5 February 2023, Dallas, USA –

Our first rule of long haul travelling is always to block out the first full day after arrival for R&R, in case we are too jetlagged to get out bed.  Last time we flew to Europe (which feels like aeons ago now but was only in 2019), my head felt like the inside of a kaleidoscope, thanks to my vestibular system packing it in. It took days to recover.  This time I’m very pleased – and relieved – to report that everything feels very close to normal, even after a 15 hour flight.

There are worse aircraft to spend 15 hours on than a 787 Dreamliner; the seat design has some good new features; we were well fed and kept ourselves entertained.  We landed at DFW Airport, the fourth busiest in the US. Not so busy on a Saturday afternoon though – we were the only international flight, and we whizzed through Passport Control, Baggage Claim, and Customs, in less than 30 minutes – a far cry from the hours of queuing experienced on previous trips into LAX. 

After some deliberating between Uber vs light rail, we opted for the latter, to get into town. It was cheap and efficient, if not very salubrious, and by 4pm-ish, we were unlocking the front door of our plush apartment in Deep Ellum, just east of downtown.  It’s lovely with spacious rooms, and the best bed I have ever slept in. The supermarket is half a block away, and after a quick dinner and shower, we fell into bed and were sound asleep before 8pm.

It’s amazing what 13 hours of bedrest will do for you.  We woke to a cold, clear Sunday; there are still remnants of snow and ice in places following the severe storms last week which cause huge disruptions to Dallas, and the rest of Texas. Our timing was perfect.

The only downside to our stay here is our proximity to a massive, and very noisy freeway, which separates us from the city. Using our superior navigational skills, we found a way across and underneath numerous off-ramps and overpasses.  Our plan was to head to the Sixth Floor Museum on foot – a walk of about 30 minutes through downtown if you go direct.  But we found ourselves easily distracted – a bit like deciding to pick up a few 2 point controls en route to the 5-pointer – and abandoned ourselves to the fun of random exploration of a new city.

Dallas on a Sunday is like many car-dependent cities – people go elsewhere. That was fine by us; it meant no crowds. It is easily walkable; its grid layout makes navigation nice and straightforward, and we didn’t bother with Google Maps; we just followed our noses and headed generally west, with some detours north and south.

After crossing the light rail line, we found ourselves in the Arts District, with a collection of funky sculptures to look at. All over Dallas, you can see juxtaposition between old and new architecture – small churches nestled against glass skyscrapers – reminding us of Chicago, the only other mid-US city we’ve spent time in.

Dallas was of course built on oil wealth, and it was home to Mobil Oil, among many other petroleum companies.  The Pegasus sign, or Flying Red Horse, on top of the Magnolia Building, is an icon of Dallas and recognisable the world over.  As keeper of all things historic in my former employment, I was very familiar with the Pegasus – it appeared on almost every annual report and corporate brochure. Of course being in Dallas, I had to see the real thing.  What I didn’t know is that the Magnolia Building is a gorgeous art deco twin tower – now a luxury hotel – complete with a Venetian-style air bridge linking the towers. This was 1930s Dallas, with several other wonderful art deco buildings in the same area – and some brick brutalist monstrosities straight from the 60s.

From there we strolled through the AT&T Discovery Precinct, another fun collection of more modern public art.  This was the first place we saw other tourists, taking selfies at The Globe and the dazzlingly golden Spirit of Communication statue.

We were in the centre of the commerce district, but like the pioneers of old, it was time to go west. Luckily for us, the final frontier was only a few blocks away, at Dealey Plaza.  The West End Historic District is famous as the site of President John F Kennedy’s assassination – one of those rare events, like the death of Princess Diana, the fall of the Berlin Wall, or 9/11, that shaped its time and changed the way the world viewed itself – one of those “where were you when … moments”.

You can see, and stand on, the “grassy knoll” (unfortunately no 5-point control here), from the spot where Abraham Zapruder famously filmed the whole thing.  Looking up, you can see the partly open window on the 6^th floor of the former Book Depository, where the shots were fired from.  The exact places where the bullets hit are marked by three white X’s on the road; bizarrely, people stand on them and get their photo taken, dodging the three lanes of traffic that speed downhill towards the underpass.  It is a strange feeling to be at a location that has been so discussed, analysed, filmed and photographed, for the past 60 years. We skipped the museum, feeling we had seen enough to get a good understanding of how things unfolded.

Nearby is the striking Old Red Courthouse (or as we preferred to call it, the Harry Potter Castle).  It has gargoyles on the roof ridges, turrets, and a wonderful clock tower.  It was built in 1892, and is completely, but comfortably, at odds with anything else in Dallas (or in much of the US outside of Disneyland).

Our final stop for the day was the Farmers Market, which has stalls selling all sorts of home made goodies on the weekends.  We meandered through, stopping to taste various treats like cookies (scrumptious), green salsa (tangy), peach jam (delicious), and chocolate pecan pie (delectable). While the tourists on a Sunday are gathered on the Grassy Knoll, the locals are at the Market – it was the only crowded place we saw.

Unplanned wanderings often turn out pleasantly surprising, and this was the case today.  There are no “must sees” here, but we had a very enjoyable, relaxed Sunday stroll.  It’s been almost 26 years since we were last in the US.  The media paints a certain picture, but just like last time, we’ve found Americans to be genuinely friendly, polite, and welcoming.  I’m glad we came back.