Summer field notes: Dallas

This has been a refreshingly slow weekend for me, partially because we don't have any more intern events at work. I was able to catch up with an old college friend, who is still featured at the top of the UT Rugby website some 8 years later, take care of some chores to prepare for the move in 2 weeks, and hang out with a few of my coworkers. I am now hanging out at Crooked Tree Coffeehouse, a coffee shop in Uptown that reminds me quite a bit of Austin.  I've decided to take advantage of this temporary lull to write some brief notes on my summer experience that may help any future transplants to the area.

Dallas
In general, Dallas is nowhere near as public transit friendly as Chicago. As a summer intern with no car, I was told that my best bet would be to live in Uptown, one of the more walkable areas of the city. There are lots of restaurants, bars, and other shops along McKinney, which is served by the free M-line trolley making it pretty easy to get around on the main street. In order to get anywhere outside of the Uptown area, I've been relying on the DART rail/bus system and local taxis (BTW, the flat $20 fare from Love field to Uptown is inflated by about 50% versus just running the meter).  In terms of necessities, I've been able to get by with the Walgreens and Albertsons on McKinney, the Target at Cityplace, and Floyd's Barbershop (one of the more affordable and accessible places to get a haircut). In general, I allot about 45-60mins of additional travel time whenever I go out.

There are a lot of places to live in the area, but a pretty big group of Kelloggers (myself included) ended up at the Jefferson at North End.  The prices are reasonable, they have a great "resort-style" pool that is always bustling with people on the weekends, and there are some other nice amenities (decent gym, free coffee, free movies). Furthermore, the location in relation to the BCG office is fantastic. It takes about 4 mins to get to the office by foot.


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