| |
Dallas/Fort
Worth, Texas
By: Walter Martin (#89)
W_R_Martin@Yahoo.com
Emergency Contacts:
- Dial "911" for all major emergencies.
Useful Information:
- Dallas, like most major cities, is surrounded by suburbs to the
extent that the only way to tell when you leave one town and enter another is by the city
limit signs. In addition, Fort Worth is located about 30 miles west of Dallas, and it also
has suburbs. The most significant is Arlington, which is located due east of Fort Worth
and west of Dallas. The area is often referred to as DFW or The Metroplex,and
has a total population of about 4 million people. I am much more familiar with Dallas than
Fort Worth, so that will be the main focus of this guide.
- Local calls require you to dial all ten digits, since we have
multiple area codes. Some calls between Dallas and Fort Worth are long distance, some are
not. If the call goes through without dialing "1" first, then it is not long
distance.
- LBJ Freeway is I-635.
- Stemmons Freeway is I-35E, north of I-30.
- East R. L. Thornton Freeway is I-30, east of downtown Dallas.
- South R. L. Thornton Freeway is I-35, south of downtown Dallas.
- Dallas - Fort Worth Turnpike is the portion of I-30 between the two
cities.
- Airport Freeway is Highway 183.
- Central Expressway is Highway 75, north of downtown Dallas.
- The North, South, East, and West Freeways are the portions of I-35W
and I-30 extending in the indicated directions from downtown Fort Worth.
Dealers (audio equipment):
- There are probably a hundred in the area. I don't think much of
most of them, with a couple of exceptions:
- Earmark Car Audio,
3132 W. Parker Road, Plano, TX, (972) 612-6886. This is the only one of their four
locations I would recommend, and only as long as Greg is still the manager. He is
knowledgeable and listens to the customer. They also have at least one good installer.
- Tint-N-Tunes,
525 W. Arapaho Road, Suite #30, Richardson, TX, (972) 889-8468. Randy, the owner or
manager, seems to k! now what he is doing. They are also a DEI dealer, and seem to have
better prices than most other stores in town, which usually charge full retail.
- I am sure there are good people at some of the other places around
town, but I have not been able to find them.
Local Laws:
- Alcohol: Minimum drinking age is 21. Parts of Dallas and various suburbs are dry.
- Speed: Most freeways within the city have a 60 mph limit. Average speeds on
freeways are about 10 mph over posted limit, 5 mph over on side streets.
- Sound ordinances: No Info.
- Hydraulics: No Info.
- Tint: No Info.
Lodging:
- Every major chain has at least one hotel here. The cheapest, such
as Motel 6, start at about $35 - $40 per night. Generally speaking, the northern part of
the city is the nicest and safest. Absolutely avoid the area just south of downtown,
including Fair Park.
Entertainment:
- Alcohol can be purchased in bars and restaurants until 2:00 AM
every night, with most clubs serving right up until that time. Beer and wine can be
purchased in stores until midnight, 1:00 ! AM on Saturday nights. Stores can only sell
hard liquor until 9:00 PM.
- The best source of entertainment info is the Dallas Observer, a free weekly newspaper.
- Deep Ellum
is the largest and most eclectic nightclub and entertainment district, with clubs that
lean toward alternative, pop, and dance music, although there is at least one club
catering to every major musical style. There are probably more live music clubs here than
in the rest of the city put together. It is located just east of downtown, and would
definitely be my first recommendation.
- The West End is the
name given to several blocks in the northwest corner of the central business district. It
is much more tourist and family oriented than Deep Ellum, and features more restaurants.
- Greenville Avenue runs north and south, just east of Highway 75
/Central Epwy. Currently, most clubs are located on the southern end, known as Lower
Greenville. Similar to Deep Ellum, but not as compact, it caters more to the artsy/college
crowd.
- Country 2000 on I-35, and
Cowboy's Red River on West Northwest Highway are two very large bars for the urban cowboy
types.
- The Fort Worth
Stockyards, just northwest of downtown Fort Worth has several clubs.
- The Vampire Lounge on
Skillman is t! he best location for hard rock and heavy metal.
- Movie
Theaters: We have one (or more) everywhere you look. The AMC Grand on West Northwest
Highway is excellent. It has 24 screens, all with stadium seating, cupholders, and
armrests that pivot up out of the way.
TiTTy bars:
- The Dallas area
has some of the best topless bars in the country, as well as the most clubs and dancers
per capita of any city I have been to (definitely more than Las Vegas, San Francisco, or
L.A.) Cover charge is $3.00 - $10.00, and all sell alcohol and have a minimum age of 21 to
enter. Average price is $5.25 - $7.00 for bottled beer or highballs. There are a few
all-nude bars that are BYOB, with a $20.00 cover. Most clubs open at 11:00 AM, except
Sundays, which vary.
- Recommendations:
- The Fare East, on Greenville Avenue. Attractive, generally friendly
women, with $1 drafts and well drinks until 9:00 PM.
- Baby Dolls Saloon, on West Northwest Highway. Beautiful women,
great lap dances, and a large selection of girls. The dancers tend to hustle more here,
however, and on Friday and Saturday the place is standing room only. There are three other
clubs in the same parking lot, and another, Caligula XXI, which is only a couple of blocks
west. The Lodge, Dallas Gentlemen's Club, Lipstick, and the Clubhouse are within two or
three miles.
- The Fare West, on Northwest Highway, next to Baby Dolls. The same
$1 drinks as the Fare East, but the girls! are not in the same class.
- The Clubhouse. An all-nude bar, partly owned by some members of
Pantera, who go there frequently. Very nice looking women, but the girls are pretty
aggressive and the table dances are very tame. A good place to go with a group that just
wants to drink and have fun, since it is BYOB and therefore cheaper if you are drinking
enough to make up for the expensive cover charge. Ice and setups are pricey, however. Open
until 4:00 AM on weekends.
- There are also topless and nude clubs in Fort Worth,
as well as Arlington,
near the Ballpark and Six Flags. I have no recent personal experience with any of them.
- Clubs To Avoid:
- The Men's Club on West Northwest Highway, has beautiful women, but
it is a very boring white-color type of club.
- The Saloon and Baby O's, both on Greenville Avenue near the Fare
East. They never have many girls, and are just generally not worth bothering with.
- Miscellaneous:
- In the interest of gender fairness, I will mention La Bare, which
is on Greenville Avenue, one block north of the Fare East. This club has male dancers, and
admits women only.
Comedy Clubs:
- Ad Libs, 2613 Ross Ave., Dallas, (214)754-7050
- Addison Improv Comedy Club, 4980 Belt Line Road, Addison,
(972)404-8501
Attractions:
- Six Flags Amusement Park
- Arlington, TX. Not Disneyland, but still pretty cool.
- Hurricane
Harbor - Big waterpark located next to Six Flags.
- Southfork Ranch - Home of
the Ewings in the TV series Dallas.
- Reunion Tower
- Revolving ball at top houses an overpriced restaurant and an observation deck, which has
a great view of the city.
- Fair Park - 227 acres with one of the country' largest collections
of Art Deco buildings. Built in 1936 for the Texas Centennial, it features several special
interest museums, the Dallas Aquarium and the Dallas Horticulture Center. The State Fair of Texas is held here each fall. Located
just southeast of downtown Dallas.
- J.F.K. Assasination related sites - Dealy Plaza, Kennedy Memorial,
Sixth Floor Museum, the grassy knoll, and others.
- Billy Bob's Texas -
Located near the Fort Worth Stockyards, it is billed as the world's largest honkytonk.
Worth visiting once, even if you can't atand the music. The indoor rodeo is pretty unusual
for a nightclub.
- The Mesquite Rodeo - The
name says it all.
- Dallas Zoo - A really good
zoo, but don't be surprised if several of the resid! ents look like your team members.
Radio stations and formats:
Malls:
Dallas Area
- North Park - Northwest corner of Highway 75 and Northwest Hwy,
Dallas, TX.
- Galleria - NE corner of I-635 and North Dallas Parkway, Dallas, TX.
- Valley View - NW corner of I-635 and Preston Road, Dallas, TX.
- Prestonwood -NE corner of Beltline Road and North Dallas Parkway,
Dallas, TX
!
- Vista Ridge - I-35 and FM 3040, Lewisville, TX
- Collin Creek Mall - Hwy. 75 & Plano Pkwy. ,Plano, TX.
- Town East - SE corner of I-635 and Town East Blvd., Mesquite, TX
- Irving Mall - NW corner of Highway 183 and Beltline Road, Irving,
TX.
- Red Bird - SW corner of Hwy 67 and I-20, Duncanville, TX.
Fort Worth Area
- Ridgmar Mall - Hwy. 183 & I-30, Fort Worth, TX.
- Fort Worth Town Center - S. Freeway St. and I-35 W, Fort Worth, TX.
- North East Mall - NE Loop 820 & Bedford Euless Rd., Hurst, TX.
- Six Flags Mall - Hwy. 360 & Division, Arlington, TX.
- The Parks at Arlington - I-20 & FM 157 (Cooper St.), Arlington,
TX.
Public Transportation:
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit
(DART) - bus and light rail.
- Super Shuttle (800) 258-3826
- Yellow Cab - (214) 426-6262
- Terminal Taxi - (214) 352-8421
- Comboy Cab - (214) 428-0202
- Metro Cab - (214) 259-2224
- Allied Taxi - (214) 654-4440
- Big Tex Shuttle - (214) 352-9700
- City Cab Of Dallas - (214) 654-4442
- Classic Shuttle - (214) 841-1900
- Eagle Cab - (214) 421-7788
- King Cab - (972) 241-3337
- Metro Cruise - (214) 210-1794
- Metro Taxi - (214) 259-2224
- Ranger Cab - (214) 421-0202
- State Taxicab - (214) 630-9595
Links to local (city) websites for more info:
|
