Sarah and I have been in Dallas the past few days for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a really great time getting to know some of my relatives that I have not spent much time with over the years. It wasn’t until Saturday that everyone could get together so our “Thanksgiving” arrived a few days later this year. So that we could explore some of the city, we pricelined a nice hotel in downtown Dallas for Thursday evening . I haven’t really spent much time in the Dallas area although Sarah and I have driven through several times. But with the exception of a short business trip a few years ago, and brief visits many years prior, my experience with the city is almost nil. I’ve been particularly intrigued with Dallas’ transit system. The city is hardly known for its urban characteristics and many, I imagine, would assume their public transit infrastructure is limited to a fleet of busses. As it turns out, the city has a successful light rail system, a commuter rail service, a downtown trolley line, in addition to busses.
After checking into our hotel we set out in search of food. Downtown was pin-drop quiet. It was like a giant vacuum hose was dragged through the streets, somehow missing all the homeless men. We flagged a cab and had him cruise through the Deep Ellum district. Here is all we knew about this area: when bands we like play in Dallas, it is usually at a club here. As we slowly passed tattoo parlors, clubs, restuarants, and galleries, it was evident that nothing was open. It appeared that most of the businesses in Deep Ellum occupied former warehouse spaces. This is clearly the city’s “bohemian” enclave and the painted freeway tunnel, graffiti murals, and semi-seedy feel were surprising. Not what I expected. But like the rest of downtown, it was empty and despite lofts springing up, there didn’t appear to be many people that actually lived in Deep Ellum.
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December 2nd, 2003
According to the article, it is perfecly legal to take creative license with your plate–just don’t cover the numbers. Ear X-tacy (the Waterloo of Louisville) is reportedly selling frowny face stickers for $.75… The zine looks promising and the internet version is loaded with content. I see room for Velocity along with Louisville Eccentric Observer. Along the same lines, could someone kindly redesign the piece of crap Ace Weekly site?