1. Before embarking on some art appreciation—these streets are notably populated with galleries—mingle over lattes with the locals at NODDING DOG COFFEE COMPANY CAFE AND BISTRO. Display your bohemian sensibilities by name-dropping La Reunion, an up-and-coming 35-acre park, gallery, and performance space just west of Bishop Arts that will soon feature both traditional and new-media talents (directions and event listings at lareuniontx.org). 500 N. Bishop Ave., 214-941-1166

2. Dubbed FLIP for how owner Kevin Brailsford seasonally refashions its entire look and feel, this emporium stocks a smart blend of fine art and functional decor—acrylic chandeliers, metallic Buddha heads so get yourself some citified funk to bring back to the burbs. (Note: Bishop Arts has easy highway access from both interstates 30 and 35.) You’ll be envied at the neighborhood association meeting. We promise. 332 W. Davis, 214-948-3547

3. Two of the minds behind TILLMAN’S ROADHOUSE are Big D’s decorating maestro Rob Dailey and entertaining expert Todd Fiscus. The dishes—comfort food with witty twists—will leave you full, and the modern-lodge interior embodies the area’s old-meets-new attitude. (After a few gourmet s’mores, invoke that retro vibe with a sidecar at the recently restored forties-era Belmont Hotel bar, just a hop, skip, and a jump north; 901 Fort Worth Ave., 866-870-8010.) 324 W. Seventh, 214-942-0988

4. Husband-wife owners Denise and Keith Manoy can often be spotted at INDIGO 1745 refolding boot-cuts and manning the register at their upscale jeans joint. Opened in December, it stocks comfy weekend basics for guys and dolls, including designer jeans, luxe hoodies, easy-breezy sundresses, and the best souvenir around: supersoft screen-printed tees emblazoned with the enduring symbol of Dallas, the red Pegasus. 370 W. Seventh, 214-948-1745

5. This summer at HATTIE’S, feast on a salad of heirloom tomatoes and smoked buffalo mozzarella, striped bass and watercress with a citrus vinaigrette, and finally, sweet biscuits and fruit drizzled with Chantilly cream. In its fourth year, the chic dining room is still packed at Sunday brunch with a healthy mix of area regulars and Metroplex trendsetters. (No matter the time of day, try the Texas Cosmo: grapefruit juice and orange-flavored vodka.) 418 N. Bishop Ave., 214-942-7400

6. Named after the owners’ catfish-fryin’, bobbed-hair-wearin’ grandmother, ZOLA’S EVERYDAY VINTAGE offers frocks, handbags, baub- les, and now, a nook for nighties. Sisters Annette Norman and Diedra Sutton are always on hand to unearth something for your occasion or craving. Trim too tacky or hem too long? Book an appointment with new neighbor Make (313 N. Bishop Ave., 214-256-3061), a DIY hub with rent-by-the-hour sewing machines. 414 N. Bishop Ave., 214-943-6643

7. Displayed in room-temperature cabinets (for to-go packs) and icy-cold cases (for instant gratification) are the SODA GALLERY’s 200-plus flavors and pedigrees of what the Yankees call pop—every imaginable small-batch cola, sarsaparilla, and ginger ale, plus 31 root beers from all points on the globe. Feel like drinking to Texas? Pick up a Dr Pepper from Dublin, the state’s oldest bottler of the fizzy treat. 408 N. Bishop Ave., 214-946-7632

8. It’s a mini-vacation, right? So why not carb-load at lunch? We suggest a HUNKY’S hickory cheese- burger with a side of tots and a cherry Coke. Unveiled in 2005,this is the sister to the same-name eatery established in Oak Lawn in 1984. Here you’ll find greasy-spoon goodness in an immaculate environment: turquoise bar stools, crisp-white tile floors, and framed black and white prints by photographers with Texas ties. 321 N. Bishop Ave., 214-941-3322