Don't have a car but the bus isn't your style? As part of our look at car-free Dallas living, Amy Silverstein weighs the pros and cons of other ways to get there from here.
Taxi Pro: Even if you're partying in a sketchy part of town, calling Yellow Cab guarantees that the operator will say, "We'll send the next available driver, with an estimated wait time of 20 to 30 minutes." Awesome! Con: Sometimes the operator is lying.
Uber Pro: Nothing says class like ordering a limo you can't afford and billing it to your credit card. Someday you will pay it off. Con: Wait ... what's "surge pricing"? You mean at times when most people want a ride, the limos cost more? Like 14 times more than normal, conveniently billed directly to your card. Someday just got further away.
See also: Adventures in a Car-Free Dallas: I Want My Damn Car Back Adventures in a Car-Free Dallas: Cabbies Find Ways to Survive in a Tough Business Adventures in a Car-Free Dallas: You Can Take DART to the Airport, but Beware the Coyotes Adventures in a Car-Free Dallas: Catching a Ride Where Cabbies Fear to Tread
Lyft Pro: Lyft is so much cheaper than Uber, and these aren't professional drivers. It's a ride-share app, the company promises. These are just nice people who are sharing their wheels in exchange for money. They're like your friends! The drivers are very talkative. Some have free candy. Afterward, you use an online star system to rate them, and your credit card is billed. If you don't want to pay the full fare, rate the driver poorly and the price goes down. Do this too often, though, and Lyft drivers will stop picking you up -- just like your former friends, you cheap bastard.
Con: Sometimes Lyft drivers are too friendly and inquisitive. Yes, I need you to take me to the dive bar. No, absolutely nothing special is happening there tonight. They're just selling booze. Yes, I'm going out alone. Happy now?
E-Frogs Pro: THIS IS SO FUN. An open-air, street-legal golf cart shuttle service for Uptown, downtown and other nightlife-heavy neighborhoods. It's free, just tip well. And, if you happen to see someone you know while you're sitting in your E-Frog, you can stand up and give them the Miss America wave.
Con: The last time I got a ride home from E-Frog, the cart ran out of electricity. We traveled at an average 15 mph up until then. Try not to get rear-ended if that happens to you, because then you'll die.
Biking Pro: Most of Dallas is flat and exercise makes you thin and happy. Con: Biking to the bar severely limits what you can wear. Most party dresses just aren't bike friendly. Also, helmets fuck up your hair.
