Thursday 29 September 2016

Part 6 of our holiday - A few days in Dallas with friends.

We arrived in Dallas to be met by my friend, who I have known since I was 16!  I worked for her father when I left school.  Great excitement for us both!! I have promised that no photos of her or her family would go on the web, but frankly that was the best part of our visit! At other times, she took us to as many interesting places in the city as was possible in the few days we had there.
The striking Margaret Hunt Hill bridge (named after an  heiress and philanthropist) which spans the Trinity River; I can't explain why there were no other cars in view on that June Friday afternoon! Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the world renowned Spanish architect/engineer, the bridge spans 368 metres (1206 feet) and carries six lanes of traffic between the Dallas CBD and the rapidly regenerating west city suburbs. This is the first of three planned bridges and the second one is under construction at present.   .  The total cost of this one was said to be $182 million.

After the last "empty" shot, here is some real Dallas traffic!  Loads of different lanes - I think there were 4 or 5 going our way! You can see the golden glassed twin towers of the Campbell Centre in the background. See more information below.

A closer view of one of the towers. For those of you who remember the '70s TV soap opera Dallas, this was the first Ewing Oil building used in the opening five episodes!

Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1892 of red sandstone with grey rusticated marble facing to the "first floor" (our "ground floor," but that's what it's called in the US -a bit confusing!) and similar accents around windows.  Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it is now the Old Red Museum, housing local history exhibits. Very elaborate and obviously a demonstration of the oil wealth on which the city is based.A newer courthouse was built nearby in 1966.

Dallas Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened at the end of 2012. Ross Perot, a Texas industrialist, is famous for twice running for US President, in 1992 and 1996. Designed by  Morphosis Architects, the building was conceived as a large cube floating over a landscaped plinth.  It features a 54-foot continuous flow escalator housed within a 150-foot glass casing that extends diagonally outside the building cube. I'm sure the very modern and startling design is popular with many Dallas residents!

Formerly the Texas School Book Repository and without doubt the most infamous building in Dallas, whose sixth floor was the site from which Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JF Kennedy  in November 1963. The top two floors house a museum featuring the life and times of arguably one of the US's greatest presidents.

Dallas Museum of Art. The fountain offered welcome wafts of cool water vapour to provide some relief from the high 30sC (90sF) temperatures.

Inside,  the spaces are large, calm and restful. The Large seated nude in bronze by the French artist Henry Matisse (1869 – 1954) caught my eye!

Outside in the sheltered garden, a bronze of Eve by another Frenchman, Auguste Rodin, (1840-1917).  

The Whole Foods Market in the northern Dallas suburbs. The city is extremely wealthy and everything for sale appears to be of the highest quality (and price!).

I don't think I've ever seen such cosseted vegetables! Seems a shame to buy something and spoil the immaculate display!

Cheese from all over the world and a display to rival anything we have here, in the country of 400 local cheeses!

Wine.  Naturally we had to pick the section with French wine - but it's not cheap. These bottles start at about $20 each! The store also has huge displays of olives, coffee beans and a fresh soup counter where you can help yourself, to 8 or so different kinds, which you ladle into insulated cups from giant metal churns! This place has everything you could think of!

The nearby North Park 50 Mall.  A very upmarket shopping mall that officially opened 2 July 1965.  They completed a $250 million expansion in 2006. You could buy a handbag for $2,500, and we were told people frequently do, after they've first visited their personal trainer for some exercise at the gym!

A spotless North Park  pedestrian mall with US sized eye-catching models.

France is not forgotten; perfumes and bathing accessories.

Amazing water features are everywhere, with live birds, turtles and all kinds of greenery - such exotic plants and flowers!

Turtle at close quarters.  The animals appear to be very happily located here and are obviously well cared for, swimming around in pristine crystal clear water. Well, that's a quick view of our stay in Dallas - vibrant and energetic, but not a city for those light of wallet!





Also see my daily diary HERE


and My Life Before Charente (updated  25 September 2016)  

29 comments:

  1. Is that ice round those caulies?
    It all looks extremely swish....though i'd probably be bankrupt after living there for a week!

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    1. Yes Fly that is ice!!!! The whole place is amazing but I would not want to live there, too expensive and far too busy for us. We will stay in the country growing our own veggies!!! Hope you are both well Diane

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  2. Hi Diane - what a fascinating look at Dallas ... pristine bridge, to one somewhat fuller of cars. I'd love to visit the ex County Court building now museum ... yet I'm sure the other museums are worth visiting too. That Whole Foods Mall looks quite extraordinary ... and beautiful displays - glad the veg are being kept cool.

    The Matisse and Rodin sculptures - how lucky they are to have them ... I've just had a postcard from a friend of Matisse's Blue nude - similar position to the sculpture ...

    Thanks for sharing such a great array of photos and places ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary we enjoyed seeing Dallas but not a cheap place to live and for us too much concrete and too expensive, it was though an eye opener!

      The museum of art is amazing, it would be easy to just write a blog on that but we still have so much of our holiday to get through in photos.

      Have a good weekend Dane

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  3. Gosh it's true what they say Diane, everything IS big in Dallas �� You made me smile with your description of the 'cossetted vegetables' �� Bon weekend!

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    1. You are right all things are BIG!! Including the prices. Have a great week Diane

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  4. Wow - the Dallas Perot Museum of Nature and Science is really an interesting looking building. Whole Foods does an incredible job of making their produce almost too pretty to eat.

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    1. Pam that escalator on the outside of the building is great fun. I can just imagine using it while there is a storm around!!! Keep well Diane

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  5. Wow those shops and malls are fabulous. However, the prices are cheaper than here in Oz. We have become the dearest country to live in. Not good.

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    1. You mean to tell me that they sell handbags more than €2,500.00 each there!!! Have a good week t'other Diane

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    2. I cannot understand why anyone would want a bag for that price!!!!

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    3. I cannot understand why anyone would want a bag for that price!!!!

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  6. Beautiful photos, Diane, but not my sort of place at all. I'm not a city lover, although I was OK living in London until the end of my teens. Since then I've grown to feel uncomfortable in cities of any great size. The countryside is where I feel most at ease!

    I hope you're having a great week - - - Richard

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    1. I could not agree more. Apart from 6 months in Johannesburg I have never lived in a city. After a week I could not wait to get out of the place. Our friends live there so we needed to see some of the cities. You will enjoy the rest of my blogs, well that is all but an afternoon in Vegas which was plenty long enough!! Take care Diane

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  7. Fascinating to see all these sights. Thank you for sharing them.

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    1. Thanks Denise for the comment, Fascinating place to visit but not to live! Have a good day Diane

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  8. I lived in Dallas for a year in 1999 and found it quite an experience. I was glad to get back to France however. Dallas has changed quite a lot since then from what I can see of your photos. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. :)

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    1. My friend has lived there for just over 30 years and she says it has changed completely. She does not really like it but that is where her work is though her husband is now retired. It was an experience though. Have a good day Diane

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  9. Wow. Thank you so much for showing me snippets of a city I will probably never see. A big, busy and prosperous city I will not see.
    Loved that bridge - elegant and beautiful.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the city. I never thought I would ever see it but it happened :-) Look after yourself and take care Diane

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  10. Dallas has definitely changed over the years, but I esp. like the Dallas Cowboys football. Glad you had a nice visit with your friend! That makes trips much more interesting and fun!

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    1. Pam it was so special for me meeting up with one of my dearest friends who I have seen so little of in the past 40 years. We had lots of catching up to do :-) Hope you are both well Diane

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  11. Dallas is a great city; it seems so true that everything is bigger in Texas! (My husband went to college with the daughter of the lady for whom that fabulous looking bridge was named; just a useless bit of trivia. The daughter is a great philanthropist in her own right; the family money comes from oil.) You got some great shots on your stay in Dallas, but I'm sure catching up with your old friend was the best part of your visit.

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    1. Hi Marjie, I like the useless bit of information :-) Catching up with my friend was incredible, we talked and talked. Thanks for the comment Diane

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  12. So rare to still have friends from our long past and a real treat to visit with them while you were in the states. You find interesting architecture wherever you go. That's the largest Whole Foods I've ever seen.

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    1. I have a small handful of 'old' friends but both Sarah in Dallas and Michael in Mesquite are very special friends. Of course meeting my new friend was also VERY special. Take care Diane

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  13. Dallas has really grown up since we were there last in the early eighties. And what a gorgeous bridge! The selection of French wines is impressive too. How fun that you have friends that go back to your youth. I still have several and they are real treasures. Glad you're enjoying the US and hope you have a nice weekend.
    Sam
    Sam
    Sam

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    1. Sam I believe Dallas has changed a lot in the last 30 years since my friend moved there, so yes I am sure you notice the difference. Have a great week Diane

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