It's been an eventful week in Dallas! Yesterday we tracked, on foot, a hit-and-run driver from the scene to further downtown where her battered car was being pushed from the road by some friendly citizens and the safety patrol (who didn't know what she had done yet). Wednesday night, Obama stayed in the Omni across from our apartment for the dedication of the new Bush Library. Early in the week, police cars and
camera crew raced down our street every couple hours clearing the way for the driver and camera crew filming an Infiniti car commercial. There is a lot going on that we only saw in passing: Jazz festival, Earth festivals, and Taco festivals. Here are some of the other things we've been doing in Dallas, lately:
A View From Reunion Tower: The tower's observation decks are closed for renovations, but the restaurant is still open. Not wanting to bother with reservations and expensive non-vegetarian Wolfgang Puck food, we took the elevator up and got a drink by the bar. This was
my first rotating restaurant experience. I didn't realize that only the floors in these restaurants rotate, not the whole restaurant. Still a great experience that offered views we can't see from our west facing, 19th floor.
Assassination City Roller Derby: I've wanting to go to a roller derby for years. Instead of having one team, Dallas has four with names relating to JFK's assassination: Lone Star Assassins, Rubie's Revenge, Deadly Kennedy's, Viva La Revolucion. Once a month they duke it out at the Fair Grounds. It was fun to finally see, but we probably won't go back. I can see it being really fun if you're on one of the teams or have friends or family on one of the teams, but it's very slow otherwise. It was hard to hear what was going on and each match lasted hours. My uncle and father both said it was a lot tamer than roller derby they saw in the 70s and 80s.
Dallas Museum of Art until Midnight: Once a month, the museum plans a late night event that includes live music, dancing, speakers, hands-on art classes, and tours. We stopped in while walking around the city and had fun making our own drawings, looking at a live make-up demonstration, and looking at some of the art. Also present on the same night were representatives from Big Read Dallas giving away hundreds of copies of Fahrenheit 451. Big Read Dallas is
trying to get all of Dallas to read Ray Bradbury's to encourage reading. I think they picked a good book. Check out their site here.
Spiral Diner All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes: It doesn't look like much on the outside, but this restaurant is one of the best vegan restaurants we've been to and worth the visit if you're in Dallas and have a car to drive the couple miles outside of downtown. Despite having waiters and waitresses, they make you get your own silverware and drinks which seems gimmicky since it's not particularly anti-establishment (they take credit cards), but the food (try the 'BLT'!) is amazing. They offer a simple all-you-can eat pancake option on Sunday mornings.
Kalachandji's Indian Temple: Another great restaurant only a few miles from downtown. We won't frequent this restaurant because the waiters and cook don't know which items contain nuts when asked and they caused Lindsay to have a serious allergic reaction. But it's definitely one-of-a kind and worth visiting if you're in town (and not allergic to nuts). The restaurant is in a temple, of sorts, with beautiful courtyard seating. The food is buffet style, all vegetarian, with vegan options-- some of the best Indian food I've ever had.
Mindless Self Indulgence at House of Blues: I've been listening to MSI since the late 90s, but had never been able to see them live. I wouldn't say it was a life-long dream, but they were on my "concert bucket list". Now that I've seen them, I want to see them again.
Dick's Last Resort: Another thing that we've been wanting to try for a while that wasn't that great after all the anticipation. Based on the hats and taunts we got, this location should be called "Perv's last resort" instead of "Dick's Last Resort". It was fun, but for the price and lack of vegetarian food, we won't be back, friends in town or not. Try Jekyll and Hide's in NY or maybe another Dick's location if you want to be made fun of while you eat.
Daiquiri Drive-Thru: We saw this in passing and couldn't believe our eyes. I've experienced drive-through beer stores where you pay and pop your trunk for them to put the beer in, but had never heard of this. After testing this out for ourselves, we found it's exactly as advertised. Apparently the clear bag they tie around the to-go-cups makes it legal. If you choose to drink by poking the straw through the plastic into the cup before you get home, the place isn't responsible. We waiting until we got home to drink, but I can't imagine everyone in the line wrapping around the building does. I'd go back if only for the fun of showing visiting friends and family.
Beautiful Katy Trail: I wouldn't list this as a primary Dallas attraction but it's a great place to exercise if you live or stay nearby. This "trail" runs from downtown Dallas over 4 miles to uptown with plans to extend Katy Trail to White Rock Lake. It's paved and divided for most of its length into bike and pedestrian sections. On the weekend hundreds of bikers and joggers exercise on the trail and during the week, people living uptown beat the traffic by biking downtown to work. Parks and a few restaurants along the trail offer possible stopping points.
More posts on Dallas here
More posts on Dallas here
