So, I’m moving to Dallas next month. I don’t know too much about the city as I’ve only been there once. I’ll be living in a city called Euless which is midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. It looks like it will be nice place to live.
What should I know about the area? I know it will be hot in the summer with a moderate change of seasons the rest of the year. I have no idea where I’m going to work. I know I will have to buy a car when I get there. The economy there looks pretty good compared with Ohio. I’ve got a bit of money saved up, so I should be ok while I look for a job there.
Does Texas issue driver’s licenses the same day? My Ohio one will expire in January and I hate waiting in the mail for 6 weeks just to get ID.
Are there any places to go out in the Euless area? Bars/restuarants? How far away is Grapvine and the big mall there? I love to go to the movies and I’ve seen the 30 plex advertised on the internet.
Anything else Dallas area Dopers can tell me? I guess I’ll make it to the next Dallas Dopefest!
It can get damned hot! There are also weird liquor laws, some counties/cities are completely dry, but you can drive a mile across a county line and buy beer.
***Does Texas issue driver’s licenses the same day? ** *
I seem to vaguely recall being surprised with a piece of paper, but I might be remembering when I got my license replaced in WA state, sorry.
*** I love to go to the movies and I’ve seen the 30 plex advertised on the internet.***
Let’s see… Euless is a pretty nice place to live if you’re a family man. If you’re single, you’re probably going to take off and go to Dallas ,Addison or Fort Worth for socializing/going to bars and clubs. There are lots of restaraunts in the mid-cities, particularly at the 121/114 split, which is more or less where 360 intersects 121.
The weather’s ungodly hot in the summer, but getting hard freezes is rare during the winter- if you’re from Ohio, you’ll probably love it.
Grapevine is just up the road- it’s a nice little town (and where my girlfriend lives!), and the Grapevine Mills mall is interesting, if a zoo at this time of year.
No idea about the drivers license stuff- I’ve been a Texan my whole life.
Some car advice- get one with an automatic, good fuel economy and a comfortable seat. You’ll probably spend a lot of time in it if you live in the mid-cities, since you’re about 10-15 miles from the bigger cities.
What do you do? If you’re an IT guy, stay away. D/FW is second only to the Bay Area as far as out-of-work IT people goes. Otherwise, yeah, things are pretty good economically.
I was told by the Texas DPS website that I’d need to take a written test to turn my NY license into a Texas one, but when I actually went down to the county office all I did was give them the old one, squint into a camera for a photo in which I look totally stoned (they made me take my glasses off as they caused glare, so I was Mr Magoo), and take a quick eye test (thankfully with my glasses back one). Boom, new license. They gave me a piece of paper that proved I had my license (no photo, though) and I got my new one in the mail in a week or two.
In that county, your car will have to pass an admissions test to get inspected.
“Hot in the summer” means “Hot from early March til late October.” Be forewarned.
Everybody makes a big deal about having to drive everywhere, but where I was from in New York was so rural that it was a ten-mile drive to the nearest gas station, half an hour to the nearest Walmart and supermarket, and an hour in the opposite direction to go to the mall, so popping down the road to Dallas doesn’t seem like a big deal to me - but then, where you are, going anywhere will mean taking the BUSY ROADS, so be prepared to drive like you’re Dale Earnhardt reincarnated.
Also, you’re best off if you bring cash to pay for your car registration. I went through this back in July. First, they wouldn’t take a credit card or an ATM card. Then, they wouldn’t take an out of town check (hello! Just moved to Dallas!). Finally, on my third try, I got them to accept cash. Man, that was a pain.
Well, welcome to Texas! I live in North Richland Hills, a few miles down the freeway from Euseless.
When you get your DL, they’ll give you a piece of paper that will serve as your license until you get it in the mail.
Summers can be really miserable, although I must say that last summer was delightful in comparison. I think we only had one day where it went above 100. That’s rare, though.
It seems like we usually get at least one ice storm during the winter, but it’s not a given.
Downtown Fort Worth–Sundance Square–is a fun place to hang out for weekend nightlife. There is one club, City Streets, that is like 4 or 5 clubs in one building. And there are lots of restaurants and shopping around Sundance Square, live music, etc. Grapevine is fun as well. I’m not a clubber, so I can’t give you the merits of any given clubs.
Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. You’ll have unseasonably warm days as well us unseasonably cool days. It doesn’t seem to get relentlessly HOT until around the beginning of May. March and April are actually pretty temperate.
Grapevine is probably around 15 minutes or so from Euless. It’s a really easy drive as is just about every other city in the metroplex. Euless is a good central area. There are a lot of movie theatres in that area. In fact, they’re building a new one in Hurst–which would be closer to Euless than Grapevine–at the Northeast Mall–also one of those big stadium theatres called “Rave” or something like that.
Like N.Sane I’m not too much into clubbing, but I’ve been to both Deep Ellum (Dallas) and Sundance Square (Fort Worth). Sundance Square is a little more cozy, but Deep Ellum has some really great dance clubs.
Welcome, and congrats on the move. Maybe I’ll see you around!!
If you get your car stuck in a ditch, just sit back and relax. Before long two guys in a pick-up truck with a chain and a six pack of beer will be by to pull you out. Also, don’t get out and try to help them; We live for this shit…
The DL thing you will have to wait for it in the mail but it only takes ten days or less. Meanwhile you will be given a temporary DL.
Also, stay away from West End (down town) That’s were all the tourist go!! Since you’re a Texan now you don’t want to get clumped in with THOSE people.
