Off The Beaten Path In Dallas, Texas.

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog but it’s been very  busy since I got back from  Texas.  And the beautiful weather we’ve been having here in Northeastern Pennsylvania hasn’t helped. So back to Dallas.  As I related in my first blog from Texas, Dallas was a lot different than I had imagined it would be.

So, back to   Thursday, my first day in Dallas. I made my way back to the hotel and met up with my nephew Charlie and his girlfriend Stephanie. Like me, they are always looking for a good place to eat and we were told Lockhart’s smoke house was one of the best in the city. We had eaten already so just wanted to check it out.

It was located in the Bishop Arts section of the city.  I hadn’t had a chance to read any travel guides before my Dallas trip so didn’t know exactly what to expect except something like the arts districts in other large cities I visited. After experiencing my first Uber ride to get there, I soon realized it  wasn’t.

We were dropped off near the popular Lockhart’s smoke house and soon found the arts district quite small. It seemed it was in  small town and not located a  mile from central Dallas.

It had some wonderful little antique, art, and speciality shops and we spent some time exploring a few of them. There sure was some interesting items  to be found. The shops were located in old houses and added to the small town look of the Bishops Art district.

There were also a few nice restaurants, including one that sold what looked like some pretty delicious pecan pie.  We had just eaten so no time to sample the food but hope to get back someday.

I was surprised how few tourists were in the area.  The streets were almost empty.  What surprised me most was how, once you left the main street, you were almost in a rural neighborhood. I walked down a few unpaved alleys and it was hard to believe I was in a major city.

It appears this quiet and small town district may soon change. I learned from that they are extending a tram line from downtown Dallas to the Bishops Arts district. I am sure the increased traffic will change the character of this quaint little neighborhood, and, in my opinion not in a good way. I am sure the merchants would disagree. I am glad I got to see it before the change.

We took another Uber ride into downtown Dallas about a mile away. It was hot and we were tired from the time change, the early start and the heat so we only took a quick walk through the streets of downtown Dallas.

We walked past some of the historic sights and just got orientated to the layout of the city. 

Of course we had to see the Texas School Book Depository building made infamous when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. I remember the event as a young child how it affected my life, and the life of my family. It seemed unreal to be here. What a great loss for our generation occurred on that day. We had planned to visit the museum the next day so we took yet another Uber ride back to the hotel. Here is a link to some more photographs from our visit to the Bishop Arts distric and downtown Dallas. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/dallas-texas-afternoon-walk-april-7-2016

After a short rest we were waiting for my fourth Uber ride of the day, and of my life, this time to take us to Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant atop the Reunion tower. Not only were we treated to a delicious meal  but we got to watched the sunset over the city of Dallas from the rotating restaurant high atop the Reunion Tower.

We returned to the hotel and I was ready for bed after a long day traveling and touring Dallas. It was a lot different than I had imagined but a city I grew to like. Here is a link to some more photographs atop the Reunion Tower. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/dallas-texas-reunion-tower-april-7-2016

Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation
in every sense of the word – Author John Steinbeck