Dallas, the BIG

Dallas has too much of everything, but that's why some people love it. The traffic is too much, but the city does have a lot going for it if you are a visitor. Now and then we get a 'yen' to spend some 'yen' in Dallas.

Quick Tips:

Use your car radio on a news station to keep up with the traffic tangles. Try to avoid major road areas that specialize in confusion. The best bet for visitors is to ride DART. The light rail system is up and doing very well. The costs for that are cheap. Unusual for Dallas!

Best Way To Get Around:

Try out DART, ride the rails. You can now take a train all the way to Fort Worth for a couple bucks. There are bus connections from the rail stations. Yes, you can still drive around Dallas, but it will be hard on your nerves.

This is a Hyatt hotel that I really like. (in the super big catagory) It makes an impressive view against the Dallas skyline. The interior is 1980's modern with vast open spaces. The rooms are large, well arranged and well lighted. However, the hallways are long, so you might get more exercise than you planned.

The restaurants and bars are very good. Room service is above average, if slow on busy mornings. If you want a thrill, ride one of the elevators through the roof to one of the upper floors for a really impressive view. This is a BIG hotel. After a long day at a convention, you might hate walking down those long hallways to your room.

I know as I have had that experience. Not too hard on your budget.

This is an upscale Santa Fe style Mexican restaurant in a suburb of Dallas, Las Colinas. A new experience for those used to the Taco Bell type of Mexican food. Extremely busy on weekend evenings. Very attractive dining rooms. Very busy bar with tv. Smoking and noise from bar can ruin some tables close to it. Be prepared to state this when booking if it's a problem for you.

White table cloth service. Excellent wine list.

Valet parking. Worth the drive. You can see menus, maps, book reservations & see other features online. for Via Real.

Don't let the exterior put you off! This is a wine warehouse with a restaurant tucked inside. Only blocks from the Turtle Creek area, this place is very, very busy on weekends.

The food and service are remarkably good as you sit among the crates & boxes of bottles of wine. In fact the temperature is kept cool to keep the wine happy. A sweater handy even in summer. Sandled feet will shiver!

Your waiter (your new 'best' friend) will help you go out among the bottles to select for your dinner. The wine prices were fair, not 'warehouse'.

The food was great and the selection certainly had something for just about everyone. No kids here please! This is an adult experience. Very much a singles place on weekends. Valet parking!

This restaurant is in the museum. An elegant alternative to the usual museum food. We had the $28 plus tip, Sunday bunch. Formal, elegant service. You have a choice of one of 6 salads, one of 8 entrees, one of 8 desserts. Menu changes monthly.

Wine offered from an extensive list was very nice. This is worth a trip to Dallas. Telephone for hours and days open. Without question this was one of the finest meals we have ever had!!!!!

The presentation of the food is elegant, beautiful and the best I have ever seen. I had a salad with bacon and red onions that was almost too pretty to eat, then the pork chop entry and a chocolate dessert that was incredible. Others in our party had Beef Wellington so good that not a dot was left on a plate.

The only failing was a poor service and presentation of hot tea. Tepid water, cold tea pot and ordinary selection of teas. Do have to teach the proper way to serve tea every where I dine? Not bad enough to ruin the meal.

This restaurant is a 5-minute walk from the Meyerson Symphony Center. I wonder if it is possible to coordinate a meal with the Symphony? It's worth a telephone call to find out. This is also a wonderful destination for a Sunday outing. I have to find out if there are vegetarian alternative entrees that can be ordered. On our Sunday visit it was beef, pork, chicken and fish.

Nearby to downtown in the West End entertainment district, this place is really a great surprise. Every thing is very well done. Not just fish. There are jaguars and monkeys! Really a fine place!

With rail transportation significantly improved in Dallas, visiting this place is much easier and less expensive than in the past. It's cheaper to ride DART than to pay for parking! Match this up with a restaurant visit on the West End and have a fine time!

Although the death of John F. Kennedy is still very painful to think about, the creators of this museum have presented the life, death and times of JFK in a sensitive manner. Yes, it's in THAT building, the old Texas School Book Depository. Hours: 9 am to 6 pm daily. Adults, $5, seniors, $4, students $3. under 6 free. Audio tapes available. (214) 747-6660. Hunt for parking.

When this museum opened, I didn't give it a chance to stay in business; but it has. So much for me as a critic! Very popular with visitors from overseas. Yes, there is a fine view from the windows. Not for me, but if you must....

The Dallas Arboretum is open daily 10 am to 5 pm. (214)327-4901 Telephone or check the Web site for seasonal activities.

One of the finest parks in the U.S. Very popular in Spring and Fall and for joggers.

Many things for children to see and do supported in part by the City of Dallas Park & Recreation Department. Fall is spectacular, spring is beautiful. Walking, jogging and bike trails. Click here for Dallas Arboretum.

In about 1992 when downtown Dallas was in an economic slump, local business leaders decided to take a parking lot next to the Dallas Convention Center and make it into a fine park and outdoor art gallery for all to enjoy for free. The second most visited place in downtown Dallas after Dealy Plaza, this is an incredibly realistic depiction of a real cattle drive.

The artist, Robert Summers, of the wee town of Glen Rose, Texas still makes and sells exact duplicates of some of the statues. For slightly over $60,000 plus shipping and set up expenses, you can have your own 'yard art' of a very high order.

This is an excellent place to visit in downtown Dallas. After all, you already have the car parked! Do it!

Many people who arrive at D-FW for the first time actually think that they are in Dallas. They are, perhaps, technically either in Fort Worth or Dallas depending on where they are standing at the monent; but they are many dozen miles from either city center. You have a variety of choices for way of departing this HUGE airport. Taxis, hotel vans, buses or renting a car. You must either through the North Airport Exit or the South Airport Exit.

If you are driving, be sure to get a map and a few directions to get you on your way. In the best of times you have about a 30 minute drive to either downtown Dallas or downtown Fort Worth. During peak traffic hours, a lot longer. A good investment if you are renting a car, is to get one from Hertz that has a GPS system. Well worth it! Of course, when you return to the airport, allow plenty of time as the property is bigger than you think. The distances are longer than you are used to and the signs usually confusing. Sorry, but in over 20 years, they still haven't smoothed out the confusion.