Cities to Visit: Dallas, Texas
"Live Large. Think Big." Dallas' new slogan describes
the essence of a city founded by a doggedly determined pioneer with big
dreams - a city which, to this day, is fueled by those who blaze new
trails, nurture big ideas and prove all things are possible.
Now the nation's ninth-largest city, Dallas has turned many of those
big ideas into big results, such as the largest urban arts district in
the nation, and Fair Park with eight museums, the largest
collection of art deco buildings nationwide, and each fall, the country's
largest state fair. And grand plans just keep flowing.
Three magnificent bridges designed by internationally renowned architect
Santiago Calatrava are planned, showcasing the Trinity River's upcoming
transformation into a downtown destination featuring a meandering waterway,
hike-bike trails and a forest larger than New York City's Central Park.
Always a major convention and business destination, the city has steadily
added features that also draw millions of visitors to the city annually
- more shopping centers per capita than other major cities, more restaurants
per capita than New York City (featuring 79 cuisines!), professional
sports teams, 100-plus golf courses, 10 entertainment districts within
three miles of downtown, year-round moderate weather and special southwestern
hospitality that is uniquely Dallas.
The city's performing, visual and culinary arts are increasingly in
the spotlight. The Dallas Museum of Art, Crow
Collection of Asian Art and Morton H. Meyerson Symphony
Center in the Arts District welcomed the new Nasher
Sculpture Center a year ago, containing the foremost private
collection of contemporary and modern art, an outdoor sculpture garden
and a café headed by celebrated chef Dean Fearing of the acclaimed Mansion
on Turtle Creek.
The beautiful and bold new Latino Cultural Center celebrates
Dallas diversity. Those exploring Dallas' western heritage must visit Gilley's near
the convention center, home to wide-ranging concerts and its famed mechanical
bull.