Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Dallas?


Sometime next month, I will be taking a trip to Dallas with some family, my aunt and two cousins.  Three of us are adults and one cousin is sixteen, but she's one of the most mature sixteen year olds I know.  My cousins parents by ever take her anywhere, and she's my aunt's former foster daughter, so my aunt and I do our best to take her places.  Last year we took a trip to Huntsville and Nashville.  This year it looks like it will be Dallas.  Honestly, other than the Dallas-Forth Worth Airport, I know little about Dallas.  That's where I am hoping my readers can be of some help.

We will have three days in Dallas, and I want to see as much of the city as I can.  The question is: what are the must sees?  I know we will go to Dealey Plaza to the Sixth Floor Museum in the Texas School Book Depository. What trip to Dallas could be complete without seeing where JFK was shot?  I also know we will be going to Southfork Ranch as seen on Dallas, the TV show.  My aunt and I are both big Dallas fans.  As a kid, I used to spend the night with my grandmama every Friday night and would watch Dallas with her, so it would be kind of special to me to see Southfork.  The other thing I want to do is go to the Dallas Museum of Art.  For what I've read, it has a fantastic collection.  I would also love to see the Amon Carter Museum of American Art which houses Thomas Eakins' The Swimming Hole (see below), but the Amon Carter a Museum is in Fort Worth, so I'm not sure how feasible it would be to see one painting, although there are plenty of other pieces there as well.


From the look of things on the map (though I am horrible with map scale), Dealey Plaza and the Dallas Museum of Art are all downtown and relatively close, so they can be visited on the same day.  Southfork is 25 miles north of Dallas, so that will take up a chunk of one day.  So what else should I see while in Dallas?  We've discussed the Dallas World Aquarium and the Reunion Tower, but I'm not sure.  Is anyone familiar with Dallas and can give me any pointers?  Things that I should know or be aware of?

I am hoping to see plenty of sexy cowboys, but I'm not sure how realistic that will be.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I used to live there, but so long ago that any information I have is totally useless. I hope you enjoy your visit. I think you would enjoy a side trip to Fort Worth.

Anonymous said...

I used to live in Dallas too. The Dallas Art Museum is a good pick. It’s a short distance from Dealey Plaza so you can jump in a cab if you don’t want to walk. It’s in the Arts District along with the Nasher Sculpture Garden, the Symphony Center and the Perot Museum of Science. Also, the flagship Neiman Marcus store is in downtown Dallas if you want high end retail. If you want more high end shopping check out Stanley Korshak at the Crescent (on edge of downtown) or Northpark Mall which is a mecca for fashionistas.

I always thought Southfork was a huge disappointment. It’s really a schlep if you’re staying downtown. The TV show made it look huge but it’s not that big. You can see stellar mansion by driving through Highland Park. Speaking of driving, LBJ freeway was undergoing a huge expansion last year when I was in Dallas. It’s being expanded to 16 lanes so traffic in the northern suburban area may be a bit of a mess.

The Dallas Arboretum is nice but can be pricey as you pay to park, pay to get in and the lunch in the café can be costly.

The Kimball Art Museum, which has a good reputation, is in Ft. Worth and is near the Amon Carter.

Dallas is a driving town like L.A. The public transportation is lacking. There are lots of excellent restaurants and shopping opportunities. You’re more likely to see Armani clad business men than cowboys in Dallas. However, you can find gay guys western shirts, boots and tight Wranglers dancing the two step at the Roundup on Cedar Springs Road in Oaklawn.

Dallas will be hot and humid in July. Try to plan outdoor activities for the morning. I hope you have fun.

Mike said...

Dealey Plaza was really need to me.

I can't recommend much more as I was there on a weekend trip, but here's a great restaurant. The food was typical texmex, which being a California boy, and know what true Mexican food is, can stomach it. But go for the Everclear Margarita. It will knock you on your ass. http://www.dallasrestaurantreviews.net/JoeTGarcias.html