Observations on Dallas' Scene

[CornbreadFed]

This is a good perspective. I like seeing this thread get some additional perspectives. How long were you in Dallas? Have you been to the city multiple times?

I've been multiple times, this recent time was on a work trip for a week.

Other people have made the statement that Dallas lacks soul. Some of those sprawly cities you mentioned lack soul too. I'm more familiar with some than others. The city that I am most familiar with of the ones you mentioned is Phoenix. Someone could say that Phoenix lacks soul as well. I don't think life in Phoenix is an upgrade over life in Dallas. There's also a Phoenix Scene thread on this forum.

I am not a big fan of Phoenix either, but it is definitely more distinctive than Dallas by far.

After saying all of this, I don't want to dismiss your statement as untrue. It's possible that you didn't go to some of the right places at the right times. You might have been in some economically depressed neighborhoods south of Interstate 30. You might have also been in the northern suburbs that I mentioned in the previous post around a bunch of married moms. On the northern side of Dallas, areas north of Interstate 635 are not as well known for pussie quality. North of Interstate 635 covers the northern part of Dallas city limits and all of the northern suburbs. Some areas north of 635 are better than others.

I was in uptown/downtown area- the area looked dead and depressing. The food was Mid, the streets were unwalkable, everything was bisected by a highway, and just overall a horrible experience. I have also been to a bar area that I can't remember that was full of Yuppies and I still wasn't impressed.

A common criticism of the Dallas area is that it is lacking for things to do besides eating, drinking, shopping, and spectator sports. Those people are lazy. It might take more effort to find things to do but there are plenty of things to do. Most recreation options are available here if someone knows where to look. There are some scenic natural areas. There's hiking and biking. There are bodies of water. There's fishing and horseback riding nearby. People can get involved with whatever sport or other activity they like. There's an art and museum scene.

It is not that it is lacking things to do, it is just the city felt like a giant Sams club Parking lot next to a renovated strip mall.

@SW15, why do you choose to remain in Dallas? You got much better Austin, Houston, or San Antonio down the road if you want to remain in Texas.

 

[SW15]

I was in uptown/downtown area- the area looked dead and depressing. The food was Mid, the streets were unwalkable, everything was bisected by a highway, and just overall a horrible experience. I have also been to a bar area that I can't remember that was full of Yuppies and I still wasn't impressed.

If you were in the Uptown/Downtown area, then you were in one of the better areas of Dallas. You weren't in a suburban wasteland and that's really good.

Downtown Dallas is enclosed by highways. There's Spur 366 to the north, US 75/I-45 to the east (separating Downtown Dallas from Deep Ellum), I-35 to the west, and I-30 to the south.

The border of Downtown and Uptown is Spur 366 to the north. There's a park above Spur 366 called Klyde Warren Park. While in theory it should be a good place for approaching and pickup, it never is. Every time that I have tried to do a daygame session at Klyde Warren, I have been disappointed.

You might have been at some yuppie bars off of McKinney Ave in Uptown (a better area in the 2000-2010s) or Henderson Ave. I know a guy who specifically targeted yuppie bars in Uptown/off of McKinney in the 2010s because he had that Golden Retriever Energy and a look that played well with yuppie women. It helped him get a triple digit notch count but he ended up settling down with a bipolar woman who isn't impressive.

@SW15, why do you choose to remain in Dallas? You got much better Austin, Houston, or San Antonio down the road if you want to remain in Texas.

I have long said on this forum that Austin and Dallas are the 2 most challenging mating markets in Texas.

I don't have much interest in Austin. I have more interest in Houston and San Antonio than I would in Austin.

I have not received a working offer in any of those cities. If I received a quality working offer in any of those cities, I would have some desire to leave Dallas and start over there. I think that I have designed my life well in the sense that I have a lot of freedom. When you consider men in the 35-44 age range, very few have the freedom that I have. I embrace that freedom.

 

[Steno]

Ok I've been scouting a bit. Those willing to make that drive to Ft Worth, the nightclub Studio 80 is cool. They play 80s music so its an older crowd in the main area, then they have a section in the back where its new music so there's young people there. Its like 2 night clubs in one and its easy to find parking. That drive was super long though so I'm probably not going back anytime soon. If anyone knows any places in ft worth please share.

Deep Ellum is tricky AF as most of the places seemed super ratchet. Some of the bars I wouldn't even bother trying to go in due to seeing a lot of hood people on the lines. Here are the spots I checked out:
Adair's Saloon: I got there early so it was kinda empty but its a chill bar with older crowd. Out of all the bars I went to in Deep Ellum this was the only one that was predominantly a white crowd (I saw a few more with white crowd but didn't go inside).
Cafe Salsera and Vidorra: Predominately latino crowd but super young like everyone looked barely 21. Not sure whats going on in Salsera but I think they are renovating or something and the space is super small you can barely move. Vidorra's lines are too long, theres a long line just to get in and then once your inside there's even a longer line to get to the rooftop so I wasn't able to check out the rooftop area. The main floor was super crowded too couldn't move. I'm guessing you have to get to these spots early like around 10 and do approaches before it gets packed. My short time I was in these spots there was no "traditional" dancing going on so no salsa, cumbia, bachata, merengue, it was mostly bad bunny feid and j balvin type music. I heard there's a Vidorra in Addison so will probably check it out soon. Hard to approach in both these places because all the chicks are dancing.
Rodeo Dallas: 50/50 latino and black crowd. I would avoid going there on Fridays and Saturdays crazy long lines and too crowded. I wen't on a Sunday and the amount of people there was justttt right a lot of people but you can still walk around. The crowd there is younger too and some of the crowd looked a bit ratchet but the latina chicks that go there looked better than Vidorra and Salsera and the vibe is a lot easier for approaching since people weren't dancing. They have a mechanical bull too but the day I went I didn't see anyone get on it so not sure whats up with that.

I want to see whats up with Bottled Blonde and Green Light Social but haven't been there yet. Oh and the place next to Adair's Saloon on the corner looked pretty cool but the crowd was older like I'm talking 40+. Not sure if that's the norm of if there was some sort of event going on that night. Not gonna lie I saw some sexy milfs going in but they were charging to get in so I was too cheap to check it out.

Next up I want to check out Knox/Henderson area, Uptown, and Addison to see whats up.

Anyone know anything cool going on NYE? I want to go out for New Years Eve.

Also does anyone know any good bars that get crowded on weekdays like either right after work hours 5-7 or at night? I'm trying to go out at least 4-5 times a week.

 

[SW15]

I want to check out Knox/Henderson area, Uptown, and Addison to see whats up.

First off, this link will likely help you.

The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide

We hit the streets, bellied up to more than our share of bars, raised a glass with the regulars, and bent the ear of every bartender we could find, all to give you an artisanal guide to the best bars in Dallas.

www.dmagazine.com

Knox/Henderson has improved in recent years. In the early 2010s when I arrived, it was known as a secondary place for a slightly older crowd (late 20s to mid-30s). Due to the fact that Uptown started going downhill in the mid to late 2010s, Knox/Henderson started attracting the bougie crowd and even the SMU students that were 21-22. Almost all of the nightlife venues are on the Henderson side of Knox/Henderson. The Knox side has more subdued restaurants and has some daygame spots.

The Skellig is a bar with a very strong approach scene on Henderson. Candleroom is a nightclub off of Henderson that gets a sexy crowd at times. The noise level at Candleroom is very high. It's difficult to have a meaningful conversation over the music. If you want to seduce at Candleroom, it's caveman style guy with good looks and good presentation (clothes/accessories).

I've soured on Uptown since 2016 or so. Uptown was the best place in Dallas in the 2000s - mid-2010s. More of a ratchet crowd started going to some of the nightlife venues off of McKinney Avenue there. There are still some bougie things in Uptown, especially the more northern part of Uptown (West Village). West Village has more daygame options but The Rustic is a place for approaching in West Village.

Addison has also changed a lot over time. Addison had more a scene in the 2000s prior to when I moved here. Many of the nightlife venues in Addison have closed in the last 5-10 years. Addison has also never been very walkable. There are still a couple of decent spots in Addison. Gloria's in Addison is a good place to meet Latinas who aren't ratchet. It turns into a salsa dancing establishment on Friday/Saturday nights at 11 PM. That's something that's been going on for decades in Addison if that's your thing. The overall scene in Addison is a bit older for the most part. Most venues will be 30s and early 40s.

Deep Ellum is tricky AF as most of the places seemed super ratchet. Some of the bars I wouldn't even bother trying to go in due to seeing a lot of hood people on the lines.

I've never liked Deep Ellum because of this.

Anyone know anything cool going on NYE? I want to go out for New Years Eve.

There's plenty going on in Dallas for NYE. NYE is overrated as a pickup day. It's more established couples oriented. It can stink getting to midnight and not having a kiss arranged.