The Dallas World Aquarium (in West End) is FAR more than just tanks of fish. They have an entire rain forest replicated indoors, complete with howler monkeys, manatees, a jaguar, and a huge crocodile. Wow! My 2 nephews (8 and 4) adore the place.

Which trolley are you referring to? McKinney Ave?

Yes, McKinney Ave Trolley. Where will we have the best luck with parking?

So I gather what you're saying from this is those census statistics is that Dallas is only bigger(and therefore better by your books) than Houston IF you include Fort Worth in the equation. Because Houston from those census statistics is bigger than Dallas if you don't include Fort Worth . Funny, I always grew up thinking of those two having their own unique identities (Dallas and Ft. Worth) kind of like DC and Baltimore (which oddly enough are listed separately from one another in that census).

Jocelyn, there are plenty of surface parking lots near the West End. There is also a West End parking garage. I've personally never been on the McKinney trolley, so I'm not sure how far of a walk it will be from the West End to the nearest stop.

My dear xbt2316
....Perhaps you are right that I dont appreciate the cultural aspect that a city like Dallas has to offer..

Of course, being raised in a city like Rome, Dallas cultural life does not impress me at ALL..

Daniel_Willams,

metro Dallas contains a hundred independent political subdivisions like Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Plano, etc. Since traffic and commerce is intermingled among them, they are part of one contiguous urban area, in the same way that London is composed of many politically independent municipalities. This is a fact of life in American urban areas, and is why the Federal OMB defines metropolitan areas apart from municipalities.

And no, there is no separate Fort Worth metro, since Tarrant County, which contains municipal Fort Worth, is a commuter suburb of Dallas County. About 30% of the Tarrant County workforce is employed in Dallas county. Metro Dallas has about 10,000 restaurants listed in the city guide, and the customers for them come from the many municipalities in metro Dallas, not just one.

KismetChimera,

Rome's cultural life does not impress me. La Scala Milan impresses me, as does the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, or the Louvre, or the Royal Albert Hall, or the Neue Pinatothek in Munich. The things happening in Barcelona are exciting, but Roma? Not even on the radar.

If you think that Rome has a cultural institution comparable to the Nasher collection, or an Asian art museum as good as the Crow, or a hall as good as the Meyerson, or a modern art museum as beautiful as the Fort Worth Modern... name them or shut up.

The only impression I have of Rome's "culture" is the mindless boredom and depravity depicted in the film "La Dolce Vita", the movie that gave birth to the term "papparazzi"..

Of course, the TV program "Dallas" may have been depraved, but it was never boring. Obviously.

Oh, I know... by "culture", you mean the endless sequence of "spaghetti westerns"... yee...haw!

Well, you did have some good filmmaking from De Sica, Fellini and Antonioni, but those glory days are over. We see a good number of European films here in Dallas, but few of them are Italian.

Maybe San Antonio is a hotbed of Italian cinema?

I don't know about the rest of your factoids, but you are wrong to write that there is no separate Fort Worth metro. Fort Worth Transportation Authority historically has provided buses across established neighborhoods in town and a few years ago hooked into the DART train line so you can ride the Dallas trains to downtown Fort Worth.

wsoxrebl,

You're right. Fort Worth has a mbs service called "The T".

Actually, when I say "Metro", I mean "Metropolitan Area". Fort Worth is officially part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, to give it its full name.

xbt2316,
The glory that is Rome...Trying to compare this magnificient glorious city to Dallas, is like comparing day and night..
I had the biggest laugh this morning my dear!!!Grazie!!
Undoubtly,Millions of people that come to visit Rome every year, enjoy very much to eat SPAGHETTI..
Ciao,

The areas you guys point out as these world class shopping areas are simply good, upscale shopping areas that you could find in any major city! In DC, is it called Tyson's Center. In Denver, it is called Cherry Creek. In Chicago, it is called Old Orchard. In Minneapolis, ironically, it is called the Galleria. In San Diego, it is called La Jolla. In Des Moines, it is called the Merle Hay Mall.

OK, so I'm kidding with the last one. I'm just saying that Dallas' good shopping is not unique to Dallas, it is what all of America has access to in major cities.

And yes, Dallas' museums are average. I'm sorry, but every major city has some self-proclaimed "best in the world" collection of something or another. Dallas is no different.

And to list Ft. Worth as one of the hundred developments that support Dallas, that is insane. Ft. Worth has more charm and authenticity than Dallas, and is its own city. Yes, they are part of the same region, and share a name called the metroplex, but I'd say Ft. Worth and Dallas are partners in the region, much like DC / Baltimore or LA/ Orange County (Anaheim).

Hey gzseattle, let us know where you ended up - Dallas or San Antonio. Whichever one you visited you need to go again to see the other plus a few other places in Texas, it's a big state & Dallas is not the only place to visit. By the way Texas is second in size from Alaska. That's where I reside. Come up here next because Alaskans know how to show their guests a good time & shopping won't be & doesn't need to be on the agenda. I must say one thing about his thread - it reflects the fact that no one really reads what the other person posts. They have their own opinion, which is fine, but they are ready to counter another's opinion as if the other person's opinion is bogus. For example ChristieP indicates something about Mexican food & prefers mom & pops in SA over 5 star in Dallas. Then what happens you have someone posting that indicates the best Mexican food is in State de Guanajuatro which may in fact be the case, but that had nothing to do with the comments of the prior poster. By the way my wife & I are visiting Dallas/Ft Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, Fredericksburg, Bandera, Goliad, etc, etc, in March/April for the historical attractions & the bluebonnets. Texas offers Dallas but also a lot more.

Well said, Shea. That is the point that I was trying to get across.

BTW - the OP decided on San Antonio and really enjoyed it. You can find the report by clicking the OP's screen name at the top of this post.

Kismet,

This is not a thread to compare Dallas and Rome. Although that might be an interesting subject somewhere else.

Hazelmn,

I'd agree that metro areas the size of Dallas can support shopping opportunities similar to Dallas. One more reason to visit a "major" city like Dallas or Boston or Washington or Philadelphia.

Denver is not, however, in the same class as Boston, Dallas, Washington and Philadelphia, at least in terms of population.

Yes, Fort Worth has some quaint, charming spots, worth a visit. 95% of its neighborhood area, though, is no different than suburbia anywhere else in America. Dallas County is much the same, except for Uptown Dallas, the emerging urban district on the East Side, and the New Urbanism villages sprouting up here and there in Dallas, Collin and East Tarrant Counties.

When you describe our museums as "Average", do you mean that half the museums in America are better than the Nasher Sculpture Center? The New York Times said it was the best private collection in the world.

Or the Meadows Museum of Spanish Art? When they sent their collection to Madrid, the lines to enter the exhibition went around the block. The King of Spain made a point of visiting the Meadows when he returned.

Or the Dallas Museum of Art? The vast majority of art museums in American cities are much smaller, have less valuable collections, lower budgets, etc.

Very few cities have a museum of Asian art, much less one as good as the Crow.

It's so much fun needling your generalizations... and the public deserves accurate information..

I'll stand by all of my comments, and all of your anecdotes are amusing. Glad to see that you have plenty of hometown pride.

Likewise, xbt. The "truth", I guess, is everyone's to decide once they have seen a city for themselves. I'm interested to hear what others think, not people like me, xbt, or others who are so blatantly biased.

xbt2316. Your comment to Hazelmn, " I won't begrudge someone their own beliefs no matter how irrational, absurd for unrealistic they may be." This comment reflects a person who views "anyone" who has another opinion as someone who does not know what they are talking about - that you & you alone are the only authority that knows all about everything, in this case Dallas plus any other city someone happens to mention. I don't think you sit next to God nor do I believe you contribute any facts on Dallas or any other place in any travel publication, so I don't know what makes you think that you are an expert on not only Dallas but everywhere else too. If you are married I truly feel sorry for your wife. Your must be a ball to have around.

Wow. I had no idea that Dallas was such a divisive issue. I've been there a couple times, and I guess it was a nice enough place. Overall, a decent place to spend a couple days.

But y'all are forgetting the best city in Texas, Austin! We are the ones with the most life and the most innovation. I guess Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonia, and Houston are all ok, too!

I've been to both cities. Frankly, Dallas left NO impression on me whatsoever (nothing of interest to me was something I couldn't find elsewhere, either in greater abundance, greater quality or more cheaply). And I found its downtown area far too dull as well. San Antonio, on the other hand, was a fun place to spend a weekend. Austin is definitely more my idea of a "fun town".

But everyone has his or her own opinions, so what the heck-- I'm sure I could go back to Dallas and find SOMETHING that registers as interesting. However, I am someone who finds staggering back from Miami hotspots at 5 AM a restful Saturday night, so I'm a bit of a "hard partier". That's why I love NY so much. I also like ocean air. Which is why I love living in southern California so much. Many, many people love Dallas-- so what if it's not my cup of (sweet) tea? Go, enjoy youself!!

Hazelmn, I'm offering explanation and evidence to support my conclusions, you're not.

I'm providing numbers from reputable sources. I'm minutely describing specifics that support my case. I'm explaining how the situations I cite came to be.And I provide information, lots of it.

The conclusions I come to are entirely supported by objectively verifiable information in the public domain.

Well, you did manage to cite the high-end shopping centers in a number of large and medium-sized cities. But you failed to explain how the smaller cities were supposed to be equal to the larger ones in buying power or goods offered for sale.

You were assuming what you were trying to prove.

On the museum issue, you were even lamer. You had no explanation at all.

Shea, I pretty much ignore or dismiss the opinions of people who can't explain them. Who wouldn't? If they can provide a plausible, convincing rationale for their views, I listen.