Hot Spot Smackdown Part 1: Uptown Dallas takes on Addison

The Dallas metropolitan area has four considerably popular “hot spots” for single professionals to live, work, dine and enjoy night life/entertainment and culture. These four areas are Uptown Dallas, Addison, the Shops at Legacy and Las Colinas. The following is a comparison between the in-spot of Uptown Dallas to one of the OTHER primary Dallas locations: Addison.

ON THE MAP
Addison is an area of town located just off the North Dallas Tollway, flanked by Midway Road and Beltline Road, just north of the LBJ Freeway, otherwise known as the Lyndon B. Johnson/LBJ 635 freeway. Addison is 4.4 square miles, roughly twice the size of Uptown Dallas and very spread out. The layout of Addison’s attractions are simply not walkable. Uptown Dallas is nestled into a two square mile area just south of beautiful Highland Park, along McKinney Avenue between North Fitzhugh Avenue, Turtle Creek Boulevard, the Katy Trail and North Central Expressway. It is much more cohesive a community and specifically designed to be walkable. Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – Result: Advantage, Uptown Dallas!

AGES AND STAGES
According to city data, the median age in Addison is 32.5 years old. The estimated median household income for Addison in 2011 was $54,887 and the majority of residents are married or divorced with children. By comparison, the average age of young urban professionals in Uptown Dallas is 22-28, with a median household net worth of $280,149. Out of nearly 7,000 residents, 67% are college graduates; 71% with masters degrees or higher. 99% of residents in this age demographic are single, never married. Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – Result: Uptown Dallas, Whassap??

ATTRACTIONS ON WHEELS
Addison does have its attractions: The Dallas Galleria, the Addison Beverage Center which is two square miles of liquor stores, The Village on the Parkway, and Addison Circle Park which is 372,000 square feet of outdoor and indoor space, with public restrooms and a covered pavilion with a concession stand. Addison is also home to the Mary Kay Museum, Kaboomtown and Addison Theater. The only public transportation in Addison is the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) city bus service for which you pay a fare to ride. There is some green space in Addison but it is not conducive to foot traffic. Most of Addison attractions do have covered bus stops for the DART. Walking is discouraged along the Tollway.

By comparison, Uptown Dallas is not intersected by a freeway, and has the free McKinney Avenue Trolley, also known as “The M Line” which is the primary mode of transportation for residents and guests of the area. The M Line has four heated and air-conditioned, fully restored vintage trolleys: Rosie, the Green Dragon, Matilda and Petunia. The M Line connects downtown with uptown in its partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, and allows free commutes between Uptown Dallas residences, restaurants, theaters, hotels and night clubs. Though most residents and guests prefer to walk through Uptown Dallas via city walks and the famous Katy Trail, the Trolley can be a faster way to get from one end of the 2 square mile area to the other in a matter of minutes. Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – Result: Addison…You’re Fired!

GREAT NIGHT LIFE

Addison’s nightlife is famous for its selection of live music venues, including Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub and Grill, Button’s, which is known for its soul food and music and Al-Amir, a Middle Eastern music and dance club featuring authentic belly dancing on Fridays. Most of Addison’s nightlife can be found along Belt Line Road, which is serviced by the DART city busses. Traveling by foot in this area is not recommended at night for reasons of personal safety. Uptown Dallas has a unique nightlife scene all its own, although live music venues are not as plentiful. Two great places in Uptown Dallas for live music are the Rustic Kitchen Backyard Bar and Sambuca, which also has a full service restaurant. Other live music venues near Uptown Dallas include The Grapevine Bar, as well as Alexandre’s Live Entertainment Lounge, all within walking distance of each other or accessible by Trolley. Uptown Dallas at night is safe, well-lit and designed specifically for foot traffic, day or night. Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – Result: Uptown Dallas just took out Addison with a thunderous clothesline!

WHAT’S YOUR GENRE?
The age and genre of patrons of Addison’s attractions, including the nightclub scene varies greatly, while the vast majority of clientele in the Uptown Dallas venues are young, recent college graduates and professionals. Uptown Dallas vs. Addison  – Result: Another pile drive by Uptown Dallas!

EATS AND RETREATS
Addison is home to several fine restaurants, including Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill on Beltline Road, JAXX Steakhouse for casual fine dining, located on Midway Road, and Canary by Gorji, another steakhouse, which prides itself on its “calm atmosphere,” also located on Beltline. The majority of Addison restaurants are family style establishments and on average cost less than those in Uptown Dallas. Uptown Dallas restaurants by comparison offer a much greater variety, such as the Nazca Kitchen for authentic Latin American cuisine, Maple and Motor, known for its traditional American cuisine their gourmet hamburgers, and Baboush for Moroccan and Mediterranean food and wine bars. The majority of restaurant patrons in the Uptown Dallas area are adult professionals, and most establishments serve beer and wine or have full bar amenities. Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – Result: I’m calling this a draw, because BOTH places have amazing restaurants!

Popularity With Recent University Graduates

While Addison has its share of professionals, Uptown Dallas is preferred by most. While Addison is conveniently located just north of the Dallas Galleria between the Dallas North Tollway and 635 LBJ, the area does not attract the young professional crowd like Uptown Dallas does. This is due to several factors:

• Walkability- In Uptown Dallas, you can literally walk from your office or residence to any number of restaurants, theaters, art galleries, bars and nightclubs. Addison is too spread out to be conducive to foot traffic and is not as safe at night for walking as Uptown Dallas is.

• Social Interaction- Uptown Dallas is small enough that it is considered more of a community where it is likely that you will run into people you know, work with or live close by. Addison is far more spread out geographically and not as favorable for social networking as Uptown Dallas.

• Age Range- Nearly 7,000 people live, work and play in the Uptown Dallas area, the majority in the age range of 22-28 years old and are college graduate professionals. In Addison, residents vary greatly not only in age, but are a mix of white collar and blue collar workers that tend not to mingle together socially as would an all-professional crowd.

Any way you slice it, there are attractive aspects to both the Addison and Uptown Dallas areas. But for the young urban professional, Uptown Dallas definitely comes out on top in every comparison. If you are looking for culture, fine living, exceptional restaurant and entertainment venues, then Uptown Dallas should be at the top of your list. Uptown Dallas. It’s a place to see and be seen.

Uptown Dallas vs Addison  – FINAL Result: Viva La Uptown!

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