At the Belo Mansion Pondering "Dallas Tomorrow" While Eyeing the Cash Bar

Welcome, Friends of Unfair Park, to the Dallas Of Tomorrow. We're still waiting for tonight's panelists -- Mayor Tom Leppert, chief among them -- to take their seats inside the Belo Mansion auditorium, but the cash bar is open while the public considers what wonders the future may hold. Monorails...

By Patrick Michels

August 3, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Welcome, Friends of Unfair Park, to the Dallas Of Tomorrow. We're still waiting for tonight's panelists -- Mayor Tom Leppert, chief among them -- to take their seats inside the Belo Mansion auditorium, but the cash bar is open while the public considers what wonders the future may hold.

Monorails to curb the smog? Concentrated nutrition pills to end urban hunger? Rooftop pygmy cows? The next few hours will tell. For now, we've got a 10-foot blowup of the Trinity River Project plans outside, and the Dallas News' "Bridging the North-South Gap" landing page projected onto a pair of big screens for inspiration.

The crowd is trickling in -- I've heard 150 RSVP'd -- most in just-from-work businesswear, a few of the most ambitious rocking the Seersucker or houndstooth, flashing big smiles and squinting at name tags supplied by our hosts, the Dallas Bar Association. In my just-from-work jeans and Vans, I'm attracting a little less interest, even though I just blew five bucks on the Coors Light beside my chair.

More updates to come, once the good mayor arrives to usher in the hour of Dallas ... Tomorrow.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.