Dallas Detours.
Before I tell you all about Texas, or what little I have seen of it so far, there is a restaurant that is half way between Oklahoma City and Dallas that you have to stop at if you're driving along I-35. It's called Original Fried Pies and it's right off the exit for Davis, Oklahoma. Adriana and I decided to stop here after we went to Turner Falls Park when the woman at the park entrance told us that they're the best thing on earth and people come far and wide for these pies. Intrigued, we gave them a shot. She was not kidding. Y'all, I have officially found my new favorite dessert. Yes, I did just say y'all, it's been a thing of mine since before this trip and comes and goes. Anyway, a fried pie looks like a turnover or a calzone and is roughly the size of one. They're served to you hot and in one of many pie flavors. We tried the peach and were not disappointed. Get extra napkins for the ride, it's flakey, perfect crust can make a real mess. It's worth it though, trust me. Now, back to Texas.
Every time I enter a new state I take a picture of the sign on the highway. I don't necessarily pull over since it's sometimes a bit dangerous, so when Adriana and I got to the Welcome to Texas sign, we took advantage of the moment and snapped a pic in front of it. Surprisingly, it was actually the first shot of me with a state sign. After maybe an hour and a half or so more of sharing stories and belting out whatever country song came on next, we made it to Dallas. I don't know if you've ever been, but it is a huge and overwhelming place. It's a cool city although personally not my favorite. That's ok though, I'm not going to love every place I visit. If I'm totally honest with you, I was a little bias about Dallas to begin with. Determined to give it my all, I put that aside and kept an open mind. Some say New York is huge and hard to navigate, which I agree it can be, but the difference is that Dallas is so large Adriana and I literally had no idea where to begin when we arrived on Wednesday afternoon. At least in New York everything is walkable and it's one big grid. Dallas you A. have to drive everywhere B. have to drive far to get everywhere and C. have to drive through a ton of traffic to get anywhere. We spent a solid thirty to forty minutes trying to find where the best cheap motel would be while still in relation to downtown. The problem with that strategy; we didn't know if downtown is where we wanted to end up. There's Uptown, South Greenville, Deep Ellum, West End Historic District; the list goes on. So we grabbed whatever motel seemed in the general area of a few things we knew we wanted to do and settled on that.
The first stop was, no surprise here, food. Starving and almost to the point of hangry, we went to the best blast from the past Dallas had to offer, Highland Park Soda Fountain. It's one hundred years old and still serves comfort food in the form of tuna melts and grilled cheeses. They also, just so you know, have the best milkshakes I've ever had. That's a tall order, I know. It was so amazing that I had to go back two days later for a second one. We wandered around downtown a bit after that, taking in the sights of the new city before checking out some of the bars. The West End Historic District is a really pretty area of downtown. It's where you can find Dealey Plaza, the aquarium and some shops and restaurants, to name a few. We stumbled upon Wild Bill's Western Store, the only sign of anything remotely western themed in Dallas, to my knowledge. The boots were drop dead gorgeous. I kept wandering up and down the aisles taking in the leather scent and wishing I had a pair. I think it's safe to say I'm ready for the "western" side of Texas. One more minute and I would have bought a pair, we had to leave. We went to three different bars in different neighborhoods that night. Deep Ellum is definitely where it's at. It's Dallas' version of Williamsburg in Brooklyn without the excessive amount of hipsters. The bars range everywhere from upscale to as divey as dive bars can be. Adair's Saloon is where we ended up there, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you really love dive bars. If you do, then this place is for you. Cheap burgers and tots - check. Cheap beer - check. Country music a little too loud from the stage by the front door - check. Pleasantly buzzed, we chilled a bit then headed back to the hotel to get some rest for Adriana's last day of adventuring.
Thursday morning we spent at Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum. This, you guessed it, is where John F. Kennedy Jr., was assassinated on November 22, 1963, at 12:30 pm. The Museum is really well done, a little crowded, but very interesting and informative. You can even look out at the view Oswald had before he fired. Standing on the grassy knoll, which is really just a small grass hill next to the road, I took it all in; wondering what it must have been like but finding it hard to imagine. I looked closer and saw the "X" marking the spot on the road where JFK was fatally shot. I shifted towards the concrete structure to my right and stood where Abraham Zapruder, a dressmaker, unknowingly captured some of the most iconic and important film in American History. The sixth floor of the Book Depository was where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his rifle three times from the corner window. Walking through the Museum, I found Zapruder's images on display. He captured seven images, starting with Kennedy alive and 2.1 seconds later slumped over on Jackie's lap. Fun fact, technically not fun but still a fact, the gun was purchased by mail order for the price of $12.78. I know, crazy. Twelve dollars is all it took to assassinate the president of the United States. I know back then $12 was more than it is today, but still, that's practically chump change. I mean, wow. Walking through there, I tried again to picture what the scene must have been like. I'm sure there aren't enough photographs in the world to prepare you for witnessing something like that in real life. JFK represented hope for serious change in America, it's partially why his popularity had recently dropped to 59%. All of that hope and excitement for the future must have been ripped right out from under people when that first shot rang out. The same can be said for when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. When I was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was assassinated, there was a video of his famous and last speech, I've Been to the Mountaintop. On April 3, 1968, he says, "...like anybody I would like to live a long life..." Note the date; it's eerie. So is what JFK said to Kenneth O'Donnell, a close friend who was one car behind him, the morning of November 22nd, "...if anybody really wanted to shoot the president of the United States, it was not a difficult job - all one had to do was get to a high building... with a telescopic rifle..." You all know the story, how could you not, so I'll spare you the rest of the details and hope if you're ever in Dallas you'll at least stand on the grassy knoll and look up at the 6th floor corner window of the Book Depository.
Texas has vineyards, did you know that? There aren't many since the weather here is finicky and way too hot, but there are a few. We learned that while enjoying a wine tasting in Grapevine, Texas. This picture perfect town even has nice trash cans. I'm not kidding, they have grape designs on them. The main street is lined with small shops, restaurants, chocolatiers, and wineries. It has more things to do than most of the small towns I've seen and even has a gazebo with a grape flag flying proudly under the American flag. Plaques on every building tell you some history of what it originally was and the backstory of the town's beginning. The people there are incredibly nice and I highly recommend stopping here if you're ever in Texas. You won't really need more than a day, maybe even a few hours, but it will be worth it. It's only ten minutes from the airport so even you're in Dallas for a long layover you could stop by and get a taste of some olive oil, try some free chocolate samples and get a nice wine buzz. Dallas may not be my favorite, but some of the small towns surrounding it are definitely what make North Texas worth while, in my opinion.
After spending the majority of my day Friday drawing at the Dallas Museum of Art, a free and beautiful place, I headed to my couch surfing host's home in Lewisville, Texas. It's just north of Dallas and more suburban, I guess you would call it. Donald and Rachelle live in an apartment complex lined with palm trees and colorful buildings, it reminded me of vacation apartments in Florida. They have a lovely home and they immediately welcomed me in, opened some wine, and started making dinner. I knew I had messaged the right people after only five minutes with them. Their personalities are welcoming and Rachelle's laugh is infectious, they made me feel right at home. I told them how much I loved Grapevine and that I really wanted to check out Denton, another small town in North Texas, and they were all in for that idea. We got there during the day Saturday, which was a little chillier than it's been lately, and headed straight for the jam session in front of city hall. People kept walking up with their instruments and chiming in. A small boy, maybe three years old, with his mom and younger brother stood in the circle with his tiny guitar, strumming along. The town's shops and restaurants went around the outside of the square, where City Hall was, and consisted of everything from a second hand bookshop covered wall to wall in books of all genres, to an old fashioned candy store with more soda pop in their original bottles than you could imagine. The store had a massive assortment of candy, some I thought had for certain stopped being made years ago. I immediately noticed the giant ceramic head when I walked in and the huge hand hanging down from the ceiling that matched. Atomic Candy is so far the coolest candy shop I've been into. I'm going to have to start going into more of those, I usually overlook them since I don't have the biggest sweet tooth. Donald told me the best way to really see Texas is to go through the small towns. Works out nicely for me since I prefer to drive through those than main highways anyway. I've discovered so far that every small town is similar. So when I find a new place and then describe it to you as "the cutest tiny town" just like I have the ones before, it's the truth. However, every small town is also unique, even if that unique thing is something really random or obscure. A fun fact about Denton, which I love, goes like this - The First State Bank of Denton buried a time capsule in front of their building on September 12, 1922, and planned to open it on the bank's 100th anniversary. The twist; nobody remembered to open it. So, on September 13th, 2012, at 12:01 am, citizens gathered to remember how they forgot to remember to open the capsule. True story. Spending Saturday night with Donald and Rachelle and some of their friends was so much fun. It reminded me a lot of hanging out at home drinking wine and goofing around with mine. I hope to see them again some day and tell them all about the rest of my journey, even though I know they'll be following along anyway.
Just something small I wanted to mention before I go is what was written on a note left for JFK on his memorial when it was finished in 1983. "Here, passed a man with hope, we chose to follow. One brief shining moment."
My next stop is Ft. Worth, Texas! I've heard good things and I can't wait to see if it lives up to expectations. I've also come to the realization that storms in Texas are nothing to mess around with. Everyone think happy tornado thoughts, please and thank you!
- G.
The Photo:
A bicycle built for no one.
Grapevine, Texas.
3/30/17.
