Starting from Union Station on the West side of town
Those who don't have a fear of heights can ride a glass elevator up 50 stories and
have a drink or a lunch in the revolving Lookout platform
atop the 50 story Reunion Tower (214)712-7145 at
300 Reunion Blvd, downtown Dallas 75207
This sparkling round jewel of the Dallas skyline was built in 1978,
Go North to Dealy Plaza and the "grassy knoll" area made famous on November 22, 1963.
The Texas School Book Depository building at 411 Elm Street —
where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly shot JFK —
now houses the "Sixth Floor Museum", where you can listen
to an audio guide and Walter Cronkite announce the news.
Write your own thoughts about the day in their book.
9-6 daily except Christmas 214.747-6660.
Across from the JFK Memorial is the $9 Conspiracy museum, which features a video and
on the JFK shooting plus other presidential assinations.
The inscription on the plain 50 square foot granite box memorializing JFK reads
"It is not a memorial to the pain and sorrow of death, but stands as a permanent tribute to the joy and excitement of one man's life."
This is such an apt statement because JFK was murdered for going against what
Eisenhower named the "Military Industrial complex" which profits from the wars
JFK sought to avoid.
So before you go, visit JFK.org
and see the movie "JFK" by Oliver Stone
(staring Kevin Costner as the courageous District Attorney of New Orleans who was the only
person to bring charges against anyone related to the many people involed in JFK's murder
and subsequent massive cover up.)
On the
walking tour going North on Market
is a replica of the log cabin of John Neely Bryan, founder of Dallas who negotiated land from the Caddo Indians for Dallas land on the bluff of the Trinity River.
Since Bryan is also the first Postmaster,
the cabin served as Dallas' first post office and courthouse.
"Old Red" is the nickname for the County Courthouse built in 1891, using the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style popular at the time.
Past the station at Akard for trains (along old train tracks on Pacific Avenue)is the West End Marketplace
(originally constructed for the Brown Cracker & Candy Company in 1911).
Its parking structure across Lamar street holds cars for the entire historic
West End district of brick warehouses built between 1900 and 1930 and brought back to life in 1976.
Now filled with restaurants and shops, it is one of the city's most tourist-friendly spots.
Several blocks East on Main Street is the elegantly modern
Magnolia hotel, which features soaking tubs.
But beware that their wireless (which works in the Starbucks within the building)
doesn't reach beyond the 17th floor.
A pegasus is associated with the hotel because that's the mascot of Mobil Oil,
which occupied the building until it became a hotel in 1999.
But from the high floors you can look down at the next door neighbor,
the historically ornate
Aldolphus hotel serves traditional (as in no BBQ sauce) English tea in their Lobby Living Room, featuring scones topped with Devonshire cream and raspberry marmalade, finger sandwiches, fruit tarts, hand-dipped chocolate truffles, etc. All this you eat while a pianist entertains.
There are a lot of snobs who enjoy this,
so book weeks in advance with 214.742-8200.
On the NorthEast corner of town is Dallas' Arts District (its 60 acres makes it the largest downtown arts district in the country).
Dallas Museum of Art (dm-art.org)
at 1717 N. Harwood Street (214/922-1200) is housed in a series of white limestone galleries built off a central barrel vault.
It has a special "Forbidden City" exhibit until May 29, 2005.
The museum is open until midnight on some Fridays (March 18).
Originally established in 1903, its permanent collection covers a lot of territory, from the arts of Africa, Asia, and ancient Greece to painting by artists as diverse as John Singleton Copley and Gerhard Richter along with modern greats like Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
The most popular draw at the museum is an installation that recreates rooms in the Mediterranean villa belonging to Texas swells Wendy and Emery Reves (friends of Winston Churchill).
Here, lavish furniture and other accoutrements of gracious living set off masterpieces by Cezanne and van Gogh.
Next door to the East, see the Crow Collection of Asian Art from the
Trammell Crow Corporation — one of the largest landlords in the US — exhibits its art in the Crow
Belo Mansion built in 1890
There is a docent tour of the Nasher Sculpture Garden outdoors
North of the Trammell Crow building on Sundays 1-2
from 2010 Floral Street. 214.979-6440.
Another block East is the Morton H. Meyerson Center
(the "Mort") designed in 1989 by I.M.Pei to house the
Dallas Symphony. Its 4,535-pipe Fish Organ is the largest
mechanical-action organ ever built for a concert hall.
Going South on Pearl toward the Le Meridien and Adam's Mark is a station for the train
running along Bryan Street.
It runs through the DEEP ELLUM district, which
begins with the Hotel ZaZa and Dragonfly restaurant,
with Balinese/modern furniture and ultra-luxury amenities catering to rock stars.
Further East is the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art
214-821-2522 at 2801 Swiss Ave, Dallas 75204
It's a local co-op that provides a great venue to examine artwork true to Texas and Dallas.
The Dallas Visual Art Center, a nonprofit organization,
serves as a meeting ground for over 300 visual artists.
In addition to displaying co-op artwork, the center also features special events,
lectures and studio tours, and is home to a diverse group of artists.
Toward the center of town is
the Majestic theater at 1925 Elm Street, opened in 1921 for vaudville acts.