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Las Colinas-Mandalay Canal Shops: Canal Clothing

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Jeffrey
Jeffrey
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Las Colinas Mandalay Canal

  • March 20, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Jeffrey from Plano, Texas
Las Colinas Mandalay Canal

Within Irving Texas, Las Colinas (The Colonies?) is a planned community and business development. It is an area of several thousand acres containing office buildings, restaurants, and a nice Omni hotel. In the surrounding area (it is not clear where Irving ends and Las Colinas begins), there are a lot of beautiful upscale condominiums and apartment communities.

Running through Las Colinas is the Mandalay Canal, a man-made canal connected to a man-made lake, creating a very attractive setting for the area businesses and residences. The Mandalay Canal and area around the canal create a European market appearance and environment. The canal is lined with trees, and was originally lined with upscale European emporium-style shops.

If you haven't visited Las Colinas in a few years, or your travel guide/information is out of date, you will notice that the area has seen a significant evolution in recent years. The shops that once lined the canal are now occupied by (non-retail) businesses. The nice water taxi service that was once available through the canals and around the lake was discontinued. There is a light rail service that connects the area's office towers with the Mandalay Canal, but it may only operate during weekday business hours.

During my visit on an early Sunday afternoon, the Mandalay Canal was all but deserted. With no one else around, the retail shops now gone, and the restaurants apparently catering exclusively to the weekday lunch crowd, I almost felt like I was trespassing.

Despite this evolution, the Mandalay Canal is still very pleasant to visit. Just don't expect to shop on the canal. While you are here, you can also visit the nearby popular Mustangs of Las Colinas sculpture (see other journal entry).

To find Las Colinas and the Mandalay Canal, you can take the 635 (LBJ) Freeway to the Valley View exit east of the Dallas/Ft Worth International airport, and go south to O'Connor. Turn left on O'Connor and turn right on Las Colinas Boulevard. The canal is surrounded by street parking and parking garages.

From journal Things to see in Dallas

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