their media... and aren't interested in learning anything different. That's sad, in a lot of ways. Europeans claim that Americans are geographically ignorant, but apparently Europeans are also locked in their shell of stereotypes and ignorance.

I don't do it professionally, but I spend a lot of time advising people on activities and places in the DFW metro, and their attitudes and interests are nothing like your people's. One fellow was most interested in visiting the White Rock Lake trail system. Another lady wanted to see the Art Deco buildings and artwork in Fair Park. A guy from Belgium was fascinated by the statue of Robert E Lee in Fair Park, liked the street life in the West Village, loved the Crow Asian Art museum, and got a thrill out of going up Reunion Tower.

One lady from Chicago enjoyed the West Village immensely... but the best thing she remembers from her Dallas trip is Paciugo's ice cream...

I can understand that a group of visiting travel agents may not be interested in shopping in the Dallas Galleria. They do not represent the range of visitors we have that do like it, however.

Glad that you can promote Texas... but I wish you could promote Dallas-Ft Worth as an urban destination... to the vast number of Americans and foreigners to whom it would be a real step up in their urban experience.

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso,
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.

Everybody, sing along!!

You can always stop off at the VFW near DFW and get a hot cup of coffee!

When I was a young girl, my daddy used to always tell me that there are two things for sure in life. One is "death in Texas". I cant remember the other one.

xbt2316, I think you work for the Dallas CVB. Really... you have only a few posts and they reek with PR.

My visitors are not travel agents... I never said that. We ARE all professionals working in the travel industry, but not agents.
Canton is a wee bit more than a 'Flea Market' and my sister's ranch is way more than just a working ranch. It is stereotypical but alas, some of the stereotypes are true and not all of us are ashamed.
They are surprised to see how high tech such an operation is, and that my sister and her husband are business grads. But there are guns, trucks and horses. There's also a pool, spa, fishing, hunting, bird watching, snake watching, wild pigs, bobcats and bald eagles (in transit).
There are beautiful old barns and wonderful people, fried green tomatoes and awesome BBQ. Long winding rivers, rice patties and alligator gar. And of course a Texas size steak for dinner!
Wonderful new things to foreign guests.
My team from Italy is coming in February and has already made me promise to take them to the ranch... based on what they heard from co-workers.
And they will go to the Galleria, Sam Moon and Grapevine Mills but it will be for a couple hours each evening.
They'll stay at ZaZa for the weekend because they are hip and then spend some time in downtown prior to thier return.
Sounds like a great trip to me!

Please let me clarify that Sam Moon is the *ONLY* store I shop on Harry Hines. (Well, besides the occasional breakfast at The Mecca!) Please don't give or get the wrong impression of me!!

I used to work for a European-owned company, and our foreign visitors all thought that Texas was cattle ranches and oil wells. They all watched the old "Dallas" show and assumed that was reality here. I vividly remember that they all wanted to go out for BBQ at lunch, and holding offsite meetings at Southfork Ranch was always a favorite! I learned a lot from my time there, and since I still host a lot of visitors to the DFW area, I try to think of things not as a local, but from a larger perspective.

But I still don't like the Galleria. Yes, this is partially because I always manage to lose my vehicle in the parking garage...:-)

You are SO wrong about San Antonio! There is a LOT more to it than the Riverwalk. Most visitors, especially on this forum, don't want to rent a car and get out of downtown, so that is all they do. Personally, we adore driving to Bandera and Fredericksburg, touring the wonderful Mission Trail, and eating authentic Mexican food at "mom and pop" places around town. San Antonio will always be one fo my favorite weekend getaways!

TxTravelPro, what you're describing is a party, and it sounds like a fun one. I don't think that agriculture is particularly interesting, or that Texas cattle ranches are particularly interesting, but it could be a novelty for some. And yes, you don't see my handle a lot on this forum, but I'm beginning to like it here, and I might post some more. And no, I don't work for the CVB, but I do like to introduce people to urban experiences they may otherwise not consider.

Christie, I think it's a pretty backhanded compliment to SA that the alternative to its downtown RiverWalk is to get out of town. But it's true for me. I don't see SA as particularly urban or urbane, in the sense that San Francisco or Washington are urbane. Or even in the sense that Uptown Dallas is urbane. And I devalue it for that reason. No dense, urban pedestrian residential, nothing comparable to West Village or Mock Station, no rail transit, no specialty film houses comparable to our 2 Angelikas, or Magnolia or Inwood... nothing as good as the Meyerson or the Dallas Symphony, or the Nasher or the DMA. And, of course, no Galleria. Dallas is participating fully in the great urban regeneration now happening in American cities, Houston is catching on, but San Antonio still hasn't heard about it yet.

Southfork Ranch? Europeans are fascinated by it? Maybe there's a natural human drive to physically see and touch something you've only heard about before.

BTW, what's wrong with shopping on Harry Hines? It looks like fun to me, and it'll be very much an attraction when the Royal Lane DART station comes in. I like the variety of shops selling virtually any import you can think of, and I like the fact that it occured naturally, not as some artificially planned development.

xbt, we are clearly different in our travel pursuits! My husband and I do NOT enjoy big cities, and we are not into modern art museums, speciality film houses, or urban regeneration. We ARE into American history, National Parks, good food (but not haute cuisine), rodeos, street festivals, and good pubs! I am a member of the National Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth, and I am eagerly awaiting my visit to the "Stubbs and the Horse" exhibit at the Kimbell. Since we live in Grapevine, DART rail rides for us are few and far between.

We enjoy San Antonio because it is so different from Dallas. Yes, part of the attraction of San Antonio for us is the Hill Country and its gorgeous surroundings!

Be careful if you venture to Harry Hines, especially if you are on foot. It is a rough neighborhood, especailly after dark. I'm not into counterfeit designer clothes and purses, suggestive ladies' attire, or Mexican bazaars, so, as I said, I only go down there to patronize Sam Moon Trading. If you are hungry, The Mecca at HH and Lombardy is a legend. But don't ask for herbal tea...;-)

Christie... gosh I feel like I know you!
I rode in the LSHSRA all through high school and still appreciate a good rodeo, but they are more fun to be in than watch IMO.
If you like silver, you should try Silver City just south of Royal on HH, on the SW side of the intersection. They have great stuff at fair prices.
There are also decent beauty supply stores on HH... I bought my daughter some real hair that we wove into her hair for prom last year... at a fraction of the price it was in Plano.
Hole in the Wall used to have some great burgers, not sure if that's still the case.

Christie, thanks for clarifying your preferences and approaches to things. It's certainly all right to be biased in your tastes, but when you give advice to travelers about the Metroplex, you should divulge your biases to them. Especially if you make generalizations like "... downtown Dallas has nothing of interest...".

Around Harry Hines, between Royal and Walnut Hill, on weekends, I see packs, mobs of shoppers on the sidewalks, cops directing traffic... I don't see a reason to fear for my safety. And I'd probably find much more for sale than the items you mentioned.

Yes, I like an urban lifestyle, and I think that a dynamic city (such as Dallas) is one of the greatest achievements of humanity. My role in travel forums like these is to communicate that DFW is different from Texas, it is urbane, or getting to be so, like a European or Northeastern US city is urbane. And it won't be too long before DART reaches the environs of Grapevine and ties it more closely into the Dallas County commute pattern.

Farm and ranch labor is some of the most grueling and strenuous labor humans have ever had to endure. Civilization is a record of the elimination of country life, of peasants moving to the city, everywhere in the world. Even a squalid shantytown on the outskirts of the city is better than backbreaking farm life.

The guiding principle of Dallas, from its founding, has been to construct a city. From being a small city in a rural state, to a medium sized commercial city in an oil-boom state, to a major international metropol in a dominant American state, Dallas has come a long way. Its pushers and shakers have continued the process of "build a city and they will come", and are now adapting "New Urbanism" as the latest tool in the toolkit to do it.

To live here and be a part of it... it's exhilirating. To just visit and enjoy it for a little while... I help people do that.

Yawn... do we have to hear the words urban and urbane anymore?
I can almost see you making those little quotation gestures now.

TxTravelPro,

Sorry if the big city bores you. Real sorry.

As Boswell, said, "If you're tired (bored with) London, you're tired of life.". And Dallas is much more of a city now than London in Boswell's day.

Darn you're thick.
I am merely tired of you...

I think you're tired of Dallas, or you don't really comprehend what it has.

Your focus is taking foreigners on tours of cattle ranches in the countryside...

When it comes to the more sophisticated elements of urban life, you don't have much to say. The Galleria, for example... you just don't get it...

That's all right, I can supply that bit of insight to the public... you can concentrate on rodeos and hayrides and cow-tipping.

.