Kid Rasta said:
Dallas peeps: How's it for a bruh livin' in D-Town??? Is there a lot of racism??? How's the job situation there??? I've rolled thru Houston & San Antonio -- but never the D.
BTW, I heard that Sambuca restaurant in Addison was da spot. Can anyone confirm this???
The Kid Rasta 8)
Dallas is a giant country town in some aspects and apart of a thriving metropolis in other senses. DFW is like having a pinch of Chicago, Mexico City and Anytown, Mississippi..mixed together. The city leaders want Dallas to be regarded the same way Chi-town, New York, L.A. etc. are but there is too much infighting for that to happen...people are too tied to their McMansions and gas guzzling SUV's and a desire for "space"...part of the reason there is so much growth in the suburbs....but the interior of the city is making a comeback (slowly and painfully).
Because of Dallas' past with white businessmen running the city...Dallas went to a 14-1 mayoral system which means that no matter how good our mayor is..there is a limit to what they can do because the other 14 councilmen and women run their part of town like a fiefdom. Ron Kirk in the 90's and Tom Leppert today....have done good work....Laura Miller (the mayor for most of the 2000's) wasn't the best...more concerned with potholes than the big picture....part of the reason the New Texas Stadium will be out in Arlington (where there is no mass transit) instead of South Dallas at Fair Park (traditionally black neighborhood since the 40's and 50's).
The novel "A Tale of Two Cities" describes big D perfectly. The north is almost overdeveloped and most of the $$$, tax revenue and college degrees there....South Dallas has far more crime, lower property values and poverty....much of it having to do with years of neglect. Both West and East Dallas are Latino strongholds that are experiencing a bit of a renaissance. West Dallas has traditonally been among the roughest parts of the city while East Dallas used to be among the wealthiest before facing decline years back. There has been a big debate brewing about one of Dallas' historical streets being named after Cesar Chavez. Proponents (mostly Latino leaders) say it's time for Mexican-American interests to be recognized considering Latinos make up a sizeable portion of the city....Blacks make up 20+ % of the city with Latinos and whites splitting most of the rest. Opponents of the street name change say that there are plenty of Texas heroes of Mexican descent that could be used instead of Chavez...people like Juan Antonio Seguin (long story...look it up on wikipedia)
There are great schools (like the high school I went to) and awful ones...careful research is needed to decide what is right for your children.
As for race...it is an issue at city hall and on the Dallas School Board...out in the city...not as much. The black vs. Latino gang violence of California doesn't really exist here. Virtually all conflicts are intra-racial and not interracial.
On a side note: I went to the Cowboys open practice at Texas Stadium this week and was surprised at the number of young (and attractive white women) holding their black sons' by the hand as they watched the action...and many of these women had their black husbands standing next to them...arms around each other.
From what I've heard San Antonio may be more "liberal" when it comes to IR than Dallas (not sure about H-Town). The city definitely has a conservative slant but not as much as one would suspect...especially if you're in the city and not the 'burbs. The state as a whole is conservative but the big cities (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio etc.) aren't much different than big cities in other places.
The public transportation is pretty good (not perfect but still good) and it's surprising how many people don't take advantage considering the fairly clogged highways and expressways.
Jobs are available....many Northern transplants from Michigan, Ohio, New York etc. end up here because of the jobs. Very much technology driven..I think there are more telecom companies here than anywhere outside of Silicon Valley.
I've heard of Sambucca...haven't been there..heard it's pretty good...check out the Brazillian restaurant 'Fogo de Chao'...great South American cuisine. El Fenix and Razzoo's are my favorite spots. One is local Tex-Mex sabor...and the other is a gluttony of tasty, spicy cajun food.