Dabber, the taxis are very plentiful, and yes, you take the first one in the queue. The drivers have probably been queueing an hour or two for a passenger.

To take a shared van, you phone the van service from inside the terminal building and ask them to pick you up at your terminal and gate. There are several of them, but SuperShuttle seems to be the largest. DFW airport has 5 huge terminals, so you have to be specific as to where you are.

I believe the taxis from DFW now have a fixed rate of $45 from DFW to downtown. This avoids the haggling over routes and times. It used to be that the drivers would deliberately take a longer route just to inflate the final price.

Your hotel should also offer an internet service, so please feel free to continue your questions regarding places to go and sights to see. I'm sure the Dallas people will be happy to help you, as will I.

Dabber, it may interest you to know that the Zagat restaurand guide has chosen the French Room restaurant at the Adolphus Hotel as the best hotel restaurant in the United States.

A few others have mentioned this already, but don't miss the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center.

They are across the street from each other in the downtown Arts District. They have collaborated in their first joint exhibition on Matisse. The show opened yesterday and will go on until April. I went to an opening event last night, and again to a tour today. It's wonderful.

The Hill Country is worth a trip, but, quite frankly, boring as "dirt".
M (lived in Dallas for 25 years)

Now lets talk FOOD! Be sure to do some online searches for tons of information, but if you're coming all this way, be sure to eat some barbeque (Sonny Bryan's being one great choice, and I believe they have an outlet in the West End), and some some Tex-Mex (I'm partial to Mi Cocina, but there are plenty of great choices).
Just off the top of my head, some cheap and delicious options are Bubba's Fried Chicken, Peggy's beef bar for Chopped BBQ sandwiches, Snuffers for burgers, and La Madeliene (a chain) for pastries and coffee.

Also, The JFK museum is wonderfully done, and I think you will be very happy to have made the trip. Have fun.

How to get around in downtown Dallas

The DART rail system crosses downtown Dallas from east to west and is an easy way to get around. It travels on the surface, in a corridor dedicated for its private use. I'd buy a daily pass which is good for buses as well as trains and costs about $3 or so.

There are 5 or 6 stations downtown, plus a 7th next to the American Airlines Center, a large arena with many games and concerts. The AA Center station is only used when there is a scheduled activity.

From the Adolphus hotel, I'd walk north for 3 blocks, until you see trackage on Pacific Avenue. Pacific is also a very walkable pedestrian mall, and you will have an easy jaunt to the first station either to your left or right. Currently, there are two lines that use this trackage, the Blue and Red. The cars will indicate the line by their signage and its color. Either of them will get you around downtown.

There are also two bus centers in downtown, one of them next to the West End station, and the other one 1 block south of the Pearl station. A city bus is a good way to see a city because you don't have to know where you're going and you will usually return to your starting point. I'd try the #36 Preston Road bus for a trip through some of Dallas' most expensive neighborhoods, and the #21 bus northbound for a trip through some of Dallas' cutest districts. The #21 bus southbound goes through the Oak Cliff section of Dallas and will get you to an interesting neighborhood called the Bishop Arts District... at the corner of West Davis and Bishop.

You can learn about public transportation in Dallas at www.dart.org

Most taxis will charge a flat rate from DFW to downtown. I believe its $40-$45, plus tip. It may be worth a few dollars more for a car service as they're normally much cleaner and speak English. I try to take taxis a lot in Dallas, and I've had many that don't understand left from right.

Dabber... I would love to take you for some sight seeing while you are here.
I am not much for museums and structured stuff, but we could tour Highland Park or Fair Park, shop at Sam Moon, have dinner at some great local BBQ or TexMex place.
Let me know if you are interested. I am a 40 something travel professional who lives in Dallas.

Also, you can take the DART rail to the Dallas Zoo, Mockingbird Station (shopping) and even NorthPark Mall if you don't mind walking a couple of blocks.

PS... I just bought a new car last week!

TTP,
Please tell us which car; why, and and your impressions as a new owner.
We had 16 BMWs before I bought a WRX Wagon in '01 in "Irving", which I still drive here in MX.
Only great deals for the BMWs now are ED and sale at a profit upon return to the US.
Would never leave the Subaru stable at this point in my life.
M
.

Well, I am a pretty simple person. I wanted something that has great reliability, feels safe and is not fussy.
I have always driven trucks but switched to a Matrix in 2003 for gas mileage. I never got use to the small 'feel'. The metal on the car seemed really thin and I hated driving it in any sort of weather.
SO... I bought a new Nissan XTerra.
It has optional 4X4 (if I need it) and feels so solid and safe. It is plain and easy to clean.
Darn, why am I explaining so much????
I actually had a business meeting they day after I bought it and shuttled people to a restaurant for dinner.
We are all successful professionals and it was so odd... the ladies in the car could only talk about the super-luxury cars/suvs they were planning to buy. They knew I had just bought it and never even said it was nice, just that they were planning to buy a Range Rover, a Lexus, etc...
I guess it made me feel a bit odd at the time and now I feel I need to apologize for buying a 24,000 car instead of a 50,000-75,000 car... which I could but never would.
Anyway, I bought a new Xterra. Steel Gray.

Wise choice, based on the many reviews I have read.
Sus amigas son muy Loco, imhpo.
M

Can anyone tell me if there are any Country and Western places in DFW my wife used to enjoy line dancing a couplr of years ago and I like Garth Brooks kind of music??

Yes, there's plenty of it... in fact, there is plenty of all kinds of music in the DFW area.

Gilley's Dallas is close to (just south of) downtown, and is between the Convention Center and Cedars DART rail stations.

A bit farther out of the way is Cowboy's Red River, northwest of Love Field airport.

Top Rail is at 2110 W. Northwest Highway 972-556-9099.

Adair's and Sons of Hermann Hall, both in Deep Ellum, are also good C & W spots.

There are some good ones in Fort Worth and in the Stockyards area, but it would be very inconvenient to the Adolphus Hotel.

Dabber... Interested?
I am not a freak or mass murderer or anything.
If you are not, that's perfectly OK. Just let me know

I was looking at all my posts to see if I actually appear to be crazy...
I can hardly believe I have posted on 1258 threads since 02/18/2003.
Boy does time fly.
Maybe I feel like I know some of the people on this thread... but offers such as mine above are often ignored, not even acknowledged.
Dabber is a newby, so I don't take it to heart.
Dabber, just know that is is not unusual for regulars to actually meet each other when it is convenient.

I think you've gotten some good advice on what to do for a couple of days. With that said, I still think Dallas is worthy of a 2 day stay, and then I would explore somewhere else. You're coming all the way from the UK, and I just don't wnnt you to get disappointed. We Americans are proud of our country and want visitors to have a great, great time.

You're idea of going to a Country Western place is a great one... a great, local thing to do in Dallas.

I would still strongly recommend somehow working in a trip to Austin or the Hill Country.

I lived in Dallas 20 years ago and my son is currently going to SMU in Dallas. He does not have a car but has been able to get around somewhat using the DART train. It connects downtown with stops all the way to Fort Worth. While Dallas gives you the glitz, Fort Worth gives you some of the "country". The stockyard district is interesting for tourist wanting to experience things "Texas" as well as the Kimball Museum for culture. The Dallas Arboretum is great in the spring and the Azaleas blooming along Turtle Creek are gorgeous. Bordering Turtle Creek Blvd are gorgeous mansions to behold. Of course, there are many great places to eat. Check out Texas Monthly Magazine for things to do, events in town, and restaurants. Oh, the original Neiman Marcus is close to the Adolphus and the Market Street District is fun to browse. That time of year you will probably have great weather. A rent car would be your best option for sightseeing. Oh, check out the Galleria in North Dallas, and you can alway go to SouthFork . John Travolta is suppose to be playing the new JR!

Just to back you up TxTPro -

I'm meeting someone from Chicago...from another board...on Sat...we're going out to dinner. I've basically played concierge for this person while they're in town for "market".

Take the advise of dgg. Also, it is not the DART train--that is Houston. The conceirge can help you with that. My mistake from earlier thread. The Texas hill Country is a whole other trip--tied with San Antonio or Austin.