dirty d (part II)

Last weekend when we ventured into Dallas (stop shuddering, Houstonians, it's not that bad), we got a slight teaser of their art museum. What little we got to see when we walked the halls for the film festival, we knew we were coming back. Here's a pictorial recap of the day:

 

Confession, of all the exhibits, the children's section was my favorite. What's not to love about a rainbow mirror booth?! 

But, let me backtrack because we woke up to a gray, chilly autumn day that threatened cold rain all day  . Regardless of the gloom, our run treated us to the most beautiful clouds.  

Thank goodness we took the time to run with Doakes because we ate our weight with this massive cinnamon roll in an area in Dallas known as Munger Place. While the restaurant, the Mecca, was sort of a dud. 

The area it was located in was surrounded by gorgeous houses (think West U meets Montrose, without the pride) and perhaps worth a further, more extensive visit in the future.

 From there we headed over to the DMA and got our culture on. 

Please ignore the crooked picture, I just loved the bright colors these giant flowers brought into the room! Needless to say, Fran detested it. 

I think the best part of the day was that it kept going. We hadn't realized how quickly we would walk through the museum so, when we finished the impromptu detours began. 

First stop: the Belmont Bar. I had been looking forward to visiting the Belmont for months. Back when we were still living in Mildred, one of the girls I diligently follow on IG had posted a few pictures from her stay there & I had fallen in love. My expectations were extremely high & I was a teeny bit worried I had built it up so much in my mind, we would be let down. 

Luckily, it did not disappoint. 

 

the view from here cannot be beat

When we walked in, there was a large group of older musicians gathered around with instruments free styling bluegrass songs. Sitting back and watching the sheer joy they expressed in playing with one another was an awesome experience. Almost had me wanting to sing along- except, my voice would be nowhere near as good & god knows I can't play a single instrument. 

The Belmont is a definite stop on our next Dallas trip.

As we left the bar, we realized it was still relatively early and impulsively stopped by another bar (I know) on our way to the expressway. 

I fell in love with the string lights & the carefully tended cacti gardens. As well as the fried chicken and reconverted freight cars cozily furnished with shabby couches. The only thing that was puzzling: it was completely empty. It was cold but, not that cold. The Foundry seems like a super chill hangout but...apparently Sunday evenings are not the time to be there?

Either way we hope to keep expanding our list of places to see and do. In the meantime, most have been hits, which makes it hard to decide what to try out next time. Any DFW suggestions?