I love lists, even when they come from Travel & Leisure, which, as far as I can tell, basically makes them up. But that’s okay. We’re big boys. The visitor thing I can understand. It always surprises me that we’re the #1 tourist destination in Texas. But diversity? That’s a low blow. (Blackfaced Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders probably doesn’t help.) And #22 in shopping? Did the the editors bother to check with retailers? I mean, good God, have they ever been to NorthPark?
13 comments
I always say Dallas turns the cliche on its head: It’s a great place to live, but I wouldn’t want to visit here.
It’s not that we aren’t diverse. We’re a clumping people. We clump to our own and hope to God we don’t bump clumps.
Yossarian,
That’s a wonderful way to put it. Dallas is less melting pot and more salad bowl.
Who wants to travel somewhere to shop in an indoor mall?
I always tell people that there are three things we do here in Dallas: Shop, eat, and drink. We have a huge restaurant and bar scene, and Dallas has the most shopping centers per capita in the entire US. AND we love football.
Wick, Dallas hasn’t been a huge shopping destination for a couple of decades now. We have the exact same stores they have in every other major market, but less of them. We don’t even compare to shopping in Vegas, much less Chicago, LA, or New York.
The 2010 Census will show that Hispanics makeup 45% of the Dallas population and 75% of the population under 18. Not diverse at all.
Agrred w/@Dallasite – until there are more successful ventures like Dolly Python, House of Dang and a small number on Henderson and down in the Industrial area, we will always be known for big-box or at least mainstream shopping.
Shopping here just does not compare to other large cities. NorthPark could fit on a block corner in Chicago (well maybe 2 blocks).
Hola, Hispanics can be a diverse lot among themselves. It’s hyper-heterogeneous at my high school football games. Maybe these folks missed East Dallas.
I’ve discovered in 10 years here that Dallas is a good place to live but a poor place to visit. In another 10 years, I hope to discover why city leaders are determined to reverse that trend by building more toll roads and a convention center hotel.
Dallas = most underrated and easily hated city in the country
At least we can afford to travel to “more desirable” locations, given our low cost of living.
When all else fails or is qltogether missing, the two things Dallas has (in excess spades) is Retail and Restaurants. Saying Dallas is #22 in shopping is as silly as saying New York is #22 in urban density.