badpuppy

Thanks to Mr.GSR for showing me around last night!

rjque

I loved the Round-Up Saloon when I visited Dallas. I find that most gay bars around the country tend to be just like the places we have here in SF. There's only so much Badlands that one can handle. The Round-Up was the exception to that rule - truly a unique experience! And the crowd isn't exactly hard on the eyes . . .

Karter

I'm quite new to Dallas but have hestitated going out properly on Cedar Springs cos I can never find anywhere to park if I arrive there anytime after 6. Any ideas on how to park?

Plus I live in Frisco. Is there not any gay bar/club/cafe outside of Oaklawn?

mach92

Nothing in Frisco or Dallas besides Oaklawn.

Parking can be hard no question. The one secure lot is right near JR's but fills up fast on the weekends.

GSR

Just park on the neighborhood streets behind the bars. Go left on Throckmorton and or up by the Bank of America and drive til you find a spot. It's not too bad.

RChavez

Just be careful and aware of your surroundings. I've had friends who have had their cars broken into back there, as well as one who was mugged. It seems that those streets can sometimes be targets for unsavory characters. If you're going to park on the neighborhood streets, I'd park along the streets on the other side of Cedar Springs toward Lemmon.

What I used to do was always valet it at Lime/Chic/Havana. I forgot what it was called before...but the parking was only $5 or $6 and well worth the aggravation of circling.

There are also pay lots behind the shopping center where the Round Up is, as well as behind the old burrito place across from JRs and behind Mickey's.

mach92

I would NEVER PARK BACK THERE! It is not safe just a few months back a girl was decapated behind JR's. There is a TON of crime behind the bars and going back. Also a guy was killed at the Bank of American ATM a few months back also. Do yourself a favor park secure or on the other side serious!

WillFlyer

When I lived in Dallas I always parked in the Kroger parking lot. It costs $5 but rarely fills up. I agree with the other posters about theft. My car was broken into twice in four years in Oak Lawn, but I have a Jeep Wrangler that has a soft top that is easy to break into.

19103_aa

What's the smoking ban situation in DFW bars now? I'm getting mixed results with google.

DFWFlyer2

It's still smoky as can be, but one of the bartenders at JR's told me recently that the ban subject is up for discussion again, and this time Caven (the company that owns the larger bars on Cedar Springs) is backing a full ban this time around. The staff apparently voted and it was something like 80%-90% in support of a full ban. We can only hope!

badpuppy

Those who might be interested ... Roman Heart will be performing in Station Four tonight.

I was in Dallas for half a day yesterday; I wish I would have known about this earlier

robb

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry 8700: BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

D'oh! I'm at DFW now, but leaving. That could have been a fun evening.

badpuppy

That is exactly how I felt like last night!

I got to see Pierre Fitch and Ralph Woods in YUL not too long ago though!

JCinNYC

So I was doing a search here in the GLBT forum for Dallas info and the latest post I found is like 2 years old... I was wondering if anyone has any new info/updates on Dallas (GLBT and in general too).

I'm going for a weekend by the end of the month for a family function so I may need a break If I wanted to go out, is Oak Lawn still the gay area? Any news 'hoods'?

In terms of where to stay, I'm looking for hotels in downtown Dallas, is this a good area to stay in? I don't need to be right next to the gay bars, I'm looking for good restaurants, stores, people watching, be able to have a walk, etc. Is this a good area taking into account I'll be there on a weekend? Or is it dead like in other cities' downtowns?

Any tips/suggestions will be appreciated - thanks!

DFWFlyer2

I know this won't do YOU any good, but for anyone planning on coming to Dallas more than a month in the future, our full smoking ban goes into effect in EXACTLY one month, Friday, April 10th, and we are needless to say, more than thrilled!

Oak Lawn is definitely still the place to be. The block of Cedar Springs between Reagan and Throckmorton is where you'll want to focus. You have JRs (corner of C.S. & Throckmorton, cheap drinks, 2-story w/outdoor balconies...the BEST place to people-watch....kinda young but definitely not hard on the eyes), Sue Ellen's (right behind JR's (it's moved), lesbian, live bands, cheap drinks, also 2-story w/an outdoor balcony upstairs and an outdoor patio down), TMC (DARK bar with GREAT music, small dance floor, dancers, corner of C.S. & Reagan), S4 (in between JR's and TMC, dance club, cheap drinks, drag shows, 2-story w/outdoor balconies and a fenced patio in the back), and my personal favorite, the Roundup (across the street from the other bars, cowboy, nice attractive crowd, PACKED on Saturday nights).

A very nice hotel within walking distance of all of the nightlife is the Warwick Melrose Hotel. http://www.warwickmelrosedallas.com/ If you really DON'T want to stay in the gayborhood, you could check out the W Dallas-Victory Park over by the American Airlines Center. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotel...ropertyID=1521 I wouldn't recommend staying downtown. There's really still not a lot to do down there.

You'll definitely want to have a car, as has been mentioned before, Dallas is not the most public-transportation friendly city! For shopping, you'll want to check out Northpark Center. They're anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Barney's, Dillard's, and Macy's. While they've got a lot of the typical larger mall offerings, they've also got quite a few higher-end shops that you won't find everywhere like Ted Baker, Diesel, Armani, Herrara, True Religion, Ed Hardy, Juicy Couture, Versace, Tiffany, Cartier, De Beers, Tumi, etc. http://www.northparkcenter.com/

If you DO end up staying at the Melrose, a couple of GREAT restaurants within walking distance are Steel (http://steeldallas.com/) and Bengal Coast (http://www.bengalcoast.com/), both located in the Centrum building, which is at the opposite corner of Cedar Springs and Oak Lawn from the Melrose.

If you're staying at the W, you might want to check out Craft (http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craft_dallas_style.html). Another awesome restaurant is Abacus (http://www.kentrathbun.com/abacus.html).

If you want to take a walk AND people-watch on a nice weekend day, Katy Trail (http://www.katytraildallas.org/site/PageServer) is the place to be. It's not far from the Oak Lawn area, and one end of it is actually in Victory Park (where the W is located).

Hope this helps!