Hi everyone, I found out yesterday that I’ll be going to Dallas for my psychiatry residency! Super excited to get started, I’m coming from the northeast. Would appreciate any advice about Dallas including neighborhoods, things to do, food, what’s dart and is it reliable?
Thank you!!
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Your work location should drive your selection of living arrangement.
Psychiatry residency: I’ll guess Baylor, UT Southwestern, or Parkland. Those are all closer to downtown Dallas than anything in the suburbs, so any neighborhood or apartment complex (safe, convienent, affordable - pick two) north of I-30 and south of 635, west of 75 and east of I-35 will be tolerable.
DART is great, it is clean and efficient; but it’s usefulness depends entirely on your starting point and your destination. It does not offer a comprehensive means of moving around the area in a timely manner. (I used it for four years to commute. That was possible because I had an apartment a short walk away from the station, and the job was likewise a short walk from the station on the other end.)
Public transportation is not a viable means of transport in DFW. Look at me: Public transportation is not a viable means of transport in DFW. You will need a car.
No snow. We get ice more regularly than accumulation of snow, so we have limited equipment or facilities to clear streets. Winter precipitation = armageddon.
End of April until end of September it’s hotter than a two-dollar pistol, so outdoor activities are very limited.
Tex-Mex is distinct from Mexican food. Both are good, but it’s not the same thing.
Liquor stores are closed on Sunday (and New Year’s day too, I think).
Entertainment districts are spread out:
- Deep Elum
- Lower Greenville
- Addison
- Plano Legacy
I second the message about the usability of DART. DART itself is great, but there is a lack of ways to get from DART stations to wherever you want to go. Public transit in dfw (Dallas fort worth metropolitan area) is only usable if both start and destination are right next to DART stations.
Bike lanes are also sparse for most of dfw. A car or motorcycle is necessary. If you do choose motorcycle for financial or whatever other reasons, be careful as dfw roads are full of asshole drivers.
I’ll be at UTSW. I was thinking of either staying near the hospitals, or in Oak Lawn since it’s a short drive from the hospitals and I read somewhere that its a walkable neighborhood for groceries, coffee, etc. Is that true?
M Streets, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Bishop Arts all are walkable-ish, in the sense that you can arrange it to have one grocery store, one pharmacy, a couple of coffee shops, and a few boutiques, restaurants and bars in walking distance. Get close to a Dart Rail station, and you can add a handful of other small entertainment districts surrounding developed stations, but all of this will simply reduce your need for car-based transportation, not eliminate it. Then factor in that while walking a few blocks in Texas heat is nothing like impossible, doing so while remaining hygienic starts to be. If you plan well, and if you’re going to be busy at work all the time anyway, you might pull it off with walking, transit, biking, and Uber, but I would suggest that you get living arrangements that could accommodate a car even if you try to go without at first.
Google Maps with Street View is your friend when looking at this stuff. See if the sidewalk goes all the way from the house/apartment to the cool pub you saw. Check your commute and set the departure time to when you’ll actually be commuting. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume schools are not an issue, which will help a lot with finding something kinda cool while still being halfway affordable.
Also, get your spice tolerance up. If you can’t handle some jalapenos on your nachos or basic white-people-compatible Indian food, no one will respect you, LOL. 🤣
Finally, remember that as fucked as Texas politics can be, it’s only about 5:4 crazies to sane, and in your professional community in the middle of Dallas it will be better, but be ready for the 5.
I am planning on driving down my car, I’m just looking for walkable neighborhoods because I enjoy walking around if I have the time in the evenings. I’m also chonky and can use the exercise. I love spicy food, so that’s only a good thing for me haha. I assumed most apartment buildings offered parking for tenants. Is that not something I should assume as a default?
Also I did consider the politics thing. While it’ll be annoying dealing with the 5, I’m hoping to make friends among the 4 that can turn frustrating encounters into laughs. And I’m hoping it won’t affect me much on a day to day basis, but I guess I’ll find out :)
I assumed most apartment buildings offered parking for tenants. Is that not something I should assume as a default?
Most should have something, but some complexes will handle it better than others. You may not get reserved parking or covered parking without paying extra. I’d say just ask if the listing is not clear. If you start looking at renting a house or a room/garage apartment, things could get weird in those slightly denser neighborhoods.
Welcome to Texas, doc!
Thank you for the warm welcome! 🤠
Do you mean Dallas (the exonym for the entire metro area) or Dallas (city of)? There’s a big difference.
There are a couple questions to consider:
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Where will your residency be?
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Do you have a place to live locked down yet?
Wherever your job is, try to live close enough to keep your commute from going too far over half an hour. I once commuted from west Fort Worth to Grand Prairie. For over three years. I am not smart but I am stubborn.
If your residency is in Plano, may God have mercy on your soul if you live in Fort Worth, because your commute sure won’t.
I’ve never ridden DART buses, but the handful of times I’ve ridden DART rail or the Trinity Railway Express it hasn’t been too painful.
As far as places to eat, shop, hang out, etc, it depends in part on where you’ll be living and working. DFW is a big goddamned place. Supposedly it’s about the size of Connecticut. We can provide more tailored recommendations for dining if you know roughly where you’ll be.
I’ll be at UTSW so Dallas proper (afaik). I do not have a place to live yet (I don’t start until later in June and still have to finish things up here till early May)
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Condolences. I will never choose to live in TX again. If your have a bicycle just sell it now.
For better or worse, I come from an area where I already rely on a car for everything, and bike lanes only exist in name. So I figure Dallas can only be a little better than where I am in the burbs.
