Welcome to Big D

By Sandy Blair, Stephanie Feagan and Pam Payne

 

Editor’s Note: Since the Romance Writers of America National Conference is in Dallas this month, we decided to have three of our Texan Noodlers give the low-down on the host city, which is fun to visit even if you’re not a romance writer.

 

Hi, y’all. Welcome to Dallas. The first thing you’ll likely notice as you step off the plane is the heat. Since Dallas in July can be brutal, wear light cotton clothing and layer on the sunscreen. But be forewarned, our hotels are cool, bordering on cold, so pack accordingly. And don’t forget your swimsuit! That hotel pool will feel like heaven after a day in the Texas sun.

 

Getting There and Getting Around

Contributed by Sandy Blair

 

Dallas has two major commuter airports — Love Field (Dallas) and Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW). Love Field is located on the outskirts of downtown Dallas. DFW Airport is located between Dallas and Fort Worth. Your choice of air carrier will decide which airport you’ll be using (i.e. American Airlines uses both, whereas Canadian Airlines only uses DFW). Make sure you check your ticket when you’re ready to go home so you go to the right airport.

 

GETTING TO THE HOTEL

In both the Love Field and DFW luggage areas you’ll find ground transportation into the city and rental-car booths.

 

Super Shuttle: The Hyatt Hotel (where Romance Writers of America is hosting their annual conference this month) recommends you use the “Super Shuttle,” a big blue van found on the DFW terminal upper level. It runs every 20 minutes and costs $17 per person.

 

Taxis: Fares from DFW and Love Field are set by the city. DFW International to downtown will cost $40 + tip. The ride will take anywhere from 20-45 minutes, depending on your arrival time. The fare from Love Field to downtown will be $20 + tip and will take 15-20 minutes. For a complete list of fares to outlying areas you might like to see (i.e. Fort Worth where you’ll find Billie Bob’s, the Stock Yards, the Kimble Museum, etc.), click here.

 

Limousine Service: Royal Car Service (owner, Emir) is reliable and uses Lincoln Continentals. Call ahead (972-33-8484) to make a reservation either to or from either airport. Cost is $55 + tip.

 

DART (mass-transit system) buses and light rail: Runs every 15 minutes, but may prove a hassle from either airport as you’ll have to make two bus transfers and then have a .19 mile walk to get to the Hyatt. The adventuresome can go to www.tripplan.dart.org and find all the information, including maps.

 

Once at the Hyatt, you can access the DART light-rail system by going to the hotel’s lower level. An all-day pass is $2.50.

 

We hope you enjoy your stay with us.

 

Downtown Dallas

Contributed by Stephanie Feagan

 

While downtown Dallas isn’t what one might consider “walking friendly,” there is nevertheless quite a lot to see and do, if you know where to go.

 

The Dallas Museum of Art, founded in 1903, has an extensive and varied collection. While there, have a bite to eat at the Atrium Café, where the menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches and daily entrees. Or dine at Seventeen Seventeen, an elegant culinary experience. While in the downtown arts district, don’t miss the Nasher Sculpture Center, adjacent to the art museum. This garden and sculpture center is a unique collection of more than 300 pieces of modern sculpture. Also adjacent to the DMA is the Crow Collection of Asian Art, which has an extensive permanent collection of art from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia as well as visiting exhibits such as Female Buddhas: Women of Enlightenment in Himalayan Art, on display until Aug. 26, 2007.

 

After your cultural foray into the Dallas Arts District, take a trip to the Dallas Aquarium, which includes an impressive display of marine life from all corners of the world.

 

Another don’t-miss site in downtown Dallas is The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, located in the old Texas School Book Depository. You’ll find information about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, as well as an opportunity to view the sixth-floor window where Lee Harvey Oswald stood on that fateful day.

 

After you’ve absorbed the art, history and science offered in downtown Dallas, catch a cab over to The Adolphus hotel, a lovely grande dame of a past century, and enjoy high tea, served in the lobby every Thursday through Sunday from 3 until 4:45 p.m. If you can’t make tea, a visit into the hotel is worth the trip. Built by the Busch family (of the beer kind), the hotel opened in 1912 and still has such treasures as Flemish tapestries hanging on the walls of the lobby. Take a peek inside the French Room, or blow it out and make a dinner reservation. This is romantic dining at its absolute best. It’s pricey, but you’ll have a memorable evening of fabulous food and excellent service.

 

A notable downtown experience is a visit to Neiman Marcus. This is the original, opened in 1914. Yes, it’s expensive, but they don’t charge for looking, so have a tour and see for yourself why this store draws the shopping dollars of First Ladies and royalty. If you’re hungry, try the Zodiac Room, made famous in the fifties by renowned chef Helen Corbit. The popovers are a Dallas institution.

 

So now you’ve shopped, gotten educated and done daytime downtown, evening approaches. What to do? Have dinner in one of the eateries at the West End, a restored area of old warehouses. Or try the sublime and submerged Dakotas Steakhouse, a clubby atmosphere where beef is king but fish and feather also appear. After dinner, take in some divine live music at the newly opened House of Blues. A bit farther afield, but still within downtown, take a stroll through Deep Ellum, where the kitsch and the weird are always in style. There are several live music venues in Deep Ellum.

 

For an extensive listing of things to see and do in the Dallas area, visit GuideLive.com, where you’ll find everything from restaurants to movies to live theatre and concerts.

 

Beyond the City Limits

Contributed by Pam Payne

 

Any trip to Dallas would be incomplete without a side trip to the flea market. But not just any flea market. Fifty miles east of Dallas in Canton, Texas, you’ll find First Monday Trade Days, home to the world’s largest flea market. It covers almost 200 acres and hosts more than 200,000 visitors during First Monday weekends.

 

You can find just about anything at First Monday. Dog Alley on Highway 64 sports just about any kind of dog you could possibly want. Or maybe you need a mule? Cows? Goats? How about a zebra? Yep, you can even find those there. Across the road at Old Mill Marketplace, you’ll find the latest in toys and gadgets, antiques and collectibles, even real Dublin Dr. Pepper (the kind made with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup.) Up on the Mountain, artists display their creations. But be careful not to get in the way when the shooting starts. Relax, it’s all make-believe, but it sure is exciting.

 

On the original First Monday grounds on Highway 19, you’ll find thousands of vendors selling everything from fine jewelry to handmade brooms to chainsaw carvings. Beneath the roof of the various arbors, vendors sell art, home-decor items, tools, shoes, clothing, concrete yard art, toys, video games, rugs, furniture...If it’s not at First Monday, it doesn’t exist. Or it just hasn’t made it out there yet. Outside the arbors you’ll find the “old” stuff. Antique buggies, a windmill or two, guns and knives, maybe even your great-grandpa’s picture or a Snoopy lunchbox. It’s not uncommon to find first-edition books lying on a table beside an 1890 silver dollar and an antique pocket watch.

 

The scent of corny dogs wafts through the air, making you instantly hungry as soon as you step outside—whether you just ate breakfast or not. And don’t forget to stop and listen to the Native American flute players. Their haunting melodies will stay with you long after you leave.

 

If you want to spend the night so you have a chance to visit all three sections of First Monday, be sure to make hotel reservations far in advance. Rooms are often booked  months ahead. Wear comfortable shoes, drink plenty of water, leave the dog at home, and bring plenty of cash because I guarantee you’ll find several things you just can’t live without.

 

Oh, one other thing. First Monday isn’t open on the first Monday of the month. It starts on the Thursday before the first Monday, and goes through Sunday.

 

If Canton is too far, you also can visit Trader’s Village in Grand Prairie, about 10 miles west of Downtown Dallas. It covers 120 acres, with more than 3,500 dealers, and it’s open every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until sundown.

 

 

A 30-year resident of Dallas, author Sandy Blair has written four award-winning Highlander novels while managing, among other things, to get lost in an Egyptian ruin and fall (gracefully) off a cruise ship. To learn more, please go to her Web site, www.SandyBlair.net.

 

When she’s not exploring downtown Dallas, accountant-turned-RITA-winning author Stephanie Feagan is spinning a funny story or two way out in West Texas. Check out her Web site at www.stephaniefeagan.com.

 

You can find Pam Payne browsing through the antiques at First Monday nearly every First Monday weekend. And after a long day of walking and shopping, she relaxes in the lovely claw-foot tub she bought there 10 years ago. Visit Pam’s blog to see what new treasures she found on her last trip.