Getting Lost In Dallas

                                    Tuesday 5/14/2013

The Mothers Day Rose that I was given at Eagle Mountain Church.

On our 2nd day in the Sunnyvale, a suburb of Dallas, I mapped out a way to get to the Visitor Center without getting on the interstates. Unfortunately we got lost, because my directions were hand written, and the street names changed between different points, which I had not noticed. Also some streets were one way, which I had not noticed, which caused us more problems. We finally gave in and put the address into the GPS. It took us via the interstates and wild traffic.

Our GPS took us into Fair Park in downtown Dallas. I started to realize that when I googled the Dallas Visitor Center, I had been given the Fair Park Visitor Centers address instead. This is what I found out about Fair Park later when I got home and googled it.

 Before television – and long before the Internet – world's fairs were a means of introducing the public to new products, new technology and far away places.

In 1936, Texas celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Texas Republic with a world's fair in Dallas. Texas' history, economy, flora and fauna were portrayed in the building, statues and murals designed for the event – all constructed in Art Deco style.

Fair Park is the only intact and unaltered pre-1950s world fair site remaining in the United States – with an extraordinary collection of 1930s art and architecture.

Today, the 277-acre park and its cultural, educational and sports facilities play host to more than seven million annual visitors.

Fair Park is home to 9 museums, 6 preforming facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris Wheel in North America. 

Next I tried to get the real Dallas Visitor Centers address and phone # on my android phone. I got an address, but couldn't find a phone number on the website. I didn't want to go on another wild goose chase without confirming the address by a call. Joe decided to walk over to a restaurant that was in the park to get the phone number the old fashion way. 

While he was gone I took this picture of some swan boats in the park. When he came back, he said no one seemed to know where the Visitor Center was and they couldn't find a phone book. Fortunately, while Joe was gone I finally found a phone number and confirmed the address, so we were off again in hunt of the real visitor center.

Of course the GPS took us via the interstates route, even though we were only about 4 miles away.

View of some downtown buildings as we approached our destination.

We found a parking spot along the street and paid the meter .25 cnts for 10 minutes. We wondered up this street and back the other direction looking for the visitor center. We finally found it in this building, "The Old Red Courthouse".

It is now the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. Once inside the museum we wondered around still trying to find the visitor center. There was a sign directing us toward the it, but it was turned away from us as we entered the door, so we missed it. After finally finding it and getting maps for the area, we turned around and headed back to the car before we got a ticket. This outing was suppose to be short and sweet, just to get some information on what to do and see while in Dallas. But when you are in the big city, nothing is short and sweet.

Across the street from the Old Red Museum is this memorial for George Bannerman Dealey (1859-1946). Dealey was the long-time publisher of The Dallas Morning News. He used his influence to accomplish many goals but will always be remembered primarily for one of them. He crusaded for the redevelopment of a particularly blighted area near downtown Dallas. When the redevelopment, involving a large square located at the intersection of three major avenues, was completed, it was named Dealey Plaza in his honor. This site became known worldwide when, on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while his motorcade drove through Dealey Plaza.

As we walked back to the car, I took a picture of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel is the Reunion Tower. The tower was a free standing 561 ft. tower until it became part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 2008, the tower was closed for renovations. In 2009, Wolfgang Puck opened a fine dining restaurant called Five Sixty on the towers rotating top. There is also a observation deck that you can go up to on a 68 second ride in an glass front faced  elevator to the top. As of Oct 1, 2012 it was still under renovations, but was to be opened again sometime in 2012. This observation tower is the second tallest observation tower in Texas and 5th in the US.

The glass pointed building is the Fountain Place which is the 106 tallest building in the United States. Fountain Place was built in 1986, and stands at 720 feet with 62 floors.

We left the downtown area and headed back east on I-30 for home. With the information from the visitor center, we would plan our next few days.