I moved to Oak Cliff a little over two years ago. Since then, the street car has been on my mind. While there are plenty of public transportation options in Oak Cliff (trains, buses, and the D-link) Street cars are just way more fun, so I was pretty excited when it finally had its maiden voyage this week.

 

I decided to take a ride since the hop on point is only a quick five minute walk from my house. Problem number one is pretty apparent right away. Its hop on point is in a terrible spot. There are so many pretty places in Oak Cliff, it’s a shame they chose the corner which houses a Walgreens and is also one of the busiest intersections. I suppose if you want to walk to Jonathan’s, VH, or Spirals Diner, it’s a pretty quick 5-7 minute walk. If you want to get to Bishop Arts you are looking at a 12-15 minute walk. I walk around Oak Cliff all the time, but I know a lot of people are not that comfortable with it, and having the street car stop at a busy intersection will not improve people’s comfort levels.

Now the street car only runs during the week, from morning til 7pm. I don’t get it either. I’m still not sure what exactly the whole point of it is, and who their target market is, but hey, having a street car makes us sound cooler.

The street car itself is a modern, clean little pod. It still has that new public transportation smell (is that a thing?) so ride it now before some little kid throws up on it!

The ride to downtown is pretty quick, going over a small bridge, and stopping at Union Station. That was the first time I’ve been to Union Station since my high school prom, so I was having some seriously depressing flashbacks. I did not peak in High School, that’s for sure.

Once I got off the trolley, sorry street car (I desperately want this to be an old timey trolley) I walked around downtown enjoying the view. From Union Station you have easy access to the public library and can get to Dealey Plaza in about five minutes. One of these days I will go to the 5^th floor museum, I promise.

I passed by the Lawrence Hotel on my way back, which I refuse to go into because it is THAT creepy. Right next door though is a little slice of heaven known as Cindi’s Deli. I love carbs. Like I want to marry cereal, then divorce it, then marry cake, then divorce it, then marry a plate of pasta, etc. Cindy’s has the BEST bagels I have found in Dallas. I admit I haven’t looked that hard, because if I did I would weigh 300 lbs. eating all the bagels.

You get a pretty sweet view of the Trinity River while riding over the bridge on the street car. I still don’t believe my Mom when she says that the trinity used to flood and cover the highway. Literally impossible, refuse to believe.

All in all, if you have two random hours to spare in the middle of the week, give it a try! I love when Oak Cliff gets more connected to the rest of Dallas, and this is a step in the right direction. They have plans to expand the street car to go all the way to Bishop Arts, so keep you eyes peeled!