Okay, so I just experienced one of the most incredible moments of my life thus far last night. Basically, I played a racing car video game (one of those where you sit down and drive), and ended up winning a 4-day trip for me and a friend to Dallas, TX (most expenses paid) to see the Nascar 500 and U2. Just one tiny problem - I’m only 19, and thus do not get the rental car portion of the package. So… question 1: Can anyone from the Dallas area tell me a good way to get around the city cheaply (my friend and I are pretty much flat-out broke)? And 2 - what are some fun things to do in Dallas? We’re there from the 31st of March to the 3rd of April and would like to do something besides sit in the hotel room and study. Thanks!
Well, taxis are not cheap enough to use everyday. Public transport here isn’t great, but it’s getting better: the light rail is fairly handy if you stick around downtown and just north, and it’s $1 for each ride and I think you can buy day passes for rather cheap too.
You’re 19. You wanna go to Deep Ellum, where all the clubs are. 
Despite the frightening conspiracy buffs hanging out there, the Sixth Floor Museum is pretty cool. What are you interested in seeing?
I’d help you out with doing stuff, but I’m gonna be in NC till the 1st with some of my classmates. I can play tourguide then. Wanna see the bastion of yuppiedom that is my university?
It is worth your while to check out the Dallas Acquarium. I’ll second Palmyra’s suggestion of Deep Ellum. You also would enjoy lower Greenville Ave. Lots of restaurants and bars.
Depending on where your hotel is will make all the difference in the ease of you getting around. If you’re near a DART station (Dallas’ mass-transit, encompassing train and bus) you shouldn’t have too much trouble, especially if you can take a train.
You can check out http://www.kdge.com for a good idea of the local bar scene (it’s our alternative station).
Or you can check out http://www.guidelive.com for a good idea of what is going on.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. I’d volunteer to take you around a bit, but I don’t think you’d have the best time with a 30 year old.
But, that is pretty awesome about winning. You’ll love the 500. I got to drive a NASCAR race car around the track a few months back. Unbelievable. A race is almost as good, almost. And that ought to be a huge concert. Have fun.
<b>Palmyra</b> and <b>Tommy<b>: Thank you both for your suggestions! We’re definitely going to check out the rail line (our hotel is down by Reunion Arena), and the Aquarium and the Sixth Floor Museum both sound pretty interesting (we are such museum geeks). We’ll also check out Deep Ellum - it sounds like a lot of fun, too Also, thanks for the offers of tourguide - I have an uncle and some cousins who are going to help us out, though - don’t want to inconvenience you all. (Our hours are pretty damn irregular, so…) Thanks again!
–Quad
Oh heck. I’ve been working on my web page too long… your names should have been bolded with this code. :rolleyes:
Sounds like you’re staying at the Reunion Hyatt? That puts you pretty close to the West End (big tourist trap), the Sixth Floor Museum, and the Kennedy Memorial. I’d like to clarify a bit about the Dallas Aquarium - there’s the Dallas World Aquarium in the West End, which is privately-run and fairly snazzy (in spite of being in the tourist trap), and the Dallas Aquarium, which is public, in Fair Park, and pretty dilapidated the last time I visited. If you’re intersted in art, a good cheap thrill is to get the DART light rail day pass and visit all the stations - the light rail is a fairly new system, and when it was being constructed, DART commissioned a bunch of local artists to design/decorate each of the stations. I’ll concur that the 6th Floor Museum is very nice; the Kennedy Memorial is in an outdoors plaza, but fans of architecture will be thrilled to know that it was designed by (IIRC) Philip Johnson. Speaking of architecture, Fair Park has some great examples of the art deco style, though the buildings are generally in poor condition. Oh yeah, right by the Hyatt is Reunion Tower, from where you can get panoramic views of Dallas (I think they charge, so I’ve never been, but it may be different for hotel guests) - but for a free bird’s-eye view, you can go to Chase Tower (say, “it’s the building with a hole in it” and people will know) and go up to the SkyLobby.
Have fun!
Congrats on winning the contest, Quad! I thought it looked pretty cool, and I played the racing machines at Super Wal-Mart a few times when I was out buying groceries, but I lack the l33t driving skillz it takes to enter contests and win exciting things. Wish I could go, though…god forbid a decent concert ever come to Columbia anymore. (Destiny’s Child at the Hearnes Center? Pardon me while I vomit.)
Semi-hijack now complete. Return to yous tour-guiding any time.