There's More to Dallas Than The Cowboys
by Rita Cook



Even if you've been eating chicken fajitas and drinking margaritas most of your life, it still probably never occurred to you where they came from. The answer is Dallas. In fact, Dallasites like food so much that the city has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation, even New York.

Dallas came to be about 150 years ago on the banks of the Trinity River and has grown into a booming metropolis that hosts the world's second-busiest airport, the nation's most popular football team and a host of unique attractions.

Insider Tips on the City

DFW International Airport is easy to access and less of a headache than most other major airports. Dallas is the least densely populated major metropolitan area in the nation, but you can expect a lot of traffic, especially on the north side of town.

Dallas is a convention city hub, the third most popular in the nation, so there are always a lot of visitors around. Be sure and reserve hotel rooms, rental cars and dinner requests early. Check out the McKinney Avenue trolley, the largest volunteer run system in the world. Also, while on McKinney Avenue you can find some fabulous restaurants and visit the Crescent Court Hotel, which includes many shops and galleries and a five-story fountain. (call 800-654-6541 for more info)

Things to Do

Visit the ever-popular Restaurant Row located off Loop 12/Walton Walker Freeway. The Old San Francisco Steak House is reminiscent of turn-of-the-century San Francisco and its Barbary Coast.

Greenville Avenue is located east of Central Expressway at the Mockingbird Lane exit, near Southern Methodist University. The area boasts just about every kind of food known to man. The best places to try are The Blue Goose (Tex-Mex), Daddy Jack's (Seafood) and Nero's (Italian).

Deep Ellum is a former industrial area of Dallas that has been converted into a collection of restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries. Deep Ellum is located east of downtown off of Elm and Commerce Streets. Other notable places of interest are the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.

The Meyerson Center has been praised internationally for its stunning architecture and acoustical distinction. A visitor could easily never touch on the "country" side of Dallas while visiting the city, with its art de excellence.

Dallas theaters and galleries are musts, as well as the annual Shakespeare in the park, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.

Just for Fun

Visit the breathtaking homes and communities in Highland Park and on Swiss Avenue. Give thanks at Thanksgiving Square where people from all walks of life meditate and enjoy the bells and fountains. Head out to Belo Mansion, which still stands from the Victorian era. See how Dallas' own Dr. Pepper company takes the syrup all the way to the grocery store shelf. Mrs. Baird's Bakery has been making bread for years; this tour shows you how.

What to Pack

Dallas has a pleasant climate all year. The coolest time of the year is January when the lows are in the mid-30s and the highs are in the mid-50s. The warmest time of the year is July and August when the average high is 96 degrees and the average low is 76. But beware, the temperatures usually get much hotter than 96 and the humidity is high during the summer.

During the fall, pack a light jacket and light sweaters -- nothing too heavy. The visitor can probably get away with shorts and a sweatshirt in the fall. Winter may be cold, but one day might be 30s and the next in the 60s. Pack for cool weather, but don't eliminate a few pleasant days even in winter in Dallas.

The springtime is beautiful in Dallas. Usually in the 70s, the visitor can wear shorts and a t-shirt or shirts with short sleeves. During the summer it can be sweltering. Pack shorts and light or sleeveless tops. Often, just walking from the car to a building will result in a sweat.

Depending on where the visitor decides on dinner, nice clothes are usually expected at the upscale restaurants. Since Dallas is a cosmopolitan kind of town, the visitor will get many long looks if they're not dressed appropriately at the appropriate time and place.