Layover at DFW - where to go, what to do, how much time?
 

Hi,

on an upcoming trip I have a five-hour layover at DFW airport. Just discovered that there is a Fry's location at Irving which is pretty close to the airport (about 8 miles according to Mapquest). I am in need for a CPU upgrade on my machine, so getting one from Fry's will probably save me a lot of money making this "detour" worth it.

Anybody has a guess what the cheapest mean of transportation is to get there? I could rent a car for about $45 with taxes and 500 miles included, take a cab (probably the fastest way, but I have no idea what that would run at - any suggestions?) or take a shuttle to one of the hotels close to that location and take a cab from there (which will probably be the most time-consuming alternative, however).

So: What would you suggest me to do?

Greetings - Dirk

Two factors to consider.

One, a cab will cost you more than the rental car by the time you factor idle time. (I used to work north of DFW about four miles west of Frys - or about half the distance you will go in the cab) and cab would routinely run me $20 to $25 one way to drop me at my building.

Two, time - rental car pick up/drop off is not uber-convenient and will add a good hour to your overall time vs. hopping in a cab.

That said, with five hours, I would rent the car so I'm not paying for someone to idle outside of Frys (and calling a cab to come back and pick you up could have you waiting 30 or more minutes - we just don't do cabs much in Dallas).

Besides, I suspect you will want to take your time and enjoy that Frys - it is one of the nicest in the whole chain. If you see the 30-ish young redhead and brunette wandering around the store together, wave at your fellow FTers - that would be PeachesBB and I - we've been in there several times a week over the past couple of months and know a lot of the salespeople in the various departments by name.

(Also, if you need to eat, this Fry's has a cafe location - coffee drinks, gelato, and basic salads/sandwiches. If they are pulling an order for you, you can go eat and they'll let you know when your computer order is ready.)

Even without idle - that would be $40-$50 roundtrip - not worth it when the rental is roundabout the same money, but gives me a place to store my carry-on in the trunk, much more flexibility and 500 miles on either LH, KL or Asiamiles. So thanks a lot for the perspective - I had no idea a cab would be that expensive.

Hmmm, I could use either Avis Preferred or Hertz Gold - that should reduce time considerably, wouldn't it? Aren't those two close to/inside the terminal?

Seems indeed the best thing to do - thanks a lot.

Actually this one is going to be the eleventh Fry's I am going to - been to Freemont, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Downer's Grove, Las Vegas, Duluth, Phoenix and Tempe - so I'm looking forward to experience a new one...;-)! And all except Downer's Grove were very nice - so if this is one of the nicest, I certainly have something to look forward to.

I certainly will look out for the two of you - I always enjoy meeting other FT'ers and have a chat...but now everything depends on AA to let me standby for the direct CLE-DFW instead of going CLE-ORD-DFW as I booked. If they do I stop by that store on my way back home from the CLE-DO in August, for sure.

btw: Is there any way to check the store's ads online somewhere beforehand???

Greetings - Dirk

I haven't figured out how to check the store ads anywhere - but we usually are on a mission when we go there so a sale is just a bonus.

I've visited a lot of those Frys as well - and this is definitely one of the newest/nicest ones.

Rental cars are all at the offsite rental car center - you'll get your car faster having some status, but you will still have to get on a bus and go to the center.

Incidentally, the fastest way to get to get there from the rental car center (regardless of what the rental car people tell you) is to take the frontage road north through DFW all the way to the north exit - then take that road north to 635 East. (The DFW folks don't want the rental car folks sending their patrons up the frontage roads so they lie and say they are not thru roads - they actually are.) You'll take 635 to the exit between Belt Line and MacArthur (can't remember the name of it... but someone will jump in, I'm sure) and Fry's is across the bridge next to the Home Depot. When you go to return your car, you can again take the south frontage road back to the rental car center.

Do post in Community once you figure out how long you are going to have - there are several DFW FTers who work and/or live within ten minutes of that Fry's - we could have a Fry's Do!

Thanks - just figured out how to check Fry's Dallas advertising:

http://newspaperads.dfw.com/RopAds.aspx?adv=15646&ad=

Apart from that I am pretty sure that I will either arrive DFW at 2:53p on AA3606 (if they let me standby for the nonstop) or at 4:54p on AA2333 to depart at 7:10p on AA78 to LGW. So it is actually four hours if I can standby, or it does not make any sense to try it if I have to go as booked. Date in question, btw, is Sunday Aug 28th.

Greetings - Dirk

what do you do with carryons during a layover [at dfw]?
 

we've got a long layover at dfw and a toddler. it'd be nice to be able to get out and see a little bit of dallas, but do we have to drag our carryons with us everywhere? is there anywhere we can stow our carseat, backpacks, etc. short of checking in at the hyatt's outrageous day rate and leaving it in a room? any help would be greatly appreciated!

Please add "DFW" to your title of post.
 

You can try to check your gear with a bellman at one of the Hyatt's (2 at DFW). You don't have to go into Dallas. You can grab a taxi. A couple miles north of the BIG airport--DFW--there is a town called Grapevine with a huge outlet mall with some child friendly activities and a Bass Pro Shop that has a lunch area and stuff for children to look at. The fabulous Gaylord Texan Hotel a couple miles from the town (closer to the airport) that has so much to see for free and great meals on offer that you might enjoy going there.

If you want to go into Dallas proper, rent a car on a day rate and carry your gear with you. You will need time to do all that.

I hope this helps. Welcome to Texas!

thanks for the info. is there a charge for checking our gear? what's the usual tip for that per item?

Lots of Texans will surely weigh-in on the South FT Forum
Please continue to follow this thread there.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

thanks--but where is this forum?

5/6 hour layover in DFW - suggestions on what to do
 

I'm flying back from EZE next Sunday and am looking for suggestions to do during an 5/6 hour layover (arrive 6:15, depart 14:15 - 8 hours technically, but I've arranged to meet some people from noon on).

I'm interested in sights to see and maybe some shopping.

Paul,

Do you want to rent a car for the day, or rely on public transportation? GrapevineMillsMall.com would be the closest place to go shopping, but might not open until noon on Sunday. I'm not much of a store shopping guy, someone else will know opening hours better than I.

This may seem overly obvious, but have you been to the JFK museum? You can reach it easily from DFW using the TRE commuter train. There is a bus that will take you to the Centreport station (next to AA hdqtrs.) then about a 15 min. ride to Union Station in downtown Dallas. Museum is two blocks away. There won't be much other activity in downtown on a Sunday, but you can connect to DART light rail at Union Station to get to other parts of Dallas. Look into the Uptown/McKinney Ave. area for shops, restos, etc.

Fort Worth has a terrific museum district, but you'll have the same problems with opening hours on Sunday. If you want to see some remnant of Old West heritage, the Stockyards area of north Fort Worth might be worth a look. TRE train also goes to downtown FW from DFW. [URL="www.trinityrailwayexpress.org"]

I live in Fort Worth, so any other questions feel free to PM me.

OK, sorry, I'm an idiot! I just realized the TRE doesn't run on Sunday. That pretty much leaves your options to renting a car or taxi to d/t Dallas or Fort Worth. I'd estimate @ $60 each way for either city. Not attractive, but this an extremely automobile-centric area.

DART in Dallas www.dart.org or city buses in Fort Worth www.the-t.com would still get you around either city if so inclined. A taxi to Grapevine Mall should be much less expensive, $20 or so each way. Again, feel free to PM with any more specific ???s

Are there any buses that run from DFW to Dallas or Fort Worth?

I've been to the JFK Memorial before, but wouldn't mind going again to put down some time. I suppose arriving at 6am on a Sunday doesn't leave me with much options!

There are buses to Dallas from the North & South remote parking lots, but it's a major schlep. There's a trip planner at dart.org you can try. Try using CBD West Transit Center as your downtown destination. I'd allow a half hour after you clear customs due to the wait for thefree airport shuttle to the parking lot.

What I found was a 7:29 bus from the South lot (route #408), a 15 minute transfer at Mockingbird & Harry Hines to the #44, arriving downtown at 9:15 am. I'd hate to do that after a long overnight flight, myself.

If you really want to get downtown, I'd suggest a cab ($45 flat rate), Supershuttle, or trying for a cheap rental car using Priceline.