texas - girl on my own

ProudDUB

Ah they are only messing.

Don't even think of going on a day trip to Mexico. Texas itself is perfectly fine. But you really don't want to be dealing with any of the carry on that goes on at or near the Mexican borders. Once upon a time, a day trip across the border to Nuevo Laredo or Tijuana was great craic....a vertitable right of passage for anyone visiting southern Southern California, or southern South West Texas. Not anymore unfortunately. If you stick with the bigger cities up north, or along Gulf, you'll be grand.

Don't forget that Texas is effing HUGE ! For example, Amarillo and Houston are nearly 600miles/1000km mile apart. If most of your experiences of the US are the cities in the North East like New York or Boston, it's hard to appreciate just how big it is out west. Just because some mad crazy carry on is going on with all the drug gangs, near the Mexican border, it doesn't mean that the rest of the state is unduly affected by it. The distances are just too great.

Snoopy1

Just to clarify I am going nowhere near the border!!!!

InTheTrees

Sorry to be so negative.

Yes, I was messing about the target practice. Not about mexico though. The area around Neuevo Laredo (Close to san antonio) is specifically mentioned in the US State Department warnings. Its pretty serious.

"Coahuila: Defer non-essential travel to the state of Coahuila except the city of Saltillo, where you should exercise caution. Violence and criminal activity along the highways are continuing security concerns, particularly along the northern border between Piedras Negras and Nuevo Laredo. The state of Coahuila continues to experience high rates of violent crimes and narcotics-related murders. Criminal organizations continue to compete for territory and coveted border crossings to the United States. Violent crime, including murder, kidnapping, and armed carjacking, continues to be a concern. "


http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

A2LUE42

coylemj wrote: »

Even Austin which has a relatively pedestrian-friendly city centre has no sidewalks in the suburbs. I had to drive the 200m to the 7-11 to buy a pint of milk when I was there a few years ago on a work project. The gardens of the houses came right down to the edge of the road - no footpaths. You're nobody in Texas without a car. You can do downtown Austin on foot but cities like Dallas and (especially) Houston were not planned with pedestrians in mind. Cheap gas(oline) means the car is king. The heat in summer is also a factor, you need a/c everywhere to protect you from the 40C heat.

OP, driving on the right is dead easy, you get used to it very quickly. Just make sure you understand the local rule about 'turn right on red' and you'll be fine.

And the 4 way stops.

athtrasna

Definitely get a car, the best shopping near San Antonio is the big outlet centre towards Austin. As you're not a nightlife person I think you might enjoy visiting the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, it was one of the highlights of our Texas trip. Much more interesting than the JFK Presidential Library in Boston IMO

Snoopy1

ProudDUB wrote: »

Ah they are only messing.


Don't forget that Texas is effing HUGE ! For example, Amarillo and Houston are nearly 600miles/1000km mile apart. If most of your experiences of the US are the cities in the North East like New York or Boston, it's hard to appreciate just how big it is out west. Just because some mad crazy carry on is going on with all the drug gangs, near the Mexican border, it doesn't mean that the rest of the state is unduly affected by it. The distances are just too great.

Yea ive done some west ones. Been to San francisco, Vegas, Denver and Phoenix on my own.

wahesh32

I'm a Texan currently living in Dublin. I was born in Houston, but spent about 8 years in Dallas. I wouldn't really recommend Dallas (or Houston) for a visit. They're generally considered nice/cheap cities to live in, but they don't really have any character at all. You will absolutely (without a doubt) need a car.
In Dallas, things would revolve around shopping (generally in huge shopping malls) and eating out. There's a couple of semi-walkable areas with a lot of unique pubs and character. Lower Greenville can be nice for drinking/walking, so can Deep Ellum (which is the artsy area of Dallas with lots of unique places, but can be VERY shady at night). Uptown has all the posh bars. Dallas also has a few nice museums in a museum district near downtown. Dallas also has an amusement park (6 flags over Texas) which is generally overpriced(but if you like roller coasters, you'll have a lot of fun). Fort Worth might be worth a visit, and is right next to Dallas. The Historic Stockyards in Fort Worth are kind of fun if you're looking for that "Cowboy Texas". Downtown Dallas is really only made for people to work, it's quite empty on the weekends.

I've never lived in Austin, but have been there several times. It's considered the liberal/european style city in Texas (but Texas is SO conservative, that doesn't really mean much). The 6th street area is nice with a lot of pubs, but is generally crowded with college students from University of Texas. I personally don't like Austin all that much, but it seems to be the city to live/visit in Texas for a lot of other people.

I might suggest Fredricksburg as a day-trip. It's a small town (10k people) that was once a German settlement. They still speak an old version of German there. It's a few hour drive from Austin. Another tiny town that may be fun to visit is Luckenbach, Tx (if you're a fan of country music)

I've only been to San Antonio a few times. The Riverwalk is a nice area to eat/walk around, but outside of that there's not much.

These cities are generally quite safe, however you must understand that segregation between rich/poor is very stark in the Midwest US. The crime rate can be extremely low in about half the city, but the other half of the city will have 3rd world rates of crime/murder. The homelessness in these areas can be quite shocking. For instance, you should never go to the southside of Dallas (by south I mean south of Interstate 20). Just make sure you're aware of the "no go areas". A lot of those areas you shouldn't even drive through on a sunny morning. I don't mean to scare you away, I just want you to be aware.

Snoopy1

Fredricksburg, was listed as on of the tours from san antonio.

Im re-thinking everything now, everyone is saying Dallas is crap

MeMeJK1

Scrap Dallas and come to Austin instead! You won't regret it. And as long as you are staying somewhere relatively central you are fine without a car. It's very walkable.
Austin has a young crowd. Lots of students. People are friendly and welcoming. You won't have issues meeting people.

Snoopy1

I'm 35 so students are too young and I don't drink
I probably should have titled this thread middle aged woman on her own in texas

SusanneKn

Glad to have come across this post.
Myself and another friend are meant to go to Texas as well.

We will be renting a car.
While we both like "Cowboys", history and outdoor actives such as horse riding/ hiking, I am into country music too. So would Tennessee be a better choice after all? After reading this thread I am kind of gone off Texas.

InTheTrees

SusanneKn wrote: »

Glad to have come across this post.
Myself and another friend are meant to go to Texas as well.

We will be renting a car.
While we both like "Cowboys", history and outdoor actives such as horse riding/ hiking, I am into country music too. So would Tennessee be a better choice after all? After reading this thread I am kind of gone off Texas.

For Cowboys i'd go to somewhere like Montana or Wyoming. Thats where the cowboys are.

Check out "guest" or "dude" ranches.

http://www.duderanch.org/

Quin_Dub

Snoopy1 wrote: »

I'm 35 so students are too young and I don't drink
I probably should have titled this thread middle aged woman on her own in texas

I go to Texas 4 or 5 times a year and have been doing so for about 15 years.

Austin is a nice town - Yes there's great Music/Nightlife , but it's also just a nice town.. There's tours of the Capitol buildings or a Segway tour of the downtown area which is pretty fun. If you're outdoorsy there are lots of bike trails, hiking routes etc. very near which are gorgeous. Or go out to the lake on the Colorado river and rent a boat or jet-ski.

San Antonio is good too - river walk is nice and the Alamo is interesting (although tiny compared to what you'd expect).

Although I've personally never been I've heard good things about Fredricksburg as a place to visit.

For shopping San Marcos Outlets is the place to go - There are actually 2 Outlet malls side by side , it's massive - Tanger Outlet and Premium Outlets

As a lot of others have said , you'll be very limited without a car... Texas is easy to drive in.. Big Wide, multi-lane roads for the most part , with massive car parking spaces so I'd say go for it.. Much easier experience than driving in Europe for example on the RHS for sure...

Gal44

Hey Did you decide on a destination? all the info on this thread is really interesting! hoping to head that way later this year myself