The glinting skyscrapers are a statement to Dallas' brash grandeur; but my first afternoon in Texas was a confusing one - the airport is poorly designed and badly staffed. There is no tourist information desk, as I had assumed there would be.
It took awhile to find a hotel, which was inexpensive and close to transit - the final choice was the ever prestigious Econo Lodge.

The driver was a belittling immigrant, who blamed everyone except himself for not being able to find our hotel. And then the price changed from $9 to $13 - which did not impress me. I talked back; it was a foolish argument. He was trying to guilt trip me and make me feel stupid, because he didn't know where our hotel was.

"I would advise you not to argue like that again while you are in Texas," the driver told me.
"Yeah, be careful down here." A quiet lady in front of me said.

So be careful, they say. This motel is a haven for truckers and is in the middle of nowwhere; two big mean folk were leaning on the check-in desk staring at us. Mike, one of my co-workers who has only visited Hawaii during his eight months with the company, decided to tag along with me on this trip.

Welcome to Texas; welcome to Dallas. No hostels. Stupid shuttle bus drivers. And even though it's not too bad a room, you just know that this part of town ain't safe. And I didn't even get to eat my ribs tonight.




Dallas reminds me wholly of Calgary; its look and feel, architecture and planning are nearly identical. And during the day, the city is surprisingly empty and laid back. I think that this is attributed to the lack of enclosed spaces and the prevalence of the car; massive parking lots abound in the downtown centre.

And there aren't too many sights either - the JFK memorial, the fancy looking courthouse, and the replica log cabin of Dallas' founder are all within a block of each other. That should occupy about 10 minutes of your stay. If you're new to North American colonialism you might want to visit the old city park with its rebuilt buildings. But for me, having existed in the aftermath of wild west wood buildings all of my life, the buildings are redundant at best.

The best sight in town is the Dallas museum of art, with a nice building and a world class collection. And a very good contemporary art exhibit. The museum also has a large collection of old Spanish furniture and clothing, so antique buffs would thoroughly enjoy a visit as well.





Lunch was an absolutely excellent entree of ribs with a baked potato and a pint of Miller beer. Absolutely excellent food at Sonny's Smokehouse BBQ. I think this is the best reason to visit Dallas - for some meat and beer. All for ten bucks, you can't go wrong. You may as well just sit in that restaurant all day and eat, and you'd thoroughly enjoy your trip to Dallas. Unless you're a vegetarian, in which case you may get lynched.

But this is a different world from the USA's other regions - the accent, the brashness, the wild west image and attitude. The danger - the palpable kind. A large black man was accosting an old white man in a convenience store parking lot across the street from where we were walking - he hit him in the head and the old man's glasses fell from his face. A few minutes later we were walking back the same way and chatted with the old man - "If I'd a gun I woulda shot that nigger," he said. And therein is where Texas becomes dangerous - if they do have a gun, then you're in trouble. If you have a gun, then they're in trouble. It all depends on who has the piece, and who's willing to use it. Oh, America.

Houston
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