Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dallas

Dog friendly DFW

flipmiester99 — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:56:08 -0800

PuppysocializationFilter: Im looking to socialize my 8 week old German shepherd by taking her to as many places as i can that allow dogs. I live in Sachse, Tx which is just outside of Dallas. Can you please tell me what stores/restaurants/etc...are dog friendly in the DFW/Sachse area?

I need an awesome junkyard in the DFW area (Dallas).

Jim On Light — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:22:57 -0800

I live in Plano, TX, and I am looking for a place where I can basically harvest my own parts from a large scap yard. I am looking for one of those junkyard places (auto salvage yards?) where you can go in, pay a nominal fee, and take parts off of junked cars in order to fix your own car. Basically, I have the skill, I don't have a lot of money, and I enjoy the game of repairing my own car.

(If you're interested, my multi-function switch in my new to me 2002 Ford Explorer is kaput. But it also took the right rear turn signal with it when it died.)

I don't mind 30 or so miles of one way travel to get to a cool yard. I would certainly revisit a place that was awesome and had nice people running it. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and know of a place like this, could you let me know?

How do you get from Houston to Dallas?

bluefly — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:57:13 -0800

Is there a cheap way to get from Houston to Dallas without renting a car? I'll be in Houston for a week over New Year's, and I'd like to visit Dallas for a couple days. Is there a bus or a train? Airplane tickets are ~$200 with tax, which is a little pricey for the sort of jaunt I was imagining. Thanks.

Is passing out yesterday still an emergency today?

DB Cooper — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:01:21 -0800

Where to get 2nd medical opinion as soon as reasonably possible about the medications one is prescribed by county hospital in Dallas? An acquaintance here in Dallas told me just now that his pharmacist said he was being overmedicated. My acquaintance mentioned that he passed out and fell twice yesterday and has mental confusion at times. He says his blood pressure fluctuates between very high and extremely low.

He is uninsured and the Dr(s) at Parkland Hospital have him on the following: losartan, plavix, potassium chloride, amlodipime, isordile, lasix, carvedilol, and aspirin. He called Parkland to tell them he thinks he may be overmedicated and they responded that the first time they could schedule an appointment is in early February.

I told him he should go to the ER because IANAD and I would rather err on the side of caution.

My question: Where in or near Dallas could he get a free/low-cost 2nd opinion before February about his med dosages besides the emergency department of a local hospital?

Weird Dallas get-away for NYE?

unknowncommand — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:17:52 -0800

What's a unique/interesting/weird New Year's Eve place/event that is 3 hours driving or 2 hours flying from Dallas, TX?

How to spend a couple days in Dallas with my wife?

jluce50 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:44:47 -0800

We decided to make the 3 hour drive to Dallas to spend a couple days for my wife's b-day. I've never been there so I could use some help finding a place to stay and some stuff to do. We'd like to find as nice a hotel as possible in the downtown area for around $100-150/night (if possible). Any suggestions? We'll probably do one dinner at an upscale-type place and the other at a nice-but-moderate-type place. Suggestions would be great for that as well.

I'm also looking for any and all suggestions on what to do during the day. We're on a bit of a budget, but it doesn't have to be free. I understand they have a cool aquarium there, so that's on my list. Any other cool places to sit and people watch while getting bite to eat would be appreciated.

If it helps, she's turning 30.

Thanks!

Help me find a place to vacation

flipmiester99 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:09:46 -0800

WeekendVacationFilter: I cant seem to find a cool place to take my family this summer for a small vacation. Here are the detail, please help. We live in Dallas, Me, Wife, two kids (7yr old girl & 3yr old boy), we will be driving but do not want to drive more than 5-6 hours, leaving Saturday morning and returning on a Tuesday, preferebly looking for a cabin somewhere to relax but also have fun stuff to do with the kids? Im really open to all and any suggestions, Any suggestion? Please help me put a end to my searching.

Any recourse against a shady car dealer?

getawaysticks — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:33:56 -0800

A franchised, "legitimate" car dealer lied to us in order to get us to purchase a car. I know.. not really news and not really unique. But how can we fix this now? We test-drove a new RAV4 from the local Toyota dealership in 2007. We had driven the model before and really liked it - and this was the only dealer in the Metroplex that had a leather model. During the test drive, we noticed a rotten-egg smell coming out of the vents of the car during times of high acceleration. The salesman was in the car with us at the time and said, "Oh, no worries, that will go away once the engine has been broken in."

We should have stopped at that point and went home and researched the scent but we were exhausted and frustrated after looking for a car for 6 weeks or so. We are primarily a Subaru family but knew Toyota was renowned for its service and the quality of the cars so we bought the car (with extended warranty). I know that I can be very naive and I swear, one of these times I will learn.

The rotten-egg smell has never gone away. Here in Dallas, one has to hit the gas - hard - quite often. The smell is immediate and nauseating.

In the 2 years since we purchased the car, we have taken it in for service 6 times for this problem, and it has yet to be fixed. The problem is documented elsewhere on the internet for similar models or older models and there have been Toyota Service Bulletins for it, but nothing for our year/model combination.

Last summer on one of our service visits I went to pick up the car after work. The service employee said that he would file [another] report with Toyota corporate and that in the mean time, "Buy an air freshener." I am just aghast that someone would suggest that to someone paying those exorbitant car payments. Since that visit, we have both brought the truck in and the service manager acknowledges the problem but doesn't know how to fix it (at least, that is what he says). They have escalated to the regional distributor who indicated we need to try another brand of gas (we have done this). The last contact from the dealer was, "We really don't know what to do next."

At this point I am more than a little emotional about this situation. I am angry every time I make a car payment. I thought the extended warranty and/or Toyota's legendary service would protect us from something like this happening. Granted - the car is still drivable, but it is irritating and nauseating to deal with this scent. I would love at this point to just give them the truck back and walk away entirely (but I understand that that is probably not going to happen).

Here is what we have done so far. Are we missing anything? Thank you in advance for any ideas. I just can't believe it's 2009 and we are still letting major car dealers lie to and abuse customers.

1) Contacted bbb.org and filed a complaint
2) Contacted the North Texas New Car Dealers Association, who have initiated contact with the dealer
3) Contacted Toyota's corporate office who report they are investigating the situation
4) Contacted every Dallas news organization's "Watch dog" or "Consumer investigations" team, with little or no response
5) Called a lawyer who is ready to send a demand letter to the dealer, but is not very optimistic
6) Collected the necessary paperwork to attempt a lemon law claim - but the lawyer indicated that the remedy will probably not be to my satisfaction (they will either pay a sum of money to you, or allow you to trade out, and I don't want to deal with this company any longer at all).

Cool Casual Bday Dinner in Dallas

flipmiester99 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:15:14 -0800

CoolCasualNotExpensiveEatinginDallasFilter: Its my wifes bday today and a few of us want to go out to dinner to celebrate. Unfortunately none of us have alot to spend. Any Suggestions? Looking for a cool place to eat with good food, good drinks, and good atmosphere. We are coming from Richardson also so we dont want to drive to far. No further than downtown. Thanks in advance. Also....The average age of all of us is 31.

Help me with my garden

lateriser — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:16:16 -0800

TexasvegetableGardenFilter: Ok..So i decided to build a garden box and i need help with what i should and shouldnt plant. I built a 3x8 garden box and is about a 1 1/2 ft deep, and would like to grow organic vegetables, what can i plant this weekend? I was hoping to grow a salsa garden..Onions, Tomatoes, Jalepenos, etc..What else?? How many plants is it capable of housing? Spacing between plants?? Never done this before and im really excited just need some advice to get started. Thanks!!! I live in Dallas, Tx.

Interesting stops between Chicago and Dallas (via Memphis)?

brandsilence — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:41:47 -0800

Quick, interesting stops between Chicago and Dallas (via Memphis) along I57, I55, I30? Quirky, tasty, fun, and beautiful are all invited. This is my first time driving from Chicago to Dallas. Taking the route that goes through memphis - (I57, I55, and I30). Looking for interesting short places to stop off along the way - whether it be shops, restaurants, historical places, WHATEVER. Anything great or quirky or beautiful to break up the drive. Thanks!

Parks & Lakes near Dallas, TX

4chrisd — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:08:20 -0800

Impress a girl in Dallas? This weekend I'm going to Dallas to pick up a girl at the airport and I need some ideas (locations) to impress her. She loves parks and water...so I was thinking of taking her there for a while. I would also like places in Dallas that have an awesome view (from up high)...even a roof top garden (if you knew of one). I'm open for ideas...Do you know of any cool parks near water that are beautiful?

Becoming a true Yogi....

unexpected — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:26:54 -0800

Yoga Experts: Help me navigate the world of Yoga... I've recently decided to try to become more flexible and stable. I run (30-40 miles a week) and lift weights a lot, but I still can't touch my toes!

I'm looking for yoga that'll really work me over. I'm also interested in yoga that'll correct posture imbalances over time- I'm slightly bowlegged and I have a subtle forward tilt to my frame. Anything that helps me towards this would be preferred, or alternatively, if this is hocus pocus and yoga can't fix these, tell me that too.

I'm looking for the functionally strenuous- I consider myself to be in really good shape, so I wanted to be streched and strained- that said, I wouldn't have a preference towards something like the "hot yoga" unless it helped me accomplish my other goals.

So guys, where should I look? What styles of yoga should I be looking at? Extra bonus points for a good place in Dallas to go to.

What did the Pearl Beer "waterfall billboard" in Dallas say in 1996?

unknowncommand — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:52:14 -0800

What did the old Pearl Beer "waterfall billboard" on I-35 in Dallas say in 1996? Am I crazy in thinking that the lyrics in the chorus of the Butthole Surfers song "Pepper" made direct reference to the text of the sign? I have a distinct memory that when the song came out, the billboard said either "coming down the mountain" or something about a fountain. I don't know if it was advertising Coors then, perhaps?

Texas To-Dos?

pjern — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:03:58 -0800

I'm stuck in Texas! Well, not stuck exactly, but I have some free time. I'm currently in Denton, TX and looking for cheap/free activities to get me though the rest of the weekend, within reasonable driving distance. Bonus for photogenic/neat/historical places. (Reasonable can be arbitrarily defined as, let's say, 50 miles.)

I definitely wouldn't rule out meeting other Mefites for coffee, as human companionship/conversation would be a plus. My cell phone # is in my profile, and I welcome calls.

Plan my roadtrip.

lockestockbarrel — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:40:17 -0800

PlanMyRoadtrip Filter: Driving from St. Louis, MO to Brownsville, TX in 3 days. What should we do along the way? My wife and I are driving from St. Louis, MO to Brownsville, TX, leaving on Monday, March 9th. The only constraint is that we have to arrive in Brownsville three days later. However we divide up the distance between the three days is fine.

Because we have three days to take the trip, we'd like to do some sightseeing along the way. As we've never driven through this area of the US, we'd like to see places, do things, and eat things that are representative of the region. We'll likely be through this area again, so it's not a farewell tour or anything like that. We're in our mid-20s and adventurous -- we'd like to see sights, eat local food, take photographs, walk around places, etc., but we'll have a car full of stuff so take that into account.

The default GoogleMaps route takes us through OK (a seemingly boring route) but we hit Dallas and Austin. I was thinking we could drive directly south through Memphis to New Orleans, then cut west along the gulf through Houston. It's less important for us to see Austin on this trip as we'll probably visit there later; it's less likely we'll visit New Orleans from Brownsville.

As far as the driving, we just have to arrive three days after we depart. So we could drive one day to New Orleans, stay one day, then drive the rest the second day. Or we could drive to Memphis, then drive to New Orleans, then drive the rest. Or we could drive to New Orleans, drive to Houston, then drive the rest. Or we could drive to Dallas, stay the next day, then drive the rest. You get the idea. Driving 11 or 12 hours in a day is not a big deal for us.

So:
1. How should we design our route?
2. We have to sleep twice on the trip. Where?
3. Where should we eat?
4. What should we go see/do/experience?

Thanks, MeFi!

Multiple Mystery Songs

batmonkey — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:33:00 -0800

Three songs I'm looking for - various degrees of difficulty... Easy:
Song played frequently on KEXP 90.3 in Seattle in '07. A dude is going to head to his shack with his woman and smoke weed (he may have used euphemisms...damn my conceptual memory). Sure it's not "Shake the Shack Tonight" by Sid King & the Five Strings. Solo artist, I think, but could be wrong. Quite frequently played on Fridays, near rush hour. However, even my digging through the archived playlists isn't jogging my memory. I'll bet you're smarter than me & know it right off.

Medium:
House-ish song from the late '80s. Most remember the samples: "Brothas and Sistas!", "I've got a question" - may be snippets of the same person, more likely separate samples. I've been told it may be tackhead. I've been told it may be "[?]screw" or "screw[?]". I know it most comes to mind when listening to "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass or "Hey, Poor - Jesus is Here" by Front 242. The "I've got a question" part is the most central piece of the whole search. Played in various clubs there (notably #s), heard years later in Dallas, lost the slip of paper with the details long ago.

Hard:
A version of "White Rabbit", house-ish - trippier/swirlier than techno - from very early to mid '90s (I dunno, could be late '80s, too). The key here is that it was played at The Church (Goth night at Dallas's Lizard Lounge") fairly frequently, generally in a set containing "Daisy Chain 4 Satan" and "Sober".

What town has the most local color and underrated tourist appeal in North Texas?

anelsewhere — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:09:36 -0800

I'm visiting family in the Dallas area and want to discover more of the local area. However, many towns seem to be cookie-cutter replicas of one another (complete with the very same Wal Marts). I'm wondering what would be worth up to a 3 hour drive from DFW to visit.

Charter Flights from Dallas de Las Vegas

edmz — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:24:01 -0800

Need to find charter flights from Dallas to Las Vegas. If I understand correctly, most charter airlines aren't listed in Expedia, Kayak and other similar sites, so I'm looking for the names of said airlines or their websites so I can check prices for a weekend charter flight from Dallas to Las Vegas.

How do I find a therapist in Dallas?

ultraultraboomerang — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:16:32 -0800

Anybody out there loooooove their therapist in Dallas? Looking for practical, general, perhaps behavioral guidance with a good old fashioned existential crisis, and/or resources that will help me find one. How did you find your therapist? How can you possibly pick someone from an insurance company's provider list? Are there online resources I'm not finding, like Consumer Reports except for mental health professionals?

Seems like a lot of therapists specialize in marriage or addiction or what have you, and I'm just looking for a reasonable, educated person to give some perspective on life in general and my life in particular.

I've had some problems with therapists' reluctance to leave religion/faith on the other side of the door, so bonus points for someone who will, or advice on how to avoid the ones who won't.

Of course, mail me with anything you'd rather not post.

Sell now, or sell later? Barbie's Malibu Dream House has got to go.

Unicorn on the cob — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:49:11 -0800

I've been getting my house ready to sell and am wondering if I'm crazy. Should I go ahead with it now, or wait until spring? Of course, there are mitigating factors involved. I own a house in Texas (Dallas) and have been working on getting it ready to sell... fixing things up, paint, polishing floors and the like. However, it literally feels like the end of the financial world right now. So my question is, am I doing all this in vain? Different people tell me the housing market's going to rebound at some point next year. Others tell me to get out now before the dollar turns into the peso.

The following factors are important in my decision for selling:

1. I make a decent living, but I do live paycheck to paycheck because of the house. I literally am unable to contribute to my 401k or do anything beyond make token payments against my credit card debt, which is pretty high. Basic subsistence living is it. Please don't suggest roommates, turning off services, etc. I did all that the past two years just to get by and have exhausted those options; I genuinely have tried everything and cannot get financial traction.

2. Originally I had planned to pay down that debt and wait until next year, hoping the market would improve and the value of my house would demand a better return on the investment. Traditionally, fall/holiday season isn't that great for selling a home, correct? Or am I wrong about that?

3. I have yet to pay house taxes for 2008. That means in January, the tax bill will be due. How will that affect me if I decide to sell now vs. waiting until after the first of the year?

4. My house was built in 2003, so it's still pretty new, in great shape, and on nearly an acre of land inside the city limits. Therefore, I believe I should be able to get a good asking price... but my city is also apparently flooded with foreclosures. How do I compete with that?

All of this is stressful and difficult for me to deal with, obviously, and I am totally alone in dealing with the home and yard maintenance, financial responsibilities and finding a realtor/new place to live if it sells quickly.

I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed. I'm trying to make the best decision for myself financially. I realize that jobs go away, illnesses and accidents happen, and were the scale to tip even a little, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

Any advice or anecdotes from people who have recently sold homes or know more about the real estate market than I do would be welcome. I already know to make the place immaculate/remove everything I own/allow anyone access at any time; I'm trying to work out getting a storage unit and all that jazz. I just wonder if I'm doing it at the wrong time.

What to do over Columbus weekend in Dallas?

ets960 — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:50:12 -0800

In Dallas TX for an extended weekend over Columbus day. What to do? I work in Dallas frequently, but have never been there over a weekend. My girlfriend is going to come down and we're trying to come up with plans. We can stay at any hotel and will have a rental car. We both like good museums, good music, and good food. Fort Worth seems like an interesting location and we'd like the country music. I've also heard a lot about how great Austin is so are considering spending some time there. We're both in our mid-twenties. Low budget options are appreciated, but we'll splurge if it's worth it.

Also- recommended hotels with pools would be cool!

Moved to DFW... now what?

SNWidget — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:54:29 -0800

DFW-Filter: So my girlfriend and I moved to the DFW area, Lewisville in particular. I've started up school, she's started up work. Now what? We're 24-year-old foodies who went to college in New England and lived in Washington, DC for a while. I'm from Texas (but not this area), and she's from California. What do we do in this town?

General: We're looking for a compendium of all things going on the DFW area - music, food, festivities, everything that would be interesting to a couple of 24-year-olds who have no clue what's going on. In DC, I'd read blogs like DCist, but I can't seem to find an equivalent for the Dallas area.

Secondary: She and I are just looking for random things to do on weekends. Parks, museums, whatever the DFW area has to offer. We're also looking for recommendations on great food (classy or casual), historical sites, fun outdoors stuff (love canoeing), and even bars that aren't filled to the brim with cowboys.

We don't like: What we're not into are dance clubs or bars that require you to look like you're a rock star to get in. Casual bars are awesome.

In summary: Early 20s couple new to DFW, looking for things to do. Anything. Advice/links/anecdotes/invitations to your own party are completely welcomed. Willing to travel anywhere in the area for something interesting. Would also like to meet other people our ages, but not a requirement.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Help me learn to play craps!!

nataliecay — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:55:38 -0800

Where can I find a craps table felt tablecloth in/around Dallas, Texas by Friday? We're taking a girls trip to vegas and in an effort to not embarrass ourselves we would like a brush up on our gambling skills. We're not playing for money or anything, just for fun.

Thanks!!

Road to Somewhere

octomato — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:25:27 -0800

What's between Dallas and Houston? I am driving in August from Houston to Dallas, with my boyfriend who's from Dallas... He tells me there's nothing to see between these two sprawling cities. I can't believe this!

I've also been warned by other native Texans, that there is nothing to see between Houston and Dallas. How can this be? Not even a tiny ghost town?