There's been something strange happening in DFW over the past couple of years. It started with a place here and there and now it appears that many, many more are to come. DFW, Dallas most specifically, seems to be the place to be for many of the popular chains from the west coast to start up in TX. Below is a list of a few of the places that have made their first Texas home in the DFW area.
Heart Attack Grill
Del Taco
In N Out
H&M
Trader Joes
Sprinkles
Pinkberry
This got me thinking about why so many big name places would make their first home in Dallas. I mean every other second it seems that someone is ranting about how much they hate Dallas or how awesome Austin is etc... and yet none of these places started there! I actually enjoyed the big F You to Austin that was made when H&M made their home in Dallas instead of ATX (everyone swore it would be Austin! Ha!). So this post is to show a little love to the place I call home.
In 2009 DFW was the largest metropolitan area in the south and the 4th largest in the nation. So with all these people it honestly can't be that bad. Dallas may not have the "weirdness" of Austin, the "Latin flare" of San Antonio, or the beaches of south TX but it has a very specific vibe that I love. I can't really pinpoint what it is but it has that certain something that I think distinguishes it from a lot of other cities in Texas. I feel like a lot of the great things about cities around the state can all be found in Dallas. I mean honestly, except for the folks in Orange County, how many people can say their city was the basis of an awesome TV show! Haha.
Entertainment
I mean we may not have SXSW or Fiesta but we've got the State Fair! And, I'm sorry, try a fried smore and then try and tell me one of those is better than the State Fair of Texas! Haha. Let's not forget we also have Six Flags Over Texas! The FIRST installment of the franchise I might add and obviously the best in TX! I mean Astroworld is shut down and let us not even talk about Fiesta Texas. There are also some amazing museums in Dallas and Fort Worth and enough malls to spend all your money, no really, all your money!
Pardon me while I drooooooooool over fried smores
Night Life
If you wanna go out you can always hit up Addison, Arlington Highlands, Uptown, Downtown, Oaklawn, Downtown Fort Worth, Fort Worth Stockyards, Greenville, etc... Each of these places gives an entirely different vibe. I can rock my western wear in the stockyards, my 5 inch heels in uptown, my jeans and flats in Greenville, and dance to great music with my gay boys in Oaklawn and every once in a while catch a glimpse of Gaga when she's in town! An area of about a 30 mile radius provides you with endless options!
Gaga at The Roundup in Dallas.
Sports!
We've also got a football team that despite all their losing and my utter confusion has one of the most loyal fan bases I've ever seen and just so happens to go by the name of "America's Team". Speaking of sports, how many other cities in the state can say they are home to a Rugby (Dallas is one of only 16 cities in the US with a Rugby league), Hockey, Baseball, Football, Soccer, and Basketball team? Oh and if you don't like those sports, there's always horse racing! So when it comes to sports we've obviously got that covered!
Education
SMU, TCU, UTA, UNT, DBU, UT Dallas, TCC, Quad C, Texas A&M Commerce, TWU, Texas Wesleyan, and 27 other colleges and universities in the area. That is a huge amount of choices for people in the area, especially when you consider how relatively small that area is. While this may not mean a lot to some people this is a huge deal to me. There are also over 30 libraries in DFW and we all know how I feel about reading!
Here's the thing, there are things I love about every city I've lived in and visited in TX. So don't take my pride and a bit of bragging about my city to mean that I don't love what's happening in Harlingen, Corpus, Friendswood, Austin, Round Rock, Waco, College Station, or anywhere else. All I'm saying is that maybe, some of you, and you know who you are, could try and see some of the great things about DFW too. Great people, great sports (depending on your team ha!), great food, and good shopping! I mean what more could you ask for? So next time you wanna bash Dallas you'd do kindly to remember some of the things I pointed out in this post. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go ride the Texas Giant at Six Flags, grab a double double from In-N-Out, pick up a cupcake from Sprinkles, then do some shopping at H&M. Well, actually, I'm gonna get back to work but I just felt like being sassy! :P
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