Things You Should Know About… …Dallas …Texas …America

I just got home from Dallas, so I thought I’d put together a little list of things, which are important or good to know when you travel to Dallas, Texas or the United States.

Things You Should Know About Dallas

-       In cities like New York or Chicago you are totally fine with public transport and taxis, not in Dallas. Taxis don’t just stand around everywhere; you have to call one. And yes there are trains and buses in Dallas, but they are barely used. You definitely need a car in this city, it’s much easier to get around.
-    There is not much going on in downtown Dallas, Highland Park Village or Uptown are more popular places. 

-       Hockey is not big in Dallas. The Dallas Stars are not that popular. The Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and the Mavericks are way more popular. Some people don’t even know the logo.

-       Dallas is fab for shopping. So many great shopping malls, outlets and more. I loved shopping there. Great places to shop: North Park, Uptown, Galleria Dallas, Allen Outlet Mall etc.

-       Dallas has a lot of suburbs, which are actually their own town, it spreads pretty far.

-       Traffic is big in Dallas.

-       Arts and culture play an important role in Dallas.
-    There is an actual white cross on the street right where John F. Kennedy got shot and people stop there to get their picture taken.

Things You Should Know About Texas

-       Laws can differ from State to State, so Texans really like to be free. Phones in the car, texting etc. this is allowed in Texas, the same goes for u-turns. Some of their laws are definitely weird.

-       There are a lot of Spanish speaking people in Texas, that’s why you find info letters, menus etc. in English as well as Spanish.

-       It’s always quite warm in Texas. It can snow yes, but not a lot and summers tend to get really hot and nobody wants to go outside.

-       There are a lot of tornadoes and storms happening in Texas.

-       Gun Ranges are quite normal.

-       A soda like sprite or coke is called a “coke” here.

-       “Y’all” etc. Texans use some very interesting expressions.

-       During bluebonnet season people will stop by the field (right next to the street) and get pictures of their kids or their family taken

Things You Should Know About America

-       America is big. It takes you forever to drive to certain places. Even flying from Dallas to Austin is an hour. Europeans have a total different understanding of distances.

-       America has 50 states and they can have their own laws and rules. While something might be allowed in one state, it’s not allowed in the next one.

-       Everything is open 24/7.

-       Meals/Portions are big.

-       Everything is to go, take out or drive through.

-       Their president. Not saying more here... Most people don’t like him though.

-       They are crazy with their gun laws.

-       They don’t separate their trash. Only some things get recycled.

-       You have to think about a lot before booking a trip: ESTA, Visa etc.

-       America is great for shopping, so pack light.

-       All you need is a credit card.

-       They have great department stores!

-       Petite sections in clothing stores are fabulous for tiny girl like me!

-       Don’t forget to tip.

I would recommend America to everyone when it comes to traveling, it’s great!