The New York Times Finds Its DSpot

Yesterday's New York Times travel section served up its "44 Places to go in 2009," and guess what! Dallas was No. 17. And guess what! Absolutely no mention of the late 20th century TV series Dallas. Instead, The Times based its recommendation entirely on the arts district, whose name it...

By Jim Schutze

January 12, 2009

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Yesterday's New York Times travel section served up its "44 Places to go in 2009," and guess what! Dallas was No. 17. And guess what! Absolutely no mention of the late 20th century TV series Dallas. Instead, The Times based its recommendation entirely on the arts district, whose name it corrected to "art district." You know: It's The Times. They can't toss off a compliment without correcting something about us.

Generally, the item was very positive, pointing out that area is billed (by us) as the largest urban art district in the world. That designation might raise the question: What is an urban art district? But they didn't go there. Instead they went on and on about the opera house and the dance theater and Rem Koolhaas, George Steel and all that stuff.

So we are a destination, according to them, and for reasons that have nothing to do with inappropriate cowboy stereotypes.

Another spot they chose , Maremma, Italy, beat us out by a bit at No 11, but it's nice to know that Dallas beat The New York Times in discovering it. After all, Maremma in Tuscany is home to former Swiss Avenue residents Betty and Cesare Nadalini, proprietors of Tutta Toscana Olive Oil. Dallasites have been trekking there for years, both to visit the Nadalinis and to go on Betty's guided shopping tours of Italy. We know a good sport when we see one. After all, we are one.

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Jim Schutze has been the city columnist for the Dallas Observer since 1998. He has been a recipient of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ national award for best commentary and Lincoln University’s national Unity Award for writing on civil rights and racial issues. In 2011 he was admitted to the Texas Institute of Letters.

Contact: Jim Schutze