Yesterday is here Day 1 Travel Day

Monday 11 September

Despite the very comfy bed and the quiet room ( even though we were near a main road), I was awake at 1.30 and again at 2.30 – when I messaged the youngest at home to make sure he was up and out for school.

I dozed but finally gave up at 4.30 when Andy also woke up.

Damn this jet lag thing !

We sat and watched the news for a bit and I added my new ring to my bling collection.



The stress of carrying it round safely in the box yesterday had been enough and there really was no reason not to start wearing it.


I took some more pics of the suite



and discovered that if you opened the blinds in the lounge , you came face to face, almost literally, with the office workers across the way which was slightly un nerving. So I closed them again !



I took out our schedule for today – I know, this is OTT but fellow road trippers will know the value of having the day mapped out.

It stops all the pain of “ where shall we eat” “ what shall we do”.

Although it does also lead to occasional comments of Boot Camp Commandant …..

So , every day had something like this ….



And we became so reliant on it, that when we deviated in Nashville, it was painful !


About 8.30, feeling like we had been up half the morning already (because we had) , we set off for breakfast at Cindi’s NY Deli .

This is near Union Station which is nowhere near as amazing as Stations in New York and Washington. As a fellow passenger in the Super Shuttle had muttered behind me last night when I pointed it out to Andy, " its just a station". Nothing like a happy eavesdropper is there

Aforementioned station ..



I struggled to get oriented with the directions which wont be a surprise to regular readers and it meant we did take the non direct way there. But we passed some great buildings and sights along the way




I always associate Dallas with the gold coloured mirrored buildings

We saw these across the road



We passed the B(I)G in Dallas signs - there were a few of these about. BIG things happen in Dallas.



No its not YMCA, its a feeble attempt to be an I . It was early !





On past the Dallas Morning News building




As we approached Cindis, it looked like it was closed but happily only undergoing a bit of re decorating and still open for business.




You know when you walk in and the local police are having there breakfast here, it must be good !





It is very reminiscent of Katz in New York in terms of decor and layout. I didn't take many pics as it felt a bit awkward.




The menu is huge. And mainly egg based. Which was a bit of an issue for Andy but in the end he opted for an omelette.



I had chorizo and scrambled eggs with hash browns. It came with 3 mini corn tortillas and salsa so you could scoop the egg mix in and make breakfast burritos.



Andy had mushroom omelette with home fries which were cubed potatoes with onions and green peppers. It came with two pancakes.



He said was the omelette was a bit plain and could have done with something else in there to liven it up.

It was all very tasty and fresh.

I did feel for the people in the booth behind us, they only ordered bagels with cream cheese and they came out cold and burnt ..oops.

The hot food definitely the better choice



And the bill



We left a $5 tip.

We didn't need to eat again until dinner time, this had really set us up well for the day.

We had been seated at 0845 and were all done by 0930 , ready to explore. From here, we were heading up to City Hall Plaza.

Back the way we came ...





We crossed over to get a better look at the Bull statues.



They are beautiful sculptures

It normally has a water feature but had obviously been drained.
Unfortunately we didn't realise that the ground was all squelchy till we were there and my white shoes didn't fare so well

At City Hall Plaza we stopped a had few quiet moments enjoying the sunshine.



We looked at the police memorial



And then headed back towards the main streets of the city

Via the Library



Dallas felt quiet compared to the likes of San Francisco and New York, the streets were not hugely busy . We saw a number of the local law enforcement people chatting with people who seemed to be homeless and making sure they were ok. It all felt very friendly.

We arrived at Neiman Marcus just as it opened at 10 .




When it did open we were hugely outnumbered by the staff which was quite intimidating.

So I just made use of the very posh loos, had a brief look at the ground floor and then we made our way out.

Really, who makes use of the seating area in the toilets ? Better places to have a natter surely ?



Its a very upmarket store ..

From there we walked across to Pacific Point to find the Starbucks which was located inside an office complex – we were quite surprised that we could walk in off the street and take the lift down to the food court area. It was actually around the back of the building with a proper street entrance we had missed ...



Two mugs secured and the realisation one of us now has to carry them round the rest of the morning, doh )



It was only 1030 by now, it felt much later !


It was getting hot by now , mid 80’s and clear blue skies so the walk to the Farmers Market felt quite hard work .




We arrived to discover there isn’t actually a market on a Monday




But the food hall and shops were open . Its very similar to Chelsea Market



so after looking around we settled in the Daiquiri Bar for a Beer and a Daiquiri. Well, it was almost midday by now



$14 for a beer and a daiquiri





We were flagging by now so headed back to the hotel



we made a detour to the square at the back of the hotel




where we came face to face with the Eye





We were back at the hotel around 1, picking up a coffee and some pastries from the coffee shop to have in the room.





An old persons afternoon nap was most definitely required and it was just what we needed .

Suitably revived after a sleep and a shower, we were back out a couple of hours later around 3pm.

It was still so hot . We walked to the JFK memorial





Then we walked towards Dealey Plaza via the Log Cabin



It was busy around Dealey Plaza , the Book Repository and the Grassy Knowl.

The window where the shots were alleged to have come from is the end one without an arch on the 6th floor




Andy braved the traffic to the X marks the spot of the fatal gunshot – motorists must hate all the tourists flinging themselves into the road for the photo opp.



We had a look around and went into the museum



– which had a bit of a queue and wasn’t terribly well organised . It felt a bit of a painful wait.

But soon we were parting with our $16 each and on our way . It’s a no photography/recording museum so no pics.

I think it’s a shame they do that, there are so many things I would like to look back on.

It was well laid out but gets crowded.

The audio tour is good and we spent an hour following it along.

It was interesting and we enjoyed all the different conspiracy theories at the end .

It was just after 5 when we finished and we decided not to go up to the 7th floor ( where you can take some pics) as it was just so busy and we were ready for a sit down and a drink.

It had been an enjoyable and educational visit. We purchased a fridge magnet ( I know , so rock and roll ) and then had a bit of a disagreement about where to next.

I had taken screen shots of suggested routes to most places we were going but sometimes it wasn’t completely obvious where we were.

Andy would say “ so you know where we are going” and I would be like “ no, I don’t KNOW, I have a map and a rough idea, I don’t live here, how would I KNOW “. And of course one thing we do know, is my sense of direction is supremely rubbish.

Minor spat aside, Andy worked out where we needed to go and we headed to the Hard Rock, which isn’t in the most scenic part of town .



Its pretty much like every other Hard Rock, but quite small



I had the Air Mexico Margarita Flight,







From there, we walked across the road ( literally) to House of Blues,




just missing cocktail happy hour by 5 minutes, darn it .

This place was huge and a band was playing that evening so it was busy getting ready for the gig. Great atmosphere as always .
Elderflower Fizz, House of Blues ( prosecco/vodka base) $12



By now the Daiquiri, margarita flight and prosessco cocktail were working their magic on me and I definitely needed a brisk stroll to the Steakhouse for dinner to clear my head a little !

It was starting to cool down a little but was one of those lovely balmy evenings, it was just wonderful to walk through the streets . It really is a cool city to walk through.

We arrived at the Y.O. Steakhouse about 15 minutes early for our 7pm reservation but were seated straight away. The place was really busy.

I booked it as it had been rated as the no1 Steakhouse in Dallas ( we had seen the Dallas ChopHouse earlier in the day and that also gets great reviews).



I have noted on all our reservations that we are celebrating my birthday and the greeter mentioned it as soon as we arrived.

We opted for one of the high booths.



We had a brilliant server who talked us through the menu. There was only one thing we were having though.. Local ranch farmed steak.

But that was after the deep fried cheese fritters with chilli jam





Ooh gooey deliciousness.

We also had a glass of wine each. A blush Pinot for me and a Merlot for Andy.

On to the main event, 6oz petit filet for me, warm pink centre with bearnaise sauce.



Perfectly cooked



Andy had the 14oz 44FarmRanch ribeye
And we shared a side of fries



I can't tell you how good that steak was. We always say Shulas is the finest steak we have ever had, but this was better. When they say melt in your mouth, it did. Quite simply, outstanding.

The server told me to pick any dessert and it would be complimentary for my birthday

So Pecan Pie with Jack Daniels cream it was.



Soft and gooey, warmed through.
Heaven.

A perfect dinner.



A very reasonable bill for such outstanding quality.
We left a $30 tip and waddled back to the hotel taking in the city by night




We arrived just in time for milk and cookies in the lounge so we took a couple for early breakfast in the morning

The next day is HERE

Wow a great first day! You packed loads in - must have been shattered at the end of that.

I must say your "BIG" turned out more like "BAG".

And I like the phrase "death bullets" on the memorial plaque.

What a brilliant day, your meal looked amazing! So many fab things to see

Dallas isn't like I imagined! Obviously I have been too influenced by the TV programme

That eye is still very very creepy! 👁👁

I am not surprised you waddled out - lots of lovely looking food!

What an interesting first day, you must have been shattered by the end.

I'm not sure what it says about me, but the bit I found most interesting was the photo of your plan for the day! It was brilliant! Perfectly detailed and not sargeant major-ish at all, ok a little bit but still brilliant.

Wow! That’s a packed day! I’m so glad there were some shops at the market otherwise that would have been a pain to find no market!
The eye is yuk
Your steal looked amazing

I think the afternoon nap definitely is the way to go on these busy days We didn't feel too knackered today - it caught up with us a few days later ..

They do word things in the oddest way sometimes .. but that is a particular gem !

Thanks - it was a great day. We loved Dallas - much more than we expected.

There was more to see than we expected and we didn't bother with things like the Aquarium and I couldn't face the Holocaust museum ( Andy was keen but I know I would have been too upset) so I think there was quite a bit on offer that we didn't see. We both really liked it, its a very cool city.

Yep, the Eye is freaky. Even more so up close and 30ft high !

Lol, My family may mock my obsessive planning , but then they expect everything to run like clockwork .. and that doesn't happen without serious planning ! Those day plans really did help. Dallas was probably the most detailed because of the various opening times. The schedules for Florida were largely blank - with just restaurants listed on them

Yeah, all that planning and I didn't check if the flipping market was open ! There was no shade on the walk there which is why I think we were flagging , we had been in the shade of all the tall buildings up to that point and hadn't realised how hot it was !

Dallas looks like a cool city! Lots to see!

I find it a bit morbid that they have an X where JFK was shot! Wow! Bah I hate when photography is forbidden!

Glad the steak lived up to the hype and you got free pudding! Result!

Xx