Dallas, Texas - 3 Favorite Things
“You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.”
Dallas seems to be a city we end up in a lot. Usually we're passing through, on our way to or from some place else, places down dirt roads and hiking trails. But this time we set it as our destination and took the scenic way down. There might be more than three things on my list of must see or eat (because donuts are wonderful) but all are worth seeing. Or eating. You'll have to share your favorite spots with me too, I'm always looking for new places to visit.
The main reason I wanted to go was an exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art, an interactive piece by Yayoi Kusama: All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins. It's a darkened infinity mirror room filled with glowing orange pumpkins covered in black polka dots. You get 45 seconds in the room, two people and an attendant go in at a time, with only one thing in your hand - camera or cell phone, whatever it is. It's wonderful and strange and magical. You can get tickets for the event through the DMA website and I'd recommend getting them in advance, certain time slots go quickly. If I lived closer I'd absolutely go again. I'd even considered buying another ticket and waiting in line after seeing it, I loved it that much.
I'd also drive to Dallas just for In-N-Out Burger. No other explanation needed, why're you driving to Dallas at 2AM Katie? In-N-Out Burger. So when we're in the area we usually stop. Okay, we always stop. Sometimes we go out of our way and it's so worth it. And I don't even like burgers.
A new place we discovered while in town was Glazed Donut Works in Deep Ellum. There wasn't a lot of variety on the late Friday morning that we stopped and nothing they had matched what was listed on the website but the two donuts we picked up were wonderful. I liked the blueberry cheesecake-y one better than the s'mores but that's just personal preference. If you feel like being surprised add them to your list.
Our last stop was the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. This is another one that I'd recommend getting tickets for before hand. I was surprised at the wait and amount of people on a Friday morning and by the time we left it was even more crowded. I enjoyed getting to see this museum, it's been on my list for a long time, and it's worth seeing. But at the same time it felt way overcrowded. It's very small and the majority of the experience is an audio presentation talking about events around and leading to JFK coming to the presidency and then of course the assassination and what came after. It's fascinating history. But as far as artifacts go there aren't many, the most interesting one being Lee Harvey Oswald's wedding band. It was strange to stand there, looking down at the green X's in the road showing where the shots hit.
Afterwards we wandered around Dealey Plaza, listening to the sounds of traffic and other tourists. There were people there selling self-published books, waving autopsy photos in plastic, and drawing crowds. On a plaque a quote from a speech JFK would have given. It's a strange place, a mix of solem and macabre, commercialized and revered.
We in this country, in this generation, are — by destiny rather than choice — the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility — that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint — and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of “peace on earth, good will toward men.” That must always be our goal — and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.””
— The final paragraph of the speech President John F. Kennedy was to deliver in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963
