there's something about dallas...

...and other people are noticing that too. I admit that I am a little biased, but there's definitely something going on with this place. One thing I've noticed in my trips back is the amount of building going on, and not just the urban sprawl that continues to creep North, but even closer to downtown. New high rises are going up in little communities with shops and restaurants, imitating urban life in other "tighter" big cities that maybe didn't have the space.

But this past week when I was back in "Big D" I flipped through some magazines, looking for some to take on the plane, and the first one I looked at had an article about why Fort Worth was such a great place to live (Dallas and Fort Worth are very often grouped together, so I'm counting that here). And then looking through Elle Decor, there was a lengthy article about Dallas.

I think it was that article that began with something along the lines that Dallas has never been a city to look backward. Maybe that means that it's a city that is always ready to change. And maybe part of that is because we don't have the history that New York, Boston, DC has, etc.

My point is Dallas can easily reinvent itself. And it's doing just that, and really has been doing that for a long time. The downtown area is being revitalized and I think people are discovering that there's more to Dallas than the shopping (but oh goodness is that wonderful too!) with the symphony and the Myerson, the Dallas Museum of Art and, heading up to Fort Worth, the Kimbell, the Stockyards and that feeling of the Old West that I think still manages to get inside all Texans, even us urban dwellers. Yes, I still consider myself a Texan. Maybe in another 18 years I'll finally consider myself a Washingtonian.

I was a little surprised at seeing the attention, which is why I'm noting it. And of course it was just wonderful being back in Dallas for a nice, long vacation. It wasn't as warm as it sometimes is, but there were days when the sun shone brilliantly and the sky was clear. And of course there's flying into D/FW when all you can see is land, as far as you can see, and it's all Texas.

And speaking of Dallas, for your listening/viewing pleasure: