Some homing beacon draws notices about writing contests to my files. I often avoid contests because of the four-letter word “fees” attached to them. But these are mostly fee-free, and not something you’ll find on writing research sites. I'll list them in order of deadlines, some looming imminently.
-- August 1 is the extended deadline for the FenCon short story contest offered through the science fiction/fantasy convention meeting in the Dallas suburb of Addison this fall. Winners can win cash and publication in the convention’s program book. First entry is free for FenCon members (and yes, you may buy a membership if you like). First entry for nonmembers is $10. Full disclosure, I am a longtime FenCon member who actually made it to the top 10 entries once in this contest and managed to sell a few stories from tips picked up on the convention’s workshops. For details, see www.fencon.org/story/html.
-- August 1 is also the deadline for the fall writing prompt contest offered by The First Line magazine. Entries must use the magazine’s designated first line, in this case, “There must have been thousands standing in the rain that day.” No fee, no genre limitation, and you may win money or other goodies. While you’re at it, take a look at the prompt on line for the winter issue, with submissions due November 1. I found this after the magazine’s editor published a book review in the Dallas Morning News. I have no information about the publication except what’s on its website, which, however, looks interesting. See www.thefirstline.com/submission.htm/.
-- September 1 -- The first ever Prompt-A-Palooza Writing Contest from Free Expressions, the company of professional editor Lorin Oberwetter and associates. Your complete short story (1,250 words) must use a prompt from the dozens offered on the site’s blog. No fee. First and second place winners get cash and credits on the sites workshops and editorial services. See
www.free-expressions.com/.
-- September 3 is the deadline for the new DFW Writers’ Conference short story contest. Special criteria -- your story must open by writing the first paragraph of YA author Jonathan Maberry’s upcoming book. No genre limits, no fee. The winner gets a free ticket to next spring’s conference. See www.dfwcon.org/.
The next contests are for limited demographic groups, but are dear to my heart. And of course -- they’re fee-free!
September 15 -- Fourth Annual Literature + Medicine writing contest, sponsored by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. Workers active in health care fields, including pre-med, medical students, residents and interns, may compete in the categories of essays, poetry or short stories, based on their experiences in medicine, working with patients, delivering difficult news to family members and balancing work and personal life. No fee. Cash prizes to winners in each category and to a grand prize winner. I’ll also recommend the hospital’s conference October 24, with New York Times best-selling author John M. Barry. Details at www.texashealth.org/litmed./
-- November 1-December 13 is the time to enter the annual Thanks-Giving Square Expressions competition on the theme, “I am grateful for the values of sports.” Competition is open to students worldwide from kindergarten through grade 12. Art and essays on the theme must be submitted by the students’ teachers. Cash prizes to students and credit for school supplies available to teachers. For information, see
www.thanksgiving.org/.
March 31, 2014 -- The deadline on this one isn’t so urgent, but I’ll mention it while I’m dealing with contests. It’s the State-Fish Art contest sponsored by conservation organization Wildlife Forever. U.S. students in grades four through 12 must submit an art work and essay. Only a drawing is required for students in kindergarten through grade three. See www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/education/fish_art/.
Showing posts with label Thanks-Giving Square. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanks-Giving Square. Show all posts
Monday, July 29, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Totally Texas -- Hidden urban oases
When I worked in downtown Dallas, one of my favorite lunchtime hideaways was the tiny park of Lubben Plaza across the street from the Belo Building (Market Street between Young and Wood). It has places to sit, cool stuff to look at, and that essential in summertime Texas, shade. It’s also only a couple of blocks from the one of the city’s most visited attractions -- the larger than life cattle drive sculptures at Pioneer Plaza.
Strangely, I’ve never seen more than a handful of people enjoying it.
Much as I’d like to keep it my private paradise, with its moving “Harrow” sculpture daily circling a sandpit like the hand of gigantic clock, surrounded by chairs of wood and steel; its eerie “Gateway Stele” and African-influenced gigantic blocks, I know what the problem is. Surrounded on one side by a parking lot, on another by an open, brutally hot field of grass and concrete, it lacks what urban planners call strong edges -- surroundings that draw people in. Maybe that will change with the convention center hotel now edging its third side.
It won’t be the first of Dallas’ small quirky spaces redeemed when their surroundings got livelier. Witness Pegasus Plaza at Akard and Main streets. The atmosphere of its landscape of boulders and fountains commemorating a lost underground spring went from ho-hum to hip once its edges were reclaimed by a boutique hotel and trendy restaurants.
The Belo Company has made efforts to attract people to the lovely garden space of its just opened last year Belo Garden, 1014 Main St. in front of the Cabell Federal Building.
For years the area was an expensive parking lot for lawyers lugging boxes of evidence to the federal courts inside the Cabell. Now it’s softened by the flower spikes of tall native grasses, dotted with a variety of trees -- deciduous trees inhospitable to downtown’s ubiquitous grackles. The shade’s still sparse, but a grassy berm and fountains quiet street noises and give kids room to play.
Other favorite and free spots to refresh urban spirits:
-- St. Jude’s Chapel offers brilliant abstract mosaics to brighten the street view at 1521 Main St. (across from Pegasus Plaza) while the inside is cool, dim and quiet;
-- Thanks-Giving Square’s sunken garden at 1627 Pacific Avenue (near the Akard DART station) keeps street clamor at bay. Shady seating, or enjoy the stained glass of its spiraling tower.
-- Fountain Place, 1445 Ross Avenue, is one of the happier results from the sort of star-quality architects corporate Dallas loves. From a distance, it's a blue-green iceberg. Up close, it floats amid terraced waterfalls and cypress trees. Unfortunately, getting there from street level is not a pleasant experience. And I haven’t checked the underground walkway system Dallas seems determined to destroy (without offering suitable replacements) since blogging about them August 29, 2011, in “A tunnel to a downtown iceberg.” I’d be glad to hear whether the walkways are still operational.
-- Dallas Museum of Art sculpture garden, 1717 N. Harwood. All of the DMA is cool, but the outer walled garden is a place for contemplation over lunch, or while the kids stretch their legs.
This is a selection of my favorite downtown Dallas oases, but I’d love to hear about your favorite urban spaces. What’s out there, what works -- even what doesn’t.
(P.S., Friday p.m. -- my daughter, grandsons and I visited Fountain Place and Thanks-Giving Square. We found the underground pedestrian walkway still traversable, but were saddened to see the grounds at Thanks-Giving Square in dire need of maintenance.)
Strangely, I’ve never seen more than a handful of people enjoying it.
Much as I’d like to keep it my private paradise, with its moving “Harrow” sculpture daily circling a sandpit like the hand of gigantic clock, surrounded by chairs of wood and steel; its eerie “Gateway Stele” and African-influenced gigantic blocks, I know what the problem is. Surrounded on one side by a parking lot, on another by an open, brutally hot field of grass and concrete, it lacks what urban planners call strong edges -- surroundings that draw people in. Maybe that will change with the convention center hotel now edging its third side.
It won’t be the first of Dallas’ small quirky spaces redeemed when their surroundings got livelier. Witness Pegasus Plaza at Akard and Main streets. The atmosphere of its landscape of boulders and fountains commemorating a lost underground spring went from ho-hum to hip once its edges were reclaimed by a boutique hotel and trendy restaurants.
The Belo Company has made efforts to attract people to the lovely garden space of its just opened last year Belo Garden, 1014 Main St. in front of the Cabell Federal Building.
For years the area was an expensive parking lot for lawyers lugging boxes of evidence to the federal courts inside the Cabell. Now it’s softened by the flower spikes of tall native grasses, dotted with a variety of trees -- deciduous trees inhospitable to downtown’s ubiquitous grackles. The shade’s still sparse, but a grassy berm and fountains quiet street noises and give kids room to play.
Other favorite and free spots to refresh urban spirits:
-- St. Jude’s Chapel offers brilliant abstract mosaics to brighten the street view at 1521 Main St. (across from Pegasus Plaza) while the inside is cool, dim and quiet;
-- Thanks-Giving Square’s sunken garden at 1627 Pacific Avenue (near the Akard DART station) keeps street clamor at bay. Shady seating, or enjoy the stained glass of its spiraling tower.
-- Fountain Place, 1445 Ross Avenue, is one of the happier results from the sort of star-quality architects corporate Dallas loves. From a distance, it's a blue-green iceberg. Up close, it floats amid terraced waterfalls and cypress trees. Unfortunately, getting there from street level is not a pleasant experience. And I haven’t checked the underground walkway system Dallas seems determined to destroy (without offering suitable replacements) since blogging about them August 29, 2011, in “A tunnel to a downtown iceberg.” I’d be glad to hear whether the walkways are still operational.
-- Dallas Museum of Art sculpture garden, 1717 N. Harwood. All of the DMA is cool, but the outer walled garden is a place for contemplation over lunch, or while the kids stretch their legs.
This is a selection of my favorite downtown Dallas oases, but I’d love to hear about your favorite urban spaces. What’s out there, what works -- even what doesn’t.
(P.S., Friday p.m. -- my daughter, grandsons and I visited Fountain Place and Thanks-Giving Square. We found the underground pedestrian walkway still traversable, but were saddened to see the grounds at Thanks-Giving Square in dire need of maintenance.)
Friday, December 21, 2012
Totally Texas -- Lights, cameras, tubas!
In December, North Texas turns into Glitter Gulch on the prairie, as gargantuan numbers of holiday bulbs light up the night. Nothing against the big displays, but even before hearing about hour-long waits just to enter their neighborhoods, I preferred the closer to home, less choreographed light displays.
You know the best places in your neighborhood to see lights. But in the interest of letting you spend more time actually looking at beautiful lights than idling your car’s engine, I’ll suggest a couple of my favorites.
Top has to be Highland Park. The lights are often professionally done, but with room for individual quirks like the larger than life deer whose picture illustrates this post. Some websites consider Preston Road the eastern boundary of the displays, but on recent drives, I liked Drexel Drive (one block south of Mockingbird) from Preston west to Airline.
Beverly Drive, just south and generally parallel to Drexel, also looked great from the Dallas North Tollway to Airline as well, with one of the biggest displays at the corner of Preston.
While in Highland Park, watch for the horse-drawn carriages whose leisurely pace adds to the charm of the place and season. Carriages are brightly-lit and follow the same traffic rules as motorized traffic. Google “carriage rides Highland Park” for information about the several companies offering horse-drawn transportation.
Also close to home for me is the Lakewood neighborhood in East Dallas, just west of White Rock Lake. Lakewood Boulevard itself, from Abrams Road to Lawther, includes everything from chic professional installations to the witty to downright funny and bright kitsch.
Share your own favorites here, or to find more, see http://dallas.about.com/.
Normally, Thanks-Giving Square is an oasis of calm in downtown Dallas. But things will be far from quiet next Monday, December 24, when more than 200 tuba players gather at noon for the annual Tuba Christmas. As I write this, the weather forecast looks pleasant for Christmas Eve, so consider arriving early with family and blankets, bringing a picnic or feasting from the local food trucks.
The square and chapel at 1627 Pacific Avenue (between Akard and Ervay) are open daily, including holidays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, see
www.thanksgiving.org/.
And while you’re downtown, take a look at Neiman-Marcus, 1618 Main Street. Its windows are always great holiday photo ops, with free interactive displays for kids. For times, see www.neimanmarcus.com/.
You know the best places in your neighborhood to see lights. But in the interest of letting you spend more time actually looking at beautiful lights than idling your car’s engine, I’ll suggest a couple of my favorites.
Top has to be Highland Park. The lights are often professionally done, but with room for individual quirks like the larger than life deer whose picture illustrates this post. Some websites consider Preston Road the eastern boundary of the displays, but on recent drives, I liked Drexel Drive (one block south of Mockingbird) from Preston west to Airline.
Beverly Drive, just south and generally parallel to Drexel, also looked great from the Dallas North Tollway to Airline as well, with one of the biggest displays at the corner of Preston.
While in Highland Park, watch for the horse-drawn carriages whose leisurely pace adds to the charm of the place and season. Carriages are brightly-lit and follow the same traffic rules as motorized traffic. Google “carriage rides Highland Park” for information about the several companies offering horse-drawn transportation.
Also close to home for me is the Lakewood neighborhood in East Dallas, just west of White Rock Lake. Lakewood Boulevard itself, from Abrams Road to Lawther, includes everything from chic professional installations to the witty to downright funny and bright kitsch.
Share your own favorites here, or to find more, see http://dallas.about.com/.
#
Normally, Thanks-Giving Square is an oasis of calm in downtown Dallas. But things will be far from quiet next Monday, December 24, when more than 200 tuba players gather at noon for the annual Tuba Christmas. As I write this, the weather forecast looks pleasant for Christmas Eve, so consider arriving early with family and blankets, bringing a picnic or feasting from the local food trucks.
The square and chapel at 1627 Pacific Avenue (between Akard and Ervay) are open daily, including holidays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, see
www.thanksgiving.org/.
And while you’re downtown, take a look at Neiman-Marcus, 1618 Main Street. Its windows are always great holiday photo ops, with free interactive displays for kids. For times, see www.neimanmarcus.com/.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Totally Texas -- Feliz navidad, y'all
I dashed into my neighborhood grocery store yesterday morning for an overlooked Thanksgiving dinner ingredient and found the store already playing Christmas carols. Thanksgiving’s over -- long live Christmas! And Chanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. . . With too many holiday events to blog about separately, I’m giving a totally biased list of some of mine and my family’s favorites, especially the free ones!
During the darkest days of the year, lights suddenly blossom. Satisfy your craving for brightness with these suggestions:
Illumination Celebration at Galleria Dallas, 13350 Dallas Parkway, #3880, Dallas. Today, November 23, through December 24, starting at noon. Lighting of indoor tree choreographed to music. Free. See also “The weather inside’s delight,” November 25, 2011 at this site. For additional Galleria events, see www.galleriadallas.com/.
Chihuly Nights at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. Glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly remain at the Dallas Arboretum through December 31, with lighted nighttime viewings several nights each week. (Evenings through the end of November, and several evenings in December are already booked up.) For additional information, see “Arboretum’s Chihuly nights,” October 12, 2012, at this site. For ticket information and prices, see www.dallasarboretum.com/.
Lantern Light: Roaring through the Holidays, Saturday, December 1, at the Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15th St., Plano, Texas 75075. From 4 - 9 p.m. Illuminated tours of the historic buildings, with storytelling, visits with Santa, and more. For ticket information and prices, see www.heritagefarmstead.org/.
Chanukkah Menorah Lighting at Galleria Dallas. Saturday, December 8, through December 15, 5 p.m. daily. Of course, it’s in Texas, so it’s a giant 15-foot menorah! On Level 1, near the Guest Reception Center. Free. See www.galleriadallas.com/.
Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas, December 8 -9, 3-9 p.m. Carriage rides along candlelit paths, historic buildings and local entertainers. For ticket information, parking, and list of events included, see
www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.
Even in Texas, small can be beautiful. Some of my family’s favorite small-scale holiday things include:
The Trains at NorthPark, 8687 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, currently through January 6, 2013. Multiple miniature trains travel across small-scale landmarks, including Dallas’ new Margaret hunt Hill Bridge, the State Fair of Texas, and the Cotton Bowl. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. For times and tickets, see www.rmhdallas.org/news-and-events/the-trains-at-northpark/. For additional holiday events at NorthPark, see www.northparkcenter.com/.
Joel’s Christmas Train, 156 Hidden Circle, Richardson, Texas. Richardson retiree Joel Occhiuzzo has dedicated years to making his holiday express riding train in the Duck Creek neighborhood bigger and better. The train in his backyard, running now through January 1, 6 - 10 p.m., is big enough to ride on. Free, but he appreciates donations. For additional information, see “Can you hear the train coming?” December 26, 2011, at this site, and
http://holidayexpressridingtrain.wordpress.com/.
Richardson Santa’s Village, in front of Richardson City Hall, 411 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson, 75080. The village of child-size buildings opens Saturday, December 1, from 6-9 p.m. Free. For additional information, see “Santa comes on a fire engine,” December 12, 2011, at this site, and www.cor.net/index/aspx?page=1303/.
And then there are events that defy classification, such as A Tuba Christmas at Dallas’ Thanks-Giving Square, 1627 Pacific Avenue at Ervay and Bryan. December 24, at noon. For nearly forty years, players of tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums and baritone horns from across the country have gathered to play carols, with instruments and in audience sing alongs. Free. See www.thanksgiving.org/.
During the darkest days of the year, lights suddenly blossom. Satisfy your craving for brightness with these suggestions:
Illumination Celebration at Galleria Dallas, 13350 Dallas Parkway, #3880, Dallas. Today, November 23, through December 24, starting at noon. Lighting of indoor tree choreographed to music. Free. See also “The weather inside’s delight,” November 25, 2011 at this site. For additional Galleria events, see www.galleriadallas.com/.
Chihuly Nights at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. Glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly remain at the Dallas Arboretum through December 31, with lighted nighttime viewings several nights each week. (Evenings through the end of November, and several evenings in December are already booked up.) For additional information, see “Arboretum’s Chihuly nights,” October 12, 2012, at this site. For ticket information and prices, see www.dallasarboretum.com/.
Lantern Light: Roaring through the Holidays, Saturday, December 1, at the Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15th St., Plano, Texas 75075. From 4 - 9 p.m. Illuminated tours of the historic buildings, with storytelling, visits with Santa, and more. For ticket information and prices, see www.heritagefarmstead.org/.
Chanukkah Menorah Lighting at Galleria Dallas. Saturday, December 8, through December 15, 5 p.m. daily. Of course, it’s in Texas, so it’s a giant 15-foot menorah! On Level 1, near the Guest Reception Center. Free. See www.galleriadallas.com/.
Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas, December 8 -9, 3-9 p.m. Carriage rides along candlelit paths, historic buildings and local entertainers. For ticket information, parking, and list of events included, see
www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.
Even in Texas, small can be beautiful. Some of my family’s favorite small-scale holiday things include:
The Trains at NorthPark, 8687 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, currently through January 6, 2013. Multiple miniature trains travel across small-scale landmarks, including Dallas’ new Margaret hunt Hill Bridge, the State Fair of Texas, and the Cotton Bowl. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. For times and tickets, see www.rmhdallas.org/news-and-events/the-trains-at-northpark/. For additional holiday events at NorthPark, see www.northparkcenter.com/.
Joel’s Christmas Train, 156 Hidden Circle, Richardson, Texas. Richardson retiree Joel Occhiuzzo has dedicated years to making his holiday express riding train in the Duck Creek neighborhood bigger and better. The train in his backyard, running now through January 1, 6 - 10 p.m., is big enough to ride on. Free, but he appreciates donations. For additional information, see “Can you hear the train coming?” December 26, 2011, at this site, and
http://holidayexpressridingtrain.wordpress.com/.
Richardson Santa’s Village, in front of Richardson City Hall, 411 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson, 75080. The village of child-size buildings opens Saturday, December 1, from 6-9 p.m. Free. For additional information, see “Santa comes on a fire engine,” December 12, 2011, at this site, and www.cor.net/index/aspx?page=1303/.
And then there are events that defy classification, such as A Tuba Christmas at Dallas’ Thanks-Giving Square, 1627 Pacific Avenue at Ervay and Bryan. December 24, at noon. For nearly forty years, players of tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums and baritone horns from across the country have gathered to play carols, with instruments and in audience sing alongs. Free. See www.thanksgiving.org/.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Totally Texas -- Spring break destination: Dallas
To prepare you for spring break -- March 12-16 for many North Texas school districts -- I’ve gathered get away suggestions easy on family budgets, but that won’t leave children at loss when asked how they spent their break.
I’ve planned these around the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s routes for maximum penny-pinching. The few incidents of violence on DART may have made you wary of bringing your children on board, although I personally have ridden DART trains and buses for more than a quarter-century without seeing a single violent episode.
But if you want to drive, especially if pressed for time, there’s parking at or adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Lots are also adjacent to the Dallas World Aquarium and the Sixth Floor Museum. The museum and aquarium parking lots take either cash or credit/debit cards. I haven’t parked at the Sixth Floor, but it’s only a few blocks from the aquarium, if you want to see both on one parking fee.
All DART train lines feed into downtown Dallas. (See www.DART.org for routes, schedules and ticket prices.) I’ll start from the east end of downtown and list attractions along the tracks.
First stop downtown is the Plaza of the Americas, at the Pearl Street DART station. Chill at the indoor ice skating rink, or just watch the skaters. As in the rest of downtown Dallas, there are plenty of fast, reasonably-priced restaurants open weekdays, catering to office workers.
Walk a few blocks north from either the Pearl Street station or the next stop on the route, St. Paul Street station, to reach the Crow Museum of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. See their sites, www.crowcollection.org/, www.nashersculpturecenter.org/, and www.dallasmuseumofart.org/ for exhibits and family-friendly events.
Back on the DART track west through downtown, you’ll find Thanks-giving Square about a block from the Akard Street station. Eating places abound in nearby office buildings, or bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the tranquility of the enclosed square and its spiral tower.
The next stop after Akard Street finds you in the West End. (Yes, parents, there are public restrooms in the nearby West End Transit Center.) Dallas’s West End is home to both the Dallas World Aquarium at 1501 N. Griffin Street (about a block from the train stop), and the Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm Street, in the former Texas School Book Depository (about four blocks from the West End station).
The aquarium will probably be your most expensive stop, but it’s a place to spend a day. There are restaurants and a snack bar, or eat at nearby sandwich shops to keep costs down. See www.dwazoo.com for the aquarium, and www.jfk.org for Sixth Floor Museum. (Please note that some Sixth Floor Exhibits may be emotionally demanding for young children.)
Outside the Sixth Floor Museum is Dealey Plaza. Walk a couple of blocks to “Old Red,” the nineteenth-century county courthouse turned museum, and east to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza with its “open tomb” designed by architect Philip Johnson.
Continue on DART to transfer to the Trinity Railroad Express (TRE) to Fort Worth (more about that next week) or stay on red line trains to the Dallas Zoo, 650 R.L. Thornton Expressway. For zoo information, including registration for spring break camps, see www.dallaszoo.com/. The sight of lions lounging outside the floor to ceiling restaurant windows in the zoo’s Giants of the Savannah exhibit is awe inspiring. My grandsons love the bug house and the playground at the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo near the entrance, although I doubt the water feature will be open this early.
There’s more than I can list in a single post. For additional information, revisit posts for August 15, 2011, (Dallas World Aquarium); November 14, 2011, (Sixth Floor Museum); November 21, 2011, (Thanks-giving Square); and January 2, 2012, (Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Museum of Art).
(Next Monday -- Totally Texas visits Fort Worth for more spring break adventures.)
I’ve planned these around the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s routes for maximum penny-pinching. The few incidents of violence on DART may have made you wary of bringing your children on board, although I personally have ridden DART trains and buses for more than a quarter-century without seeing a single violent episode.
But if you want to drive, especially if pressed for time, there’s parking at or adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Lots are also adjacent to the Dallas World Aquarium and the Sixth Floor Museum. The museum and aquarium parking lots take either cash or credit/debit cards. I haven’t parked at the Sixth Floor, but it’s only a few blocks from the aquarium, if you want to see both on one parking fee.
All DART train lines feed into downtown Dallas. (See www.DART.org for routes, schedules and ticket prices.) I’ll start from the east end of downtown and list attractions along the tracks.
First stop downtown is the Plaza of the Americas, at the Pearl Street DART station. Chill at the indoor ice skating rink, or just watch the skaters. As in the rest of downtown Dallas, there are plenty of fast, reasonably-priced restaurants open weekdays, catering to office workers.
Walk a few blocks north from either the Pearl Street station or the next stop on the route, St. Paul Street station, to reach the Crow Museum of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. See their sites, www.crowcollection.org/, www.nashersculpturecenter.org/, and www.dallasmuseumofart.org/ for exhibits and family-friendly events.
Back on the DART track west through downtown, you’ll find Thanks-giving Square about a block from the Akard Street station. Eating places abound in nearby office buildings, or bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the tranquility of the enclosed square and its spiral tower.
The next stop after Akard Street finds you in the West End. (Yes, parents, there are public restrooms in the nearby West End Transit Center.) Dallas’s West End is home to both the Dallas World Aquarium at 1501 N. Griffin Street (about a block from the train stop), and the Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm Street, in the former Texas School Book Depository (about four blocks from the West End station).
The aquarium will probably be your most expensive stop, but it’s a place to spend a day. There are restaurants and a snack bar, or eat at nearby sandwich shops to keep costs down. See www.dwazoo.com for the aquarium, and www.jfk.org for Sixth Floor Museum. (Please note that some Sixth Floor Exhibits may be emotionally demanding for young children.)
Outside the Sixth Floor Museum is Dealey Plaza. Walk a couple of blocks to “Old Red,” the nineteenth-century county courthouse turned museum, and east to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza with its “open tomb” designed by architect Philip Johnson.
Continue on DART to transfer to the Trinity Railroad Express (TRE) to Fort Worth (more about that next week) or stay on red line trains to the Dallas Zoo, 650 R.L. Thornton Expressway. For zoo information, including registration for spring break camps, see www.dallaszoo.com/. The sight of lions lounging outside the floor to ceiling restaurant windows in the zoo’s Giants of the Savannah exhibit is awe inspiring. My grandsons love the bug house and the playground at the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo near the entrance, although I doubt the water feature will be open this early.
There’s more than I can list in a single post. For additional information, revisit posts for August 15, 2011, (Dallas World Aquarium); November 14, 2011, (Sixth Floor Museum); November 21, 2011, (Thanks-giving Square); and January 2, 2012, (Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Museum of Art).
(Next Monday -- Totally Texas visits Fort Worth for more spring break adventures.)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Totally Texas -- Tower of Thanks-Giving
Thanks-Giving Square
1627 Pacific Street, Dallas
#
In the days when I worked in downtown Dallas, the DART train I rode chugged every day past a mysteriously-walled park. A white spiral tower rose at one corner, a trio of bells at another. I finally became curious enough to walk over there. It was Thanks-Giving Square, one of the curious little oases of the heart of the city. One of the things Dallas actually does right.
Philip Johnson (also the architect of the Dallas memorial for President Kennedy), designed the park’s pathways to slope below ground level, concealing it from the sight of surface traffic. Its buildings are understated. Its waterfalls mask traffic sounds. When I walked in, Dallas felt a million miles away.
There’s a sheet of water, some understated buildings, trees and grass. From the park level, that’s it. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of water and shade and quiet. Unless you live or work in the heart of the ninth largest city in the United States, one which prides itself more often on bigness than humanness.
The park’s main entrance features a trio of bells, a multi-racial mosaic expressing the scripture, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and a gold-leafed ring large enough to step through with ease. At the other end of the park, the Thanks-Giving Tower rises in a spiral of white marble aggregate smaller than, but not dwarfed by, the surrounding city skyscrapers. It houses the a small, multi-faith chapel and the stained-glass Glory Window.
The window is the culmination of sixty-seven panels designed by Gabriel Loire of Chartes, France. The abstract designs of the windows spiral around the tower, their colors becoming brighter until they reach the apex. A booklet from the park invites viewers to lie on the floor for an unforgettable view of the design. (There are also chairs from which those less nimble may view the windows.)
In the center of the chapel, below the window, is a seven-ton marble altar supporting a glass bowl where visitors may place expressions of thanksgiving.
Although it is not longer possible to ascend the spiral, the abstract nature of the designs makes it accessible to those of any -- or no -- religious persuasion. Christian and Muslim worship services are scheduled regularly.
The park is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to its website, www.thanksgiving.org/ , and easily reached from the St. Paul or Akard DART stations. An exhibition of the works of the Thanksgiving Expressions winners is on display through January 2, 2012.
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Also this week: Trains at NorthPark, through January 1, on level two near Barney’s New York. Tickets $6 for adults, $3 for children and seniors, free for age two and under. Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald’s House. See YouTube for video highlights from last year, www.rmhdallas.org for hours and details.
Tuesday, November 22, is dollar day at the Dallas Zoo. All admissions are $1 (regularly $12 for adults, $9 for kids and seniors), free for children age two and younger. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $7 parking fee, or take DART for a $4 day pass. See www.dallaaszoo.com for information.
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