This is probably going to be a multi-day piece, just a hunch.
I had the good and bad fortune of having been raised in Dallas, Texas. In 1979, my father’s company – like many of the time – were moving from the cooler climes of the northeast to places like Dallas, Houston or Atlanta. We moved from suburban New York City to suburban Dallas. Moving from the center of the universe to the center of nowhere was as different as you can imagine – even for a 7 year old kid. In 1979 Dallas, there was not a whole lot to see in Dallas…and what was there could be seen in a day…maybe two if the margaritas were especially good. The 3 places we used to take everyone in 1979 were as follows: 1) Southfork Ranch – where the TV show Dallas was set. The place is much smaller and a lot less impressive than it would seem. 2) Ola Pedrida (sp?) – this was a mexican-infused mall in N. Dallas that had all sorta of shops and such. This was unique for Dallas and for us. 3) Downtown Dallas – The location where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The latter was the FIRST place we would take any tourists and that site was the location the beginning of the end of this country. Sad, but true. More tomorrow…