Union Station

I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Dallas while on a recent trip to Dallas and didn’t have a car. Our hotel guest service rep suggested that we take the train. The cool thing about the train/​union station is that there’s an underground tunnel from the Hyatt Regency Dallas to union station. This was perfect since it was pouring down rainig during my trip. Union station is pretty big but definitely not the biggest I’d ever seen. One thing that I noticed was that the workers weren’t the friendliest nor readily available to answer questions. Other than that, things were just fine.
Tip: $ 5 gets you an all day pass!

I really love the Union Station ballroom. The space is great for private events, with areas that work well for general gathering and plated dinner seating, walk up bars and buffet lines.
In fact, today is the third private event I’ve gone to this year. The menu has been different every time — and delicious every time.
Here’s the main problem with the space: The acoustics. If you intend to have a group listening to a presentation, prepare for frustration. The room echoes, making it nearly impossible to clearly understand what’s being said.
I’ve also been told that parking can be a challenge, but I always either walk here or take public transport (both easy) so I’ve not faced that challenge.

Choo Chooo

This really is a great space for a party or special occasion. We attended a gala for a local private school this weekend. It’s elegant and spacious, but because of the cavern-​like room, the acoustics were painfully poor. It could have been the event company — if you are to use this place make sure they give you a walk through presentation with sound system. People were leaving the room because of the sound issues.

Awesome venue! Was here for a wedding. Plenty of room to dance and eat. They had candles escalating on the stairs entering the room. The ballroom has very tall ceilings giving it a spacious feel. I believe that wolfgang does the catering here. Anyways, it was the BEST food I have ever had at a wedding reception!

I took my teenager down here Saturday; he took the train up to Chicago to stay with his dad. The station was clean. The customer service rep I spoke to was very helpful– at least to me. They didn’t have much patience for the idiot that was in front of me, but hearing the conversation, I don’t blame them. I actually reserved and paid for a ticket online, so I really didn’t even have to speak to anyone because they have a handy dandy kiosk there that will print your ticket for you – that would surely be a bonus for really busy days. The train was about 40 minutes late getting in from San Antonio, but they boarded everyone very efficiently and were probably only at the station for 20 minutes. The parking was very easy and it goes by the honor system. You park, put your $ 3 in the box and all is well. I contemplated not putting money in the box-​but why risk it for 3 bucks? All in all it was a completely normal experience. Nothing exciting.

Last weekend we attended a wedding reception at this former train station beautifully restored and converted to an event hall. The venue is large enough to have easily accommodated our group of 400+ people and the layout of tables, dance floor, 15-​piece band and food area worked well for the sizeable crowd.
There were several bars plus a margarita bar and a martini bar located outside on the grand balcony. A photo booth was positioned in a large corner with funny hats, boas, big glasses and toys to play with during the photograph. A delicious buffet dinner was served in an adjacent room and the staff was quick to refill food containers and keep the line moving. I loved the hand towels in the ladies restroom with the message «Hello Gorgeous!»
The parents of the bride had their own wedding planner who worked with the Union Station wedding planner and employees. It seemed to flow without any issues down to the moment when the bride and groom left in an old 1940 Mercury. J’aime l’amour!

Check it out! Bring a friend who has never been to the city. Then check out the happy hour up at 560. Theres a shuffleboard and some arcades in the Hyatt game room. Good times. History. Dallas, TX.

Wow, this is up on the list of the coolest venues in Dallas. I mean, who knew an old train station could be so charming?
I walked in for the Pin Show and immediately wondered how they found such a space. The first floor is basically a mini Grand Central Station of NY — not near as many people, but lots of park benches to chill on while waiting for your ride.
However, the second floor is a wicked cool space. It’s HUGE. Floor to ceiling windows, ballroom-​style floors and sectioned off so you can make your event as big or as small as you want.
It was perfect for the show! I believe Wolfgang Puck controls the catering for the space, so be prepared to shell out some bucks; but hey, in this space it seems worth it.
The parking kind of sucks though. The immediate lot gets full easily, but is cheap at a max of $ 5. Parking is also available at the old Reunion Area lot next door for a small fee as well.
**Cough. Yet another hint for a wedding venue. Cough.**

What an awesome venue/​train station! I got stuck at the DFW airport in BFE, so I took the TRE back into Big D. OMG.
I ended up here! Or right next door rather. The Pin Show (a bad arse local designer show) took place here a couple weeks ago. I was super excited to attend to check out the awesome local talent, but I had no idea how much I would lurve the venue! It reminded me of a VERY mini Grand central Station in NYC, with its huge clock and giant escalators. Bars were set up in different rooms, and the catwalk was in the center of the main room. The place was pretty crowded, but it did not feel clustered at all. These people know how to put on an event.
Next time you pop into the train station, pop in here too. try to make next year’s Pin Show too. It was pretty rad.