As I alluded to in the introduction on the book report I posted last night, Bub and I spent a 4 day weekend in Dallas this past weekend. We went for Success School but added an extra day to our trip to do a little sight seeing while we were there because neither of us had ever spent any time in Dallas. And also, we managed to get some real Texas cuisine while we were at it!
First, Success School was hosted by the AdvoCare corporate office at Cowboy Stadium. Bub and I are AdvoCare distributors. We went to learn, be inspired, gain direction and forge and cement friendships. It was an eye-opening weekend. A world-class company providing first-class solutions. If you would like to hear more, I’d love to tell you. In addition to the content of the conference, Cowboy Stadium is mighty fine! It is HUGE and seemingly new and very clean. The conference opened with pyrotechnics, fireworks, a rock band performance and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Later, Emmett Smith spoke briefly to us and assured us he would be there in February to welcome us back to his house. So, according to Bub- we got two Cowboy institutions- those high-kicking cheerleaders and Emmett Smith (ahem, Dancing with the Stars, anyone?).
After Success School ended on Sunday we were left with the rest of the day and all day Monday to explore Dallas. Fortunate for us, one of my sorority sisters, Evangeline Sonnier-Smallwood is from Dallas and continues to call it home. Eve and I had decided to meet early in the evening for dinner. In the mean time, we went to the Arts District of Dallas and toured the Dallas Museum of Art. We toured the exhibit of pieces that were in President and Mrs. Kennedy’s suite at Hotel Texas. Apparently, the organizers of their visit to Dallas in November of 1963 turned their hotel suite into a art gallery or sorts. And we unintentionally took a free tour of The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece- it was cool but, my forte is pop culture art. (I’ll save that discussion for a later date.)
After the DMA and little stroll through the Arts District, we met Eve and her husband, Anthony and they took us to get a real Texas steak at Dunston’s Steakhouse and Bar. According to Eve, Dunston’s is an old Dallas institution that has been around since the 60s. Walking into that joint was like stepping into 1984. It was awesome! The steak was great, the salad bar was great- the company was awesome.
Even though Eve and I hadn’t laid eyes on each other in nearly a decade, we managed to pick up where we left off. She and Anthony are expecting a baby girl in October- so, it was fun to visit with them on the eve of this page-turner in their lives.
The next day, we took it easy getting going (a rarity in my world) but after an early lunch we headed down town. Bub and I have two totally different ideas of how to explore a big city. Bub just wanted to park and walk around until we happened upon something awesome. And, really- if we were in say New York City (where he previously employed this tactic), that would be a perfect tactic to employ but, in Dallas… not so much. We were in Dallas, we just couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by to go see that infamous grassy knoll at Dealy Plaza. Bub was kind enough to not make me walk the 10 blocks, one way, in downtown Dallas at noon in August. We drove to the Sixth Floor Museum located in what once was the school book depository.
In the collage to the left, the top left is the DMA and underneath it is a row of food trucks along side a park in the Arts District. Bub and I were totally taken with how clean Dallas was and all the plant life it has. The photo on the bottom right is the grass knoll. The photo above that is a shot of the window from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy.
Bub and I both enjoyed touring the Sixth Floor Museum and just being in that space/area that totally and completely rewrote American history. What if Jack Ruby had not shot Lee Harvey Oswald? What if Lee Harvey Oswald had not shot JFK? The what if game is a slippery slope. To say the least, it was pretty neat be in a space that is a pivotal point in our history.
So, our trip to Dallas was a success! From Success School at Cowboy Stadium to the Dallas Museum of Art to a real Texas steak to the Sixth Floor Museum. It was all pretty awesome. I look forward to visiting Dallas in the future and would totally recommend you check it out too (if you haven’t already)!
P.S. I did really want to go see South Fork… but, Eve said it was pretty far away and that I would be disappointed if I drove all the way out there for what it is… So, we didn’t go- you win some and loose some.
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