DALLAS — Asphalt and concrete have defined Dallas since a north-south “central expressway” was envisioned in the early 1900s for a stretch of railroad right-of-way. Travel by anything other than an automobile can be challenging and sometimes impractical.
However, there is a promising alternative — call it “Walking Dallas.” The development of the Uptown neighborhood, abetted by the expansion of Dallas’ cultural district and millennials moving into the area, means a car is not a requirement.
Home base for enjoying the city on foot is Klyde Warren Park. Philanthropists and city planners put a roof over a freeway canyon that separated Dallas’ downtown from Uptown. Add grass, flower beds, trees, a dog park, a sound stage and food trucks, and the result is throngs of pedestrians.
Michelin’s Green Guide awarded Dallas its highest city rating, gushing about “a fantastic, world-class cultural, architectural and culinary destination.” Several of Michelin’s touts are a walk away from Klyde Warren.
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Near Klyde Warren are hotels like the $600-a-night ZaZa or family options under $200. It’s a short walk to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science — a 15-story cube where kids can race against videos of a tyrannosaurus, life-sized cheetah or Dallas Cowboys running back.
Rather ride than hoof it?
In Deep Ellum east of downtown, Local Hub Bicycle Co. rents bikes for $35 a day. Ride the Katy Trail, a 3.5-mile) linear park that starts near downtown, or pedal to the Trinity Groves entertainment district and Dallas’ latest landmark, the soaring Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge.
The old-fashioned McKinney Avenue Trolley follows a 4.5-mile elongated loop to the Nasher Sculpture Garden and the Dallas Museum of Art, both highlighted by Michelin, as well as Uptown’s brasseries.
The President George W. Bush Library is a short cab ride to the shady campus of Southern Methodist University, First Lady Laura Bush’s alma mater. The museum has a replica of Bush’s Oval Office and includes a 22-foot section from the fallen World Trade Center. While there, visit SMU’s Meadows Museum, called “Prado on the Prairie.”
Car alert: The Star, a new $1.5 billion, 91-acre complex that houses the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and training facility is in the northern suburb of Frisco. From downtown, the drive is 30 minutes to an hour.
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“Walking Dallas” should include Neiman-Marcus’ flagship store, even if you can’t afford a $15,000 Carolina Herrera gown. Opt for the Zodiac Room, where the mandarin orange souffle with chicken salad follow recipes of legendary Neiman’s cookbook author Helen Corbitt.
The downtown Sixth Floor Museum is dedicated to the “life, death and legacy of President John F. Kennedy.” It’s located on the sixth floor of the building on Dealey Plaza from which shots were fired on Nov. 22, 1963, killing Kennedy as he passed by in a motorcade.
