Making plans for Dallas

[jamesmaner]

Need to find a reasonable place to stay in Dallas for the ou game. Any veterans please forward your advice including best transportation.

 

[jamesmaner]

Bumpin my own post.

 

[texascoder]

A "reasonable" place to stay in Dallas would be wherever that girl in your sig is going to be the night before the game

Ok, since you went and bumped your own thread... I don't really have "advice" as this year will be the first year that I don't just drive up (from Austin area) and back on gameday. I'm staying at the Doubletree Market Center Friday and Saturday nights. Got a sweet deal using my company's discount program. I've never stayed at that hotel, but there are lots of good reviews from guests so hopefully it's a decent place. Seems to be somewhat close to the West End so it shouldn't be too difficult to do some partying Friday and Saturday nights. As for transporation, I figure that my F150 SCrew will get me back and forth to the game

 

[jamesmaner]

Well that doesn't really help me. I can find a hotel but I'm looking at what are best options for traveling to/from game? Should I drive and park? Cab? DART? Are there any hotels where the Hornfans usually gather?

Im in the military so this will be my first ou game. I dont want to screw it up.

 

[l00p]

In the past, Orangeblood and LHG have gotten blocks of rooms for the game. I suggest contacting them to see if they are doing that this year and maybe put in a dibs for a room. Hope this works out for you or that you find a good place to stay.

 

[jamesmaner]

Ok...thanks...I sent them both a PM and now I'll just hope.

 

[HousHorn09]

There are literally a thousand different answer you can get from the faithful on here. I stay with friends that live in the area. I drive myself because hell Dallas isn't that hard to get around but traffic that morning is a ***** so anticipate this even if you DART it.

I've avoided downtown for many years now but that's only because I wanted no part in the shenanigans any more. If you're young, do it but be advised that the goons do come out en masse & are really a pretty stupid & inconsiderate bunch. Not all, hell I have an okie past & old childhood schoolmates who are diehard gooners. Lucky for me they never answer my phone calls or emails around this time of the year.

 

[UTEE]

The Hornfans block is usually at the Sheraton Suites Market Center Blvd, which is a decent hotel, and reasonably situated to get pretty much anywhere you want to go without taking forever to get there.

My friends and I generally park the cars Friday afternoon and cab it the rest of the weekend. We often end up on Greenville that Friday night, or at the Lakewood Bar and Grill to catch the annual Diamondbag show.

Then cabs to and from the State Fair, just make sure your driver knows the "back ways" and doesn't try to take you via the highway. You'd think they'd ALL know the back ways, but they don't.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Basketball Jones]

Just make sure you keep the doors locked and windows rolled up when taking the "back ways"....

 

[3rd Generation]

I have used Priceline for many years and have gotten a room at one of the major hotels, seems like a Hilton at DFW. It is an extra 10 minute drive but it is quiet and a four star hotel at $50 ain't bad.

 

[jamesmaner]

Whats the parking situation like? How bad is traffic if I plan on going to the game that morning around say 8 or 9 and then getting out of there around 7 or 8? Or do you guys recommend public transportation?

 

[SWHorn]

If you plan on going at 8 that morning, you should be fine, since the game is at 2:30.

 

[texascoder]

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[HornTYS]

Cabs down there = easy
Cabs back= the worst.

 

[msdw24]

Since it's a 2:30 kick this year, it will be much easier getting to Fair Park. Still we are going to arrive at about 8:45-9:00am and enjoy the Fair, Fried Beer and Fletchers before the game. Will get to watch the team busses this year, maybe ride the Pirate ship or the Ferris Wheel before hand as well.

I did find 40 coupons from last years Fair in a travel bag yesterday....it's like finding a twenty in your coat pocket

 

[UTEE]

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[TDTexas!]

The Mansion on Turtle Creek, The Adolphus or The Crescent

 

[Lidig8r]

Check out the Indigo Hotel on Main Street downtown. Pretty reasonable rates, close to Iron Cactus and nightclubs on Main.. and easy access to Deep Ellum and the back roads to get to Fair Park.

 

[OrngNugz]

It doesnt matter where you stay as long as you have a car. I have slept in my car before after getting kicked out of the hotel we were going to stay in before even checking in (not my fault). I slept in my car, my friends slept in the grass on some lawn we found. We had the greatest time ever!

 

[jamesmaner]

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[LocoGringos]

Gertting in and parking are no problem as long as you aren't thinking you'll pull right in an hour before the game. Avoid I-30 at all costs. Check Google maps and take something like Central to Gaston to Haskell or Fitzhugh instead. Getting out is fine if you stick around more than an hour after the game.

Everything everywhere is better with 2:30 kickoffs.

I'll put it this way -- I got a morning-of call for a freebie ticket to the Cotton Bowl a while back, so I bailed to my friend's house on Northwest Highway. My buddies didn't want to miss kickoff, so the left my ticket and headed out. I went NW Highway to Central to Fitzhugh and hit my seat just as the guy was parachuting into the stadium; my friends, native Dallasites who should know better, took I-30 and arrived in the middle of the 2nd quarter. And the Fair isn't open for the Cotton Bowl.

 

[Statalyzer]

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[LongLiveBevo]

Last year, the first year of service to Fair Park, DART did not have their act together and screwed it up so badly people were sitting on trains for hours. We got on a train in downtown, the first station after Victory Park, at 7 am and it was almost full already. By the time we got to Fair Park the train was literally like those commercials you see where faces are smooshed against the window and we couldn't breathe, and we had sat for half an hour at one point. The line to leave at 8 pm was estimated at 2 1/2 hours just to get on the train. We walked outside the gate and there tons of cabs trolling for fares. In less than 10 minutes we were back at our car. DART says they have it figured out but I'm going to wait for a few years of getting it straight before I trust them again. We've always driven ourselves and had no problems parking close (at 7am) or getting out so that's what we're doing again this year. We just figured give DART a shot last year. As others have said, even at that hour avoid I-30 at all costs. I live in Ft Worth so I don't have any recs on hotels. But youre quite welcome to go with me, my husband, and a buddy or two of his the day before to try all the food without the hour-long lines.

 

[Ignatius]

You may already know this, but for food/drinks you don't pay directly with cash; instead, you buy coupons and pay with those. It's a little bit of a hassle, but it helps speed things along because the vendors don't have to make change, screw with money, etc.

There are multiple kiosks on the grounds where you can buy the coupons, but the lines can get pretty long the closer to gametime, and are really long after the game. I always go to BigTex.com ahead of time and buy them onilne. You get a nominal price break ($10 worth for $9), and don't have to jack with the lines. The good thing is that they're reusable year-to-year, so any you don't use you can hang onto (I used some last year from 2001).

Alternatively, if you're leaving and have leftovers you can just walk up to someone at the end of a long-*** line and sell them to that person...

 

[Wesser]

My .02, as a resident of Dallas:

Drive. Drive your own car. Let me repeat that: drive yourself.

Driving is the best way into and out of the State Fair contrary to popular opinion. All of the out of towners get caught in traffic. None of the locals do. The simple solution is that you simply approach Fair Park through surface streets to the eastern parking lots.

If you are staying in the Market Center area (which many seem to be doing) my advice: take Oak Lawn from I-35E East (use the access roads to get to Oak Lawn it is just one street over from Market Center) until it intersects with Lemmon Avenue. Turn right (southeast) onto Lemmon. Go past the parking lot that will be southbound 75 and Lemmon will turn into Haskell. Turn left on either Live Oak or Gaston. Take either until you get to Munger - turn right. Munger will go under I-30 and become Barry - stay on it. It will intersect with Haskell (yes, you could have stayed on it but the traffic at the front gate to Fair Park sucks) go past that light and enter Fair Parking Lot 14 on the right.

This is the way. All others suck. The DART blows. Cabs suck after the game. Not to mention this lot actually has tailgating. I know that we all love wax paper beer and midway games, but get there early and and enjoy some reasonable priced brew for an hour or so before you go in the gate. That wax beer will taste even better.

 

[Dusty]

Good hotel pick by texascoder. That’s where I stay for Dallas Markets. HHonors points, good value and no extra charge for parking/valet. In house dining is slow but food is decent. For those who partake, it appears to have a small lounge too. However, if you’re looking for life beyond lodging within walking distance, then take a pass. In addition, the nearby Anatole is dirtburglar HQ.

There’s a new DART rail station nearby at Market Center and plenty of parking available. If you choose to drive to FP, check with DPD for road closures and reassignments around FP. I’ve been unnecessarily tied up the last few times by road reassignments coming in from IH45.