Oak Lawn Archives - Page 4 of 4

A Different Vibe

February 2, 2016

The conversation about hiring security guards was one of the strangest things about last month’s epic apartment building meeting.
“I can give you a daily happy hour, or I can give you security guards,” the building president said. “But I am warning you, armed security guards are going to change the vibe around here.”
She was right.

Now I routinely run into packs of 2 to 4 security guards when I leave my building. Most of the security guards just glare at residents without saying anything, so it is highly awkward.

From Minnesota to Texas: 2015 in Review

December 31, 2015

The Dallas Skyline as seen from Reunion Tower

I celebrated last New Year’s Eve in Minnesota and now I am ending the year as an official Texan.

2015 was wonderful, but exhausting.

James Sanna and Aaron Kraemer getting married in Boston.

A bloody Mary and the New Yorker Magazine at the Washington DC airport.

Alyssa Edwards at the Dallas Gay Pride iLume block party.

Dancers at the iLume block party.

A dramatically lit mansion in Highland Park.

Dallas / dogs / Life / Oak Lawn

Becoming Texan

December 21, 2015

It’s Christmas time in Dallas.

There are leaves on the ground, but the temperature still hits the low 70s almost every day.

Although it is not quite tropical Christmas experience that I had in Miami, it is still way more pleasant than Minnesota. At least I can still trot around in shorts!

Life has been very full lately with work, sprawling dog walks, dates, holiday parties, and marathons of The Good Wife.

My cup runneth over again.

Elaborate Christmas decorations in Highland Park, Dallas.

Gunter’s leather doggy jacket.

Oak Lawn

New Neighbors

November 30, 2015

I typically find out about the departures during happy hour.

My building is modeled after a hotel, so we have breakfast and happy hour in the lobby. It’s one of the reasons why it can feel like Melrose Place at times and also why it is so easy to stay on top of what’s going on.

Oak Lawn

The Oak Lawn Crime Wave

November 6, 2015

It’s around 7 p.m. and already pitch black in Dallas.

The dogs and I are walking in Perry Heights, which is a tiny historical neighborhood immediately behind my apartment building.

Perry Heights has some pretty single-family homes and it is a great place to walk dogs because the area is removed from all of the gay bars on Cedar Springs road. This cute residential area is also very poorly lit at night – the few street lights that exist are dim and often covered by huge trees.

The darkness of Perry Heights makes it really hard to pick up after my dogs without using the flashlight application my phone. However, the darkness it made it really easy to notice a car slowly creeping towards us with its lights dimmed.

Oak Lawn

Notes from iLume Park

July 31, 2015

Welcome to Melrose Place

It’s Saturday and I’m walking my dog around the front of my apartment complex. I notice police lights and see a thin blond woman getting arrested by two bored-looking Dallas PD officers.

It’s only 11:30 a.m.

A group of residents appears outside.

Everyone seems to have a unique horror story about her prior scenes and blowups.
Me: “What kind of ratchet-ass building did I move into that someone is getting hauled off by the cops before noon?!”

Neighbor: “Oh, it’s really just her. This isn’t the first time she’s been arrested either.”
Charming.

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Oak Lawn

First Impressions

July 21, 2015

My first week in Dallas was amazing.

Gunter and I have finally settled in.

My new apartment in Dallas, cowhide rugs included.

I moved to Oak Lawn, which is the local gayborhood (and best gay neighborhood in the country!)

Oak Lawn is very similar to Boystown, Wilton Manors, or San Francisco’s Castro District.

In the heart of Oak Lawn is a street with more than a dozen gay bars and restaurants. At the end of “The Strip” are the iLume buildings, which are the gay dorms: two massive new developments mostly populated by gay men and single women.