Originally Posted by WineIsGood
I don't know Dallas too well either, but it was a pretty short drive into downtown from the W. I'm not sure how many places you could walk from the hotel.
Most of the nightlife and dining options in "downtown" Dallas are actually not in the CBD but rather the area known as Uptown. I would consider the Victory development to be (marginally) part of Uptown. There are lots of great restaurants around the Crescent Court and around McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas. The one part of the actual downtown/CBD that has some life at night is known as the West End (note - West End should not be confused with West Village) but is filled with only chain dining/drinking options and mostly tourists. Uptown is a much better choice and McKinney Ave is the main drag of Uptown - once you get there you can hop on the free trolley. McKinney Ave. and the Crescent area of Uptown should be easy (5-15 minute) walks from the W. I live in Uptown and generally walk to games at the American Airlines Center - it's an easy and safe enough walk but take care when crossing the main streets - Dallas is not the most pedestrian friendly of cities and the drivers here are terrible (fast and aggressive yet unskilled).
So long story short, lots of places are walkable from the W. Just go to Uptown, not Downtown!