I Have a Love/Hate Relationship With Dallas

I could show you the worst of Dallas through a mundane example; a job interview. I was unemployed and ecstatic for the interview even though it would be in downtown, the cesspool of traffic, construction and aggressive drivers. I couldn't find the building even with Google Maps chirping directions. I called twice to use the typical excuse of being stuck in traffic even though I was really lost and was looking for an excuse to cut my losses. They didn't take the hint. Finally in the general area, I had to walk a few blocks in the blazing summer heat in interview attire.

To top it all off when I was going through a green light a car almost T boned me in the intersection. After gripping the wheel and clenching my upper body so hard in panicked self preservation mode I was sore for days. My adrenaline subsided slightly for the interview since I almost being killed 10 minutes before made it seem slightly less nerve wracking in comparison. All these signs seemed like divine intervention telling me this wasn't the right path for me or just Dallas doing what it does best; making people feel unwelcome. I treated myself to a glass bottle of Dublin Dr Pepper in the lobby on the way out because if the perils I just went through meant nothing I at least needed something nice out of the experience.

I usually avoid Dallas like the plague with a few exceptions, concerts, museums and the occasional restaurant visit. There are places and sights to see that will be nowhere else especially in Texas. Everything else usually isn't worth the hassle, stress and anxiety I feel navigating through the city. As someone who has lived within 50 miles of Dallas for the majority of my life I can say it's pull is equal parts intoxicating and aggravating. When I was a teen seeking out stimulation I would consider Dallas. But I rarely ventured there. It seemed too dangerous and complicated. I also felt like it would swallow me whole and I would never escape.

How I picture Dallas most of the time as a dumpster fire.

Every time it is featured in a list of top 10 cheapest (ha!) or best places to live I scoff but still click. I want to know what they will highlight, usually all entertainment and cultural events which are the only positives. Everything else is not that great or could be improved. No one seems to mention in these articles about the traffic surrounding Dallas, always bad, the corruption, lack of infrastructure and the list could go on and on. Ever since I've read a newspaper or watched the local news, people, most with good intentions, try to revitalize the parts of the city that are always neglected and tend to be blind spot that's ignored. These efforts usually fall flat due to a lack of resources or caring. Why can't some of the North Dallas taxes, which I'm sure are astronomical, go towards other neighborhoods?

Traffic. Construction. Unintuitive lanes. These are a few things I hate which are omnipresent in Dallas. There is no time of day when traveling in or around Dallas when I haven't gotten stuck in traffic. It is a universal law of Dallas. Unless you are driving when basically no one else is on the road there will be delays and more likely some stop and go congestion. It doesn't matter which highway either. This is why Google Maps is a godsend when driving in Dallas. Every time I try to navigate without it I get lost or have to drive aimlessly until I find a landmark or run into a highway. This also brings out the worst driving habits in people which only serves to freak out drivers who don't know where they are going. Tailgating, speeding and aggressive driving can be found in the ridiculously expensive cars and the old clunkers who are one wreck away from the junkyard.

You can't get anywhere in Dallas without a car. There is public transportation but it's not that reliable depending on the destination and time of day. Bikes and bike lanes are popping up but the bravery involved with sharing the road with Dallas drivers in a normal car makes biking next to them seem like a one way ticket to the ER. These two universal laws of Dallas, always traffic and must drive, contribute to both aggravations. If there were less cars on the road maybe there would also be less traffic? It is pretty unlikely this will ever change. Also good luck finding parking that is free or not valet, depending on the neighborhood.

As with any major bustling city it is easier to survive, thrive and have fun if you have the cash to back it up. There are only two types of neighborhoods, the rich ones and the poor ones. The middle class fled a long time ago. Dallas I like you, sometimes, but you've got a lot of problems. So this relationship is going to stay on again off again until you change. I can't make a long term commitment with you. It's complicated.