The American southwest has often been associated with cowboys, rodeos, wild west shows, and ten-gallon hats. But anyone who has visited one of the great metropolitan cities of the southwest will revise that opinion, especially if that big city is called “The Bid D” or Dallas, Texas.
Dallas reflects that great Texas saying that “everything is bigger in Texas.” As you move about this fast-moving town, you will observe that it’s a huge area and its people are on the go constantly in this area called “The Metroplex.” Actually, Dallas’s metropolitan area takes in much more than just the town itself as this metropolitan area includes Fort Worth, Arlington, and dozens of suburbs that have become absorbed into Dallas’s excitement.
One of the things that will jump out at you about Dallas even as you enter the city by plane or automobile is the amazing architecture. The city is a shining example of modern buildings of shiny glass and exciting new design concepts. If there were a city that might fit the description of “The City of the Future,” it would be Dallas, Texas.
Few who have spent any time in this large modern city ever would mistake it for your image of a hick town. Quite the opposite is true. Dallas is as metropolitan and up to date as any city in the world. And if you know the city well, you know that some of the biggest business deals in the world are made right here in Dallas in those towering skyscrapers and powerful banks that make up the Dallas economy.
But don’t think because Dallas is an economic force to be reckoned with that this is not a genuinely Texas town. As you walk about downtown, you will see people in business sporting the characteristic cowboy hat and fancy boots. No, they are not “playing dress-up.” That is a normal mode of dress here in the heart of the southwest. But at the same time that you see people dressed to the height of southern fashion, you will see many who are adorned in the finest that the fashion worlds of New York, Paris, or London have to offer.
Sightseeing in Dallas can be a rich and rewarding experience. Dallas boasts some world-class museums, and their theme parks have set the standard for family entertainment that even Orlando and California have to work hard to try to top. But one moving experience that is a “must-do” of your sightseeing plans is to visit the memorial to President Kennedy and take a walk on the grassy knoll and up into the book repository where that assassin changed the course of American history forever. It is a sobering reminder of the greatness that was lost that day but also a time to show your affection for one of the greatest presidents this country has served in its long and illustrious history.
After paying your respects, it’s time to kick up your heels and have some fun. And no city on earth knows better how to show you a great time that The Big D. The restaurants in this town offer the most diverse menus and the finest chefs this side of Paris. And the nightlife is not just isolated to one part of town. You can disco in the suburbs, country line dance in Fort Worth, or bump and grind to the best of modern music in downtown Dallas all night long if you incline. Even a hidden treasure is a downtown section that locals can help you find called “Deep Ellum” that will have you convinced you have been teleported to the hippest parts of New York or Piccadilly Circus in London. But before long, you will realize where you are when you look up at the huge green neon-lined downtown buildings of downtown Dallas and realize that you, like the song says are, “deep in the heart of Texas.” And we think it will be a place you will want to return to again and again. 688