Just got back from a quick trip to Dallas to watch a concert at the newly opened House of Blues...Just wanted to say how much we were impressed with HOB...Has a great restaurant, which made it so easy to eat and make the concert on time...The concert was actually in one of their smaller rooms which made for a great experience...Great sound and a great view no matter where you stood

Just wanted to let you know don't hesitate to head down for a concert at HOB

And also for you singer-songwriter fans...2 words...Martin Sexton...The guy is awesome and he is at his best live...Check out "Live Wide Open"...One of the best live albums out there

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

If you like seafood, try Pappadeaux on Oaklawn ave and couple miles north of downtown, they have the best cajun and seafood dishes.

If you want to drop some cash on some clothes that you wont see anyother Oklahoman in, then go to Northpark Center on Northwest Highway. This place is loaded with topnotch stores like Neiman Marcus, Barney's New York, Nordstrom, Versace, Prada... well, you name it, it's there, trust me. Put on some comfortable shoes, If I remember right, one lap through the mall is nearly 1 mile.

Not really a club goer anymore, so, can't help you in that department haha

Next time, stay at the Hilton Anatole on Stemmons Freeway. They have top notch service, and try to stay in the tower facing downtown, the view is worth every penny.

What is wrong with it is simple. They live in Oklahoma, so that is where they should spend their money. It is called loyalty. Plus, unless they live within ten miles of a supermarket in Texas, they really do not save money. That is called a tank of gas.

Give me a break. I buy based on cost and quality and nothing else. I shop at the local Sam's for cost and I buy virtually all high ticket items online, for the same reason. OKC didn't my tax dollars on my high ticket electronic items and I couldn't care less.

Personally, if someone is choosing not to go to Dallas for fear of being "disloyal" they really need to get a life. We go to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio or even Tulsa whenever we can.

Yeah...Guess it's actually being disloyal if you take any vacations out of state

Put me down for a disloyal week stay in Cancun in August MrA...I will try and spend more at home when I return to make up for it

So hope we are still cool mra

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

Ok devil's advocate here (sort of)...is the reason that some people (I'm still amazed that it would be worth 6-7 hours of driving to save a couple of bucks on tax, so I'm truly curious who would do this for the reason you mentioned, chuckdiesel) go grocery shopping in Dallas because they have nicer grocery store chains? When I moved out here I became frustrated that my basic options were Walmart, Albertson's, and Crest...maybe now the Super Target (which is my choice out here). Two of them aren't even grocery stores! I can't argue this with reason, but there is something very soothing about going to a nice upscale grocery store to do shopping, like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Wegmans (you guys don't have this out here, but if you go up to the Northeast, ever, GO THERE! Its cooool...) - actually what grocery stores are there in Dallas that people crave?

I guess my point is if we want to compete with Dallas, so we don't have to argue that it is your "civic duty" to stay in OKC for "routine" shopping or entertainment, then we need more upscale shopping centers, grocery store selection, a Dave and Busters (ok I inserted that one because I love it and we should have one), and a rail system (which would certainly give us a one up on Dallas, for sure...). Don't get me wrong I love it out here, but I do grumble that I have to drive all over the frikkin' place to get specialty food items, and I wish they were all in one place. Plus I wouldn't mind an IKEA or Crate and Barrel (I have gone to Dallas just for those places). Case and point: bring things in Dallas we love, here to OKC! Supply and demand, right (ok I know there's way more politics to it than that, but hey a girl's gotta dream...)

The supermarket chains in the DFW metro are as follows:

Kroger-Yes. I wish we had them.
Minyards- Equivelant to Homeland
Tom Thumb- Equivelant to Homeland
Albertsons- No comment needed
Brookshires- Locally owned. Decent. Probably, except for price, like Crest (Crest is lower in price)
HEB- Regional. Similar to Homeland
Plus Target and Wal-Mart.

These are the ones I can think of except for their "organic" places. So. Are the chains better? Not really. Plus no chain is worth spending an extra $35.00 or so on gas just to save about $10.00 on tax. Let alone the 6.5 hours it takes to drive round trip.

Imagine this:

Woman: Sweetie (or whatever) I am going to the market, be back soon.

Man: OK.

(Nine hours later)

Man: I thought you were going to the market. You've been gone nine hours.

Woman: I did.

Man; Yea, right. Nine hours for food? Where have you really been? With Joe?

Point is. Nine hours to buy food is not logical.

When I was growing up, I remember visiting a Tom Thumb once in awhile down in Gainesville for large grocery bills because of the no grocery tax thing. They have since left that area, but it was okay back then because gas in the early 80's wasn't near what it is now, and it was only about a 25 minute drive for us...our local grocery store in Marietta was pretty bad, and Ardmore didn't have the Super Wal-mart yet so it was a reasonable option for us.

Now? Oh heck no. I wouldn't drive 6 hours to buy groceries. I hate wal-mart with a passion (though I am finding Sam's club to be a viable option for me) Albertson's and Crest are way expensive, Homeland is dirty (along with the wal-marts) and Target doesn't have a super center anywhere near me.

During the summer, I try to buy as much from local farmer's markets as I can!

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a TJ's or a Whole Foods somewhere in the metro area. I'd drive across town for one of these for sure. Even all the way to Norman or Edmond.

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Still corrupting young minds

Oh no guys, I was not suggesting that anyone go there just for food shopping, I was just making the point that I wish we had this stuff here. Oh man, bandnerd, I wish just as much as you that there were a TJ's and/or Whole Foods here...that would be NICE! I'm guilty, I do drive down to the Super Target in Norman, but I keep justifying that I need other stuff there to make the trip worthwhile (I live in SE OKC so its not so bad)...its better than Wal-fart for sure...

And mranderson, I've been to Tom Thumb and I'm pretty sure it was upscale...not equivalent to Homeland at all...

So have I, and I guess it is a matter of opinion. I never found it to be "upscale." Just your typical market.

I shop at the Commissary on base where everything's tax free. The only thing that sucks about shopping at the Commissary is the feeling you have to spend the money you just saved on tax and give it to the guy bagging your groceries. These baggers wear ID tags that state they work only for tips and they'll give you dirty looks if you don't tip them well. I'm usually a good tipper, but I won't tip when I only bought a few items I could've hand-carried myself. I think I should only tip when they take the bags out to my truck, but they think differently.

If you shop at the BX (the military's version of a mall, kind of like a Wal-Mart with a food court, but a little more upscale), everything is tax free. Plus, instead of making some jerk rich beyond belief, a lot of the dough you spend goes back into the community...like base schools, gym, bowling alley, library, etc. Because of this, I try to do most of my shopping at Tinker.

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...this shortest straw has been pulled for you

I thought that for those who would like to find out about restaurants, live music, etc. in the Dallas area when planning a trip would find this link helpful.

www.guidelive.com

Can't give any recommendations on the night life.....dear hubby and I have retired from our party dazes.

And ladies, if you are addicted to purses and jewelry, you have to stop by Sam Moon's. There is one in NW Dallas, but I would recommend taking the trip up the tollway and going to the Sam Moon's in Frisco (north on the Dallas North Tollway, turn right at Hwy 121 exit(heading NE), then left at Hwy 289/Preston Rd (heading N). Make a Uturn at Gaylord and it's the last building on the right. And no, I don't work there, and I am not with the Chamber of Commerce. I only go when my in-laws come in from Amarillo, since I end up spending WAY TOO much $$. Their prices are great for inexpensive costume jewelry and tons of purses.
The intersection of 121 and Preston can best be described as a Retail Mecca on Steriods.
Another good place to shop is the Allen Premium Outlet on 75 and Stacy Rd. There is now a Neiman Marcus outlet store that just opened there.

Hope this helps!!

Dallas also has a Central Market. No, I don't drive to Dallas for grocery shopping, but you can bet I stock up when I do go.

Everytime I walk out of the Cotton Bowl on the 2nd(sometimes 1st) Saturday in October with a W is a great, wonderful, memorable, euphoric, nirvana like, experience in Dallas. Spending the rest of Saturday knowing Sooners own this city is really undescribable.

I do make a point to stop there everytime I am in Dallas. They have everything! I mean everything in there.

In regards to the Dallas groceries, my wifes parents live and work in Dallas and they prefer to purchase their groceries when the visit us in Okc.

Nearly each and every item is .25 to .50 cents more in Dallas for groceries. Some grocery items cost a dollar and up per item. One gallon of milk in Dallas will cost you around $4.00 to $4.50.

We all know not everything is as good as it seems on the other side of the fence.

Nuh uh...My neighbor's yard looks like sh*t.

I'd like to bring this darling back by saying I'll be spending my well owned tax dollards in Dallas this weekend and I couldn't be more excited. Does anyone have suggestions for a fun filled romantic weekend? Restaurants, clubs, etc.

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If you can dream it, you can do it!

Meant to say 'well earned'.... apparently I'm typing with a speech impediment today.

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If you can dream it, you can do it!

I spent most of my life in Dallas and I now live in OKC. Dallas, just like any other city has high end grocery stores as well as some more comparable to Buy for Less. It all depends where you shop. Yeah, Central Market, in Dallas, is more expensive than Tom Thumb or Kroger. Just like Cresent market is more expensive than Crest.

dallas is fun and has some great "touristy" stuff, but fort worth has some GREAT things (and its just about a 20 min. drive NOT DURING RUSH HOUR)

there is the INFAMOUS BABE's chicken fried steak (north of keller and in denton) TO DIE FOR

California pizza kitchen in grapevine has GREAT pizza

Le madelines (all over the dfw area) has great breakfast's and wonderful rotisserie chicken and chicken panini's (and bakery is AWESOME)

down town fort worth sports a 2 choice (fajitas or enchiladas), cash only mexican restaurant called Joe. T Garcias! Go when weather is PERFECT and eat outside! guacamole is greatness

there is also spring creek bbq (i think they are scattered around the area) they make wonderful plates and their bread is awesome!

to top it off, they have a wonderful custard place called wooleys (one near grapevine, one in keller) wish we could get more custard places here!

~~~hahahaha, can you tell I LOVE some places. we lived there for about 6 years and I haven't been back in a year and I had to eat at each one of those a weekend we went.

you made me very hungry~~hope this can help in the future

OH, one other great place is the worthington hotel in downtown fort worth, they have a graet sunday brunch!

I was born and raised in OKC, just graduated from OU in May of this year and moved to Dallas for a finance job.

I work and live in the Park Cities area off NW Hwy and the Dallas North Tollway and never have to leave a 3 mile radius to find whatever I want!

Northpark is amazing for high-end shopping, Preston Square has an eclectic mix of restaurants and shops (Sprinkles included!), and Highland Park has some really great shopping as well. Park Cities/U Park/Highland Park are amazing areas to live in--think Norman with all of the old trees and tree-lined avenues.

Overall I love working/living in Dallas, but at the end of the day my wife and I still travel to OKC 2 weekends a month to come "home" and get away from the hustle and bustle of Dallas!

And for the record Central Market is the most amazing grocery store I have ever been to! The prices are TOTALLY justified due to the quality and selection of their goods.

I can only dream of the day that OKC gets a Whole Foods or Central Market equivalent!

There's a neat restaurant downtown called FUSE. It's in the Power and Light building.

LOVE fuse! second that...what a great atmosphere.