Whether Travelling for Business or Fun: Texas is Sure to Leave You With Plenty of Memories
In many respects, Big D now stands for diversity. No ethnic group makes up more than 51 percent of the population, and many of the area’s Zip codes are the most diverse ones outside New York City.
That diversity means there are a lot of things to do in Dallas that everyone will enjoy.
Irving, which is a mid-sized suburb close to D/FW Airport, is one of the best places to stay in Dallas. The community is quite safe, very quiet, and also very close to the heart of Dallas. In terms of mid-priced hotels in Irving, it’s hard to do better than the South Irving Marriott Courtyard that’s a mere six miles from the airport. The hotel has excellent Wifi, a large and up-to-date fitness center, and a very nice pool.
Things to See
In the wake of the 1980s oil bust,downtown Dallaswas pretty much a ghost town once the bankers and lawyers left the Central Business District promptly at five. But starting around 2000, developers began transforming empty skyscrapers into residential housing, and so in addition to the familiar business centers, downtown now feels alive. It boasts attractions like:
Perot Science Museum, which is a great place for kids and families,
Dallas World Aquarium, where you can see aquatic life up close that you’ve only seen on the internet before,
Dealey Plaza, the site of the Kennedy assassination, which has been significantly upgraded in the past few years to appeal to history buffs, and
Professional sports galore.
There are lots of things to do beyond downtown as well, and there’s a modern, high-speed railway network to take you there, so you can soak up even more of the diverse local culture.
Places to Eat
You may expect the first spot on the list to be a Tex-Mex restaurant, and there are lots of good ones. But in keeping with the diversity theme, we start with Campisi’s Restaurant, home of perhaps the best pizza in Texas. Persistent local rumor is that founder Joseph Campisi — who everyone in town always called “Mr. Campisi” — was connected to a local organized crime scene that included Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby.
If greasy burgers are your thing, try Keller’s Drive-In. If you get your food to go, there’s a good chance that the burger grease may have significantly eaten through the paper sack by the time you pull into the hotel parking lot.
And now, for the Tex-Mex. Abuelita Cuellar’s family opened the first El Chico in 1940, and it’s still open for business. Local greybeards often claim to remember when the vaunted Enchilada Day (every Wednesday) cost a mere 75 cents. No one is sure whether that was before or after they invented the wheel.
And now, back to the diversity element. Dallas has a plethora of ethnic restaurants, such as Indian, Persian, Asian, African, and South American. These places basically only have one rule: Never order anything that you can order at home.Bring your camera and your appetite and stay with us a spell.
