Travel Destinations

Dallas Is Building a Naval Museum on the Trinity River

Tom Clancy buffs are already well-acquainted with the USS Dallas. The 5,700-ton nuclear submarine, a hair longer than your standard football field, was a main player in The Hunt for Red October. Back when the novel was published in 1984, the ship was still young, having joined the Navy's fleet just ... More >>

Here Are Some Dallas Places Where the American Camp Association Can Feel at Home

Starting today, close to a thousand members of the American Camp Association will descend on Dallas in flanneled and Teva'd droves, for what is one of the largest gathering of camping professionals in the country. As participants prepare to debate the merits of double-stitched tent seams, quote grat ... More >>

Calatrava "Bridge" No. 2: We're Spending an Extra $7 mil to put Lipstick on a Pig

The Dallas City Council yesterday voted to spend some $7 million of your money to cover the latest cost overruns for the second Calatrava suspension bridge over the Trinity River. The city already had to cheap down the first Calatrava suspension bridge so much that now it's not even a real suspensi ... More >>

How to Leave Your Comfort Zone: Trust the Four-Eyes and Ask for Butch

The invitation said the party would be at The Old Bike Shop off Empire Central, which meant that all the Dallas kids would have to leave their bubble for a night if they wanted to see what Warby Parker and House of Plates had up their sleeves. Warby Parker, a unique eyeglasses outfit with a philan ... More >>

Audubon Center, Other Trinity Sites Would Be Better if City Gives Up that Bird-brained Road

A couple of days ago The Dallas Morning News reported that the new Audubon Center, a vaunted jewel in the tiara of the Trinity River project, is sucking wind already, failing to attract the visitors and income the city had hoped for. Being mean to bird-watchers is difficult even for me, but I can ... More >>

While Dallas Chokes on the Trinity, the Suburbs Show Us How It's Done

Hop in the canoe with Schutze as he cries himself down the river.

Roadtrip: Dublin Bottling Works Turns 121 and Celebrates Small Town Style. Plus, 7 New "Retro" Sodas.

Dublin Bottling Works is celebrating its 121st birthday next Saturday, June 9, with "fanfare, music and a giant outdoor party in downtown Dublin." I'm thinking this is a great road trip for the kids. You know, we always say we're going to get them out to the country more -- let them stare at vast ... More >>

Make Yourself at Home

Art for the People, By the People

Here's a New Year's Resolution For City Hall: Stop Trying to Screw With the Trinity River

​Over the holiday weekend I spent a few very enjoyable hours on the Trinity River with Trinity Rivers Expeditions outfitter and canoe guide Charles Allen. We paddled from Trinity River Mountain Creek Preserve near the intersection of Walton Walker and IH-30 in Irving to the Sylvan Avenue Bridge i ... More >>

Have a Coke and a Frown: Another Win for Libertarian Robber Barons Eating the Planet

​Here is where this libertarian bullshit -- the propaganda foisted on us by Koch-brothers, Harold-Simmons-style polluter robber barons -- just makes suckers, fools and chumps out of us if we believe it. A story in today's New York Times reports that the top national park system official killed ... More >>

Top Chef: Texas Claims Some More Public Money, This Time for a Slick Tourism Web Site

​We're still waiting to see whether a judge thinks we're entitled to more details on how the producers of Top Chef will spend the estimated $400,000-plus the state paid to see its brand integrated into the show, which the show has thus far accomplished with lots of boots, Texas flags, and dish ... More >>

Drowning the Whistleblower on the Doomed Trinity River Wave

The man who warned of danger at the city's Trinity whitewater park gets sold downriver.

Trinity River Project's Standing Wave: Great, Now City Hall's Trying to Kill Us

​The city of Dallas sent out a lovely little notice earlier this week inviting people of the canoe paddling ilk -- which would be me -- to attend the opening of the Dallas Trinity Paddling Trail, a canoe "path" on the Trinity River, established as part of a statewide system of canoe trails. T ... More >>

A Christmas Miracle: On Eight Track Museum's Opening Day, Big Bucks Lives Up To His Name

James "Big Bucks" Burnett in the back room of his Eight Track Museum, sitting in the egg chair filled with stereo speakers​By the time we arrived at the Eight Track Museum, James "Big Bucks" Burnett's tribute to myriad dead media, some 60 or 70 folks had already come and gone, each one gladly fork ... More >>

Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater Is In The Clear--Maybe

​There's been a lot of uncertainty about the future of Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater ever since its owners filed for bankruptcy last summer. For a while there, it looked like Bank Of America was going to purchase and remodel the historic theater--and they had every right to, seeing as the theater i ... More >>

Joe Queenan on Why Dallas Ain't Walkable

​Writer Joe Queenan's always had it out for Dallas. The paper version of Unfair Park has something to do what that. We ended his career as filmmaker. No matter. He never liked Dallas anyhow -- not since November 22, 1963. Anyway. He writes for The Weekly Standard these days, among other places, an ... More >>

Oak Cliff Activists--Between Their Bikes And Gardens And Chickens And Goats--Seek To Redefine Their Community Without Destroying It

In the Cheap Seats on White Rock Lake

Jim SchutzeAnd here's a whole slide show from our outing on White Rock Lake last night.​Last night I joined my cover-story-mate Ed Spencer and his daughter, Amy Hammer, at White Rock Lake, where we poached on the Asleep at The Wheel concert at the Dallas Arboretum from our kayaks. First time we ha ... More >>

Rich Swedes Of Dallas

Why, There's History in Them Thar Trinity River Scrap Metal Yards!

​Wow. Amazing discovery! I, Jim Schutze, have discovered how to resolve the whole battle over scrap metal yards and rendering plants in Oak Cliff near Cadillac heights. I have the answer! For the last several weeks I have been battling with the Texas Historical Commission and U.S Army Corps of Eng ... More >>

Dallas Gets Its Lilith Fair Date and Lineup. No Badu, Though...

​So, we've been keeping tabs on the "Lilith Fair Is Back!" announcements for a while, thinking it was kind of a big deal with a long list of pretty interesting artists and a somewhat surprising North Texas bent. Plus, we knew it was coming to Dallas at some point this summer, so there was that.Yes ... More >>

Wish They All Could Be

Wine And Flowers

Who's Not Happy With That Farmers Market Regulation Proposal? Some Cliffdwellers.

And in other Bike Friendly Oak Cliff news, there's this event forthcoming. Details here.​Those following along Monday read Jim's account of the council committee meeting during which members debated regulating neighborhood farmers markets, in part to protect the city's investment in the downtown D ... More >>

Here Oar There

On Thursday, Dallas ISD Board to Be Briefed on District's Desire to Raze Adamson High

From the Dallas Landmark Commission Nomination Form, which recommends giving Adamson High School historic landmark status​We have 508 Park Avenue; The Dallas Morning News, Adamson High School, which the Dallas Independent School District wants to demolish, save for the facade, to make way for a ne ... More >>

Turf War: In Junius Heights, a Man With a Fake Lawn Creates Real Problem at City Hall

View Larger MapJust returned from Dallas City Hall, where, in just a few, the Landmark Commission will meet to formally discuss all the items you'll find listed here. Sadly, we won't get to see the Statler shroud: Mark Doty, the city's historic district planner, told the commissioners that AIA Dalla ... More >>

Sandy Pages

Barr None

Nevada Barr signs her latest thriller

Sand Castles

Fairy tales take an island vacation

Summers Night

Wine and dine Napa-style at Nana

Painted Desert

See the dry works of Jim Woodson

For the Birds

See Compton's view of White Rock

Gentling-men

See some sibling art in Fort Worth

Bloc Party, Deerhoof, J versus K

Saturday, September 22, at House of Blues

Who Needs the Ritz When the Stoneleigh's Weeks Away From Its Reopening?

To-Go List

Patricia Schultz plans your road trip

Woman's Work

This one's for the ladies

River Town

Beats a Weekend in Oklahoma City

Wanna Buy the Four Seasons? Too Late.

Pampered

Get the spa treatment at exhale

Ride, They Said

Downtown Dallas becomes a two-wheel world

Mansions of the O.C.

Step into the Light

Over the Rump

Why doesn't anyone go to the West End?

Best Place to Get Your Boyfriend Detailed

Aqua Medical Spa

Best Weekend Getaway

Austin

Dance Party U.S.A.

Dirk Shafer captures the circuit-party scene on digital video