A week ago today we were in Dallas Texas learning how to use the bus and tram systems. Walking the downtown Dallas streets. Being horrified and stimulated and awed all together at once. Shall I tell you only the sweet things or shall I tell you the philosophical things? Let me tell you first the good things.
So our lives right now are one event after the other planned till mid-June. I'm not happy about it and cannot find my way out. So when Matt declared he was once again heading to Texas for his annual roofing conference I said in my mind, " Have a good time. I'm staying home. GRC can take the workers to this thing and keep Matt company." Well the GRC guys didn't get the mind memo and no one was going with him. So I planned a lovely date weekend in my mind and planned it all out so that just ME would go with him. Notice how I do all this planning in my mind? That little plan didn't work out either so WE ALL went. We got out of school at noon and off we drove toward Texas.
Matt's conference was in a very large and opulent building on Wycliffe Street. So we stayed at the old Sheraton motel across from it. We stayed seven stories up and looked right out the window at his building. It was humid and sticky and musty smelling. But the sheets were clean. The pot flushed after a fashion. So the first good experience was bringing the expectations down for the kids. Who knew these entitled kids could survive two whole days at a motel not quite up to their expectations! (sarcasm).
On our way to Dallas I purchased city passes to 5 places to see in Dallas. Our first place to see was scheduled for 7:30pm at the Reunion Tower. This place is must see and here's my review. Its not too high up but high up enough to overwhelm 47 year old me. It took over a minute to go up in the elevator. The view from the top was fantastic. I think I saw a proposal happening up there.( What was he gonna do? Throw her off if she didn't say yes?) I guess the tower averages two proposals a day. We spent most of our time on the outside deck with the wind blowing our faces and Jeanie declared it magical.
To get to the Tower we had to learn the bus system. We did fairly well at that. Afterwards, we decided to take the tram. We did fairly unwell with that. There were lots of homeless at the tram station. There were also those who were singing to the moon as they hopped along the street. There were also those smelling of peed pants. And also other smells. Lots of other smells. All that didn't scare me or gross me out too bad. Until we got on the bus and sat in seats that had pee draining down the floorboards. And now someone tell me. Is it not a basic common sense thing to use the restroom in available restrooms. Tell me why people let themselves go and defecate like animals? Is this not extremely disturbing. I think it was most disturbing that my kids had to step in it. Also, after having missed the right tram and almost missing the bus I got just a bit snippy with my men. All three of them were prancing down the streets past the homeless guys eyeing Jeanie and me and we felt vulnerable trailing our non-protecting leaders. So the next morning we were by then quite bus and tram savvy and sailed out into the big wide world with out Matt.
We spent our day at the Science museum and finding an old-fashioned trolley to ride in. We spent much money on gross food and fought many many human bodies and only one guy begged for my drink and only saw one lady digging for food in the trash. When we got back to our good old musty Sheritan Motel I went to the lovely little cafe and got a coffee and the kids chowed down some amazing sweet potato fries. Later on that night we even went back down for more food.
Saturday Morning we finally decided that driving our own car would be worth the parking fee. So we visited the Dallas Zoo. I am here to say that the Dallas Zoo is the best zoo ever and if you must visit a zoo this is the zoo for you, oooh look at that rhyming I did! This zoo has happy healthy beautiful animals and you get to see them quite up close. It's the most soothing beautiful zoo, especially after spending two days in the concrete jungle.
After our zoo visit my 16-year-old directed me across that concrete jungle in pelting rain to a mall. It was quite a not-good experience until I found a really really nice Barnes and Noble. After we got a little dopamine shopping and some good coffee we headed back to good ole Sheritan to pick up Matt. We drove through the most beautiful ancient gated community on our way back and then I was convinced that I should visit Dallas again. it is quite a varied and diverse and ugly and beautiful place.
We headed home at 4pm. Shopped for motels at 9pm and failed to find one and kept driving. We arrived home by 2 am. Was so amazing to be in my own dirty house. But the change of perspectives is always good. What a great experience and time with my family.
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