Go Back In Time - At The Dairyette

    "It's like a heart attack made of wood, but it's delicious"

A quote from my daughter Meranda

      In 1956, Ed and Andy Prikryl opened The Dairyette in East Dallas. 50 plus years later, not much has changed. They still offer car hop service. They still make hand made shakes, malts, burgers and fries. And they still make their own root beer in the big barrel. (The female carhops complain that only the guys are allowed to make the root beer, another example of things that haven't changed.)

                                       

   My daughter discovered the Dairyette during her freshman year at Bishop Lynch High School, which sits across the street.  After school, the place is packed with uniformed students.  But the Dairyette, which is opened till ten, draws a very diverse crowd throughout the day. 

                                       

   The Dairyette offers service at your car, but you'd be missing part of the experience if you don't go inside. The interior, a celebration of wood and vinyl, hasn't changed since it opened. The aroma of greasy burgers immediately assaults your senses. It is quite possible that you might be smelling the first burger ever cooked. 

   A east Dallas icon, the Dairyette is located at 9785 Ferguson Road, just around the corner from Fonzie's garage. 

   

The Forgotten Grave of Rube Waddell

 (Note: Pardon me for the departure from stories about Dallas - Fort Worth, but my friends know I have a deep affinity for San Antonio. If I ever get around to publishing a third edition of San Antonio Uncovered, this story will definitely be added)

   On Block 5, Lot 182, Space 2 of the Mission Burial Park South in San Antonio, sits the rather impressive grave of George Edward "Rube" Waddell. Buried in 1914, the grave site doesn't get many visitors. Few in San Antonio remember him and even know he is buried here. If it wasn't for the generosity of baseball legend Connie Mack who paid for the monument, Rube Waddell would have remained interned in a unmarked paupers grave.

  Who is Rube Waddell? Perhaps the greatest left handed pitcher to ever play baseball.

   Rube Waddell played in the major leagues from 1897 - 1910. Some of his more amazing statistics:

- A lifetime ERA of 2.16
- A career total of 50 shutouts
- 4 20 win seasons
- Set record for strikeouts in a season (349)
- Only pitcher to win 10 games in one month (July 1902, Philadelphia Athletics)
- First pitcher to strike out the side with 9 consecutive pitches
- A career total of 2316 strike outs, 193 wins and 261 complete games.
- Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946

   More importantly, Rube Waddell was arguably the first celebrity in the fledgling endeavor known as professional baseball. Rube Wadell biographer Alan Howard Levy noted:
   "He was among the game's first real drawing cards, among its first honest-to-goodness celebrities, and the first player to have teams of newspaper reporters following him, and the first to have a mass following of idol-worshiping kids yelling out his nickname like he was their buddy."

   Many say that the upstart American League would not have survived had it not been for the draw of Rube Waddell. But is was not his blazing fastball and terrific curve that earned him the endearment of fans. Rather it was his eccentric behavior the also brought the nickname "Rube." 
  
   Often described as having the emotional and intellectual maturity of a child, Rube Waddell was a constant source of grief for his managers, but a favorite of the fans. 
   Between pitching performances, he would often disappear for days and be found playing in pick up games with neighborhood children. Once he disappeared from spring training in Jacksonville and found later leading a parade. 
   Opposing players often distracted him with shiny objects and puppies, which was said to put him in a trance like state while on the mound,
   He was so bad with his money, that once year the Philadelphia Athletics paid him in one dollar bills to keep him from spending it too fast.
   He had a fascination with fires and often would be found assisting local firefighters.
   Many feel that he probably suffered from a social disorder, autism or some other mental disorder that were not diagnosed in the early part of the 20th century.


   In 1911, Rube Waddell caught pneumonia after helping a town stave off flood waters from a nearby icy river. He never recovered and in 1913 was sent to San Antonio to live with his sister and later to a sanatorium to recover and regain his strength (It's often falsely reported that he was sent to a mental institution.) In 1914 Rube Waddell passed away and was buried in a unmarked grave. Connie Mack and his business partner Ben Shibe paid to have Rube buried with an impressive monument, just like they paid to have him cared for at the sanatorium. 


   Today in south San Antonio sits the grave of perhaps the greatest southpaw to ever play the game.  Upon his passing, Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson noted:


   "Rube Waddell had more sheer pitching ability than any man I ever saw. That doesn't say he was the greatest pitcher, by a good deal. Rube had defects of character that prevented him from using his talents to the best effect. He is dead and gone, so there is no need for me to enlarge on his weaknesses. They were well enough known. I would prefer to dwell on his strong points. And he had plenty."
   


   

The Faded Queen of Swiss Avenue

An Update


   Below is a story I posted in 2010 after visiting the Swiss Avenue Tour of Homes.
   On May 13th, 2012 my family and I once again visited the Swiss Avenue Tour of Homes. We were quite surprised that 4949 Swiss Avenue was back on the tour, but even more surprised to find the the home had been purchased in late 2011.
   What is amazing is that the home is approaching its 100th year, but it has had only four owners. It was purchased by Mr. Cameron Kinvig, who graciously allowed us to tour all three floors of the home. One of his discoveries was a third floor ballroom that featured murals and other decorations from Maddie Caruth's debutante ball. (The Caruth's are the family that sold the home to Mary Ellen Bendtsen's family in 1949).
    Touring the home in its current state gives you an appreciation for the endeavor Mr. Kinvig has chosen to undertake. The home has had virtually no upgrades since 1949.
   In Mr. Kinvigs first few months of ownership he has stripped the kitchen and a downstairs bathroom and is preparing to take the first of many steps into repairing the shine to the jewel of Swiss Avenue.



My Original Story    May   2010


   Sunday, my wife and I visited the Swiss Avenue Tour of Homes. Arguably the most beautiful street in Dallas, most of these 1920 era mansions have been beautifully restored to their early grandeur.  One however, continues to  slowly decay. The only thing sadder than the fading glory of 4949 Swiss Avenue, is the story of its last resident.

   4949 Swiss Avenue was built in 1918 when Swiss Avenue was the showcase for Dallas elite. The Caruth family bought the home in 1922. (The Caruths once owned all the land north on Mockingbird to what is now Forest Hill. They donated the land to build the SMU Campus).

   In 1949, when Swiss Avenue was losing many of its prominent families and many homes were becoming boarding houses, the Caruth's sold the home to John Logan. Logan's daughter Mary Ellen was a fashion model of such stunning beauty that Life Magazine once named her "The Most Beautiful Woman in America". She was the model for the Art Deco statue that appear outside the Hall of State in Fair Park.

    Mary Ellen Logan, later Mary Ellen Bendtsen outlived most of her family and her husband. By 1985, she was the only person  living in the giant home. As she got older and her income shrank, Mary Ellen closed off more of the house. Living on just $800 a month, the widow lived in just a few small rooms and heated the home with the oven, which was constantly on during the winter months. A three car garage behind the home caught fire and was never repaired. Plaster was falling from the walls. A post was installed on the front porch to keep it from collapsing. Unable to afford a washing machine, she took her clothes to her daughters home to be laundered. Her daughter desperately wanted her mom to move from the fading mansion, but Mary Ellen would not hear of it. Her home was her identity, often telling people she met that she was the woman of 4949 Swiss Avenue. 

    Two of the few people who visited the lonely widow in her aging home were a couple of unscrupulous antiques dealers. The family was never comfortable with the two young men who had a history of befriending other elderly couples and often seeking their financial assistance. The family's suspisions were validated when the pair and got Mary Ellen to change her will a few days before her passing in 2005. 

                                     

   Prior to her passing, she had lived alone in the house for 20 years, Unable to afford repairs, the house like her health continued to deteriorate. After her death, it sat empty for years while the court tried to decide who were the rightful heirs to the mansion, the family or the two young men. 

   Five years since Mary Ellen Bendtsen's passing, the home is still vacant.  I was lucky enough to walk through the mansion during the Tour of Homes. The 7400 square foot home, listing for sale at $795,000, is in need of tremendous repair and updating. The windows have been replaced by plywood to keep out the vandals who have stripped the home of its antique features. The garage roof is in danger of collapsing. The faded star of Swiss Avenue sits alone, waiting for someone to once again restore her tremendous beauty. 

Google Maps to 4949 Swiss Avenue

The Story of Swiss Avenue, Dallas' Most Beautiful Street

   Swiss Avenue was the brainchild of Robert Munger, who conceived the neighborhood in 1905 as part of his Munger Place development. In its day, Swiss Avenue was the most elite address in Dallas. By the 1920's, Swiss Avenue stretched to just west of White Rock Lake. 

   After World War II, Dallas begin to grow to the north and many of the original families sold their East Dallas mansions. A post war housing shortage caused many of the mansions to be split into boarding houses. Nearby mansions on Gaston Avenue were being torn down for modern apartments.  Unable to compete with the sleek new apartments, many of the families that owned the Swiss Avenue mansions / boarding houses sought to sell their homes to developers. 

   A bitter fight among homeowners was won by preservationists. The street became the city's first historic district in 1973. However, by then the surrounding neighborhoods were in serious decline. The once sleek apartments on Gaston Avenue were in disrepair. Junius Hieghts and Munger Place also suffered from neglect. Swiss Avenue's mansions were being restored, but the street had become an elegant island in the middle of urban decay. 

   Slowly, the surrounding area began to turn around.  The Munger Place and Junius Heights neighborhoods are now designated historic districts and property values have climbed significantly. Area apartments are being restored to the former glory. The influence of Swiss Avenue has spread throughout the area.

   Recently a mansion at 4519 Gaston that had been empty for 30 years was purchased and is being restored, further proof that  Swiss Avenue is continuing to spread its magic.

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Intrigue + Mystery + Romance + San Antonio

"What a surprise! . . .a page-turner . . . extremely well-written and well researched. . . I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers . . . a great read. . . couldn't wait to find out what would happen next . . . I love a book you can't put down, and this certainly fit the bill . . . very engaging . . .  I really couldn't stop reading it . . . a fantastic and completely believable story"

                                                       Reviews From Amazon.com Readers

           

My Trip to Cooper's BBQ (Finally)

    Yesterday, I finally got a chance to visit Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ, the famous LLano, Texas outpost that has opened up a location in the Fort Worth Stockyards across from Billy Bob's.  Some, including Texas Monthly and President Bush (who legend says placed to go orders to be delivered to Washington) say this is the best barbeque in Texas. 

     Realizing that choosing the best BBQ is subjective, I decline to place any joint at the top of the list. That being said, it is definitely on the list. It's an amazing meat experience. ("Amazing Meat Experience" is a copyrighted phrase of Hawkeye inc)

   The Meat Experience starts the moment you walk off the street into the Meat Room. Before you even realize you are in the restaurant, the pit master has taken your meat order, cut it and plopped it on a plastic tray.  

   Cooper's is known for the big pork chop (pictured below). Be warned. I ordered one and before I knew it, a pound and half chop which cost me $17.39 was plopped and I was sent to the next room to have my chop weighed, wrapped and and replopped. 

   If you desire sides (as if a pound and a half of meat isn't enough) they'll sell potato salad and coleslaw for $2.50. However, big pots of free beans are placed around the restaurant for you to plop on your tray.  Don't expect a plate, just a sheet a butcher paper to line your tray, (oddly, it's given to you after your meat has already been placed on the tray. The whole experience is a bit overwheling for a first time visiter, but the meat is a slice of heaven. I'll visit again, but next time I probably will order a little less. 

Cooper's Website 

                                      

The Owner of Neiman-Marcus Told Her To Live Here.

   I had lunch recently at a taco joint (aptly titled The Taco Joint) that recently opened up on Gaston Ave. and Peak Street, in the urban no man's land between Lakewood and Deep Ellum. Across the street sat the Hotel Adler. The window unit air conditioners and the bars on the door reveal a few subtle clues that this may not be the nicest hotel in Dallas.

   "I used to live in that building." The unsolicited comment came from a well dressed elderly woman who sat next to my wife and me at the lunch counter.
   "I had just graduated from college in Denver and I was hired to work at Neiman-Marcus. I asked Mr. Marcus where a single woman in Dallas should live and he suggested the Hotel Adler"
   "What year was that" my wife asked?
   "It was in the 50's. This was such a great neighborhood back then. There were movie theaters, little shops, a street car line leading into downtown. At the other end of Gaston, you had big mansions just like on Swiss Avenue. Old money. Cotton Money. The oil people, they all lived in Highland Park. That was new money, this was old money"

   Lakewood is still home to impressive, well tended homes. But Gaston Avenue, which runs parallel to Swiss Avenue and its stately mansions,  has become a fascinating mismatch of restored mansions and mid century apartments. Some of the apartments have been renovated and updated. Others, often next to 70 year old mansions, look dangerous and poorly kept.

   New business is slowly coming back to Gaston. Old homes are being bought and restored. Some of the apartments are being replaced or restored. No master city plan. No grand scheme. Just a city breathing new life into an old neighborhood.

   "I still keep a home here in Dallas, though I mainly live in San Francisco," the woman added. "How long have you two lived here?"

Google Map to the Adler Hotel and The Taco Joint

My Day At Cowboys Stadium

Today, I experienced my first Cowboy game at Jerry's new stadium. I'd been to the venue for George Strait but haven't had the opportunity to see a game there.

Here are a few of my impressions.

I paid $30 dollars to park at a Jack in the Box a mile away. There were 35 spots that they were using for Cowboys parking. The Jack in the Box owner made $1050 today just on parking. That's $8400 for the 8 Cowboy regular season games. And that was the cheapest parking we could find.

During the game, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppart was shown on the Jumbotron. My friend commented that he was "the mayor of the city that lost the Cowboys".  I've heard this a lot. I thought Irving lost the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones has taken game presentation to another level. Jumbotrons, Video Ribbon Boards, Cheerleaders, Pole Dancers, Clubs, Suites, Party Pass Levels, Water Fountains. Oh yeah, there was a great football game also.

Jerry wants you to stay in your section. If you are supposed to sit in section 300, don't be wandering over to another section. Not even in the concourse. If your bathroom is to crowded, tuff. Wait it out. If you have a party pass, than please stay in your designated area, even if you can't see the game. Or if you really have to pee.

If you haven't been to a game at the new Stadium, it is a whole new ballgame. (Note: Tickets can be very expensive)

Dallas - Home to the Wild Parakeets?

      A few weeks ago I was driving home and noticed a parrot flying in my neighborhood. Like any other person, I thought, "Wow, a parrot, flying around my neighborhood." I felt a bit saddened that somebody's pet had escaped and probably wouldn't survive in the wild for long.

      A week later, I saw 2 more parakeets. I started to think there might be more than just a few escaped parrots flying around East Dallas. After a little research, I discovered that White Rock Lake is home to a rather large parakeet colony. (Another thing I learned, parakeets are a type of parrots.)

     Apparently, a few escaped parakeets found a home on a electrical substation that generates enough heat to make their nest warm enough to live year round. A couple of escaped parakeets became a colony over the course of many years. I drove around the White Rock area and found the substation behind the dam about 200 yards southwest of the old pumphouse. The best time to spot the parrots is at dusk, when they return to their giant nests. It's quite a site, to see the colony of South American birds return home each night. Hats of to TU Electric which decided to leaved the parrots undisturbed after East Dallas neighbors voiced theire desire to leave the colony intact.

     I mentioned this discovery one morning on our radio show and received reports of similar colonies on electrical substations in Irving and Everman.

Directions The Parakeet's nests are about the High Voltage towers across from the White Rock Lake Filter Building

 I never would have imagined that in the year since moving to East Dallas, I would have spotted parrots flying around my neighborhood. I add them to my list that includes foxes, hawks, coyotes and Gary Cogill.

Enjoy my blog? Then check out my book,

The Travis Club

Intrigue + Mystery + Romance + San Antonio

"What a surprise! . . .a page-turner . . . extremely well-written and well researched. . . I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers . . . a great read. . . couldn't wait to find out what would happen next . . . I love a book you can't put down, and this certainly fit the bill . . . very engaging . . .  I really couldn't stop reading it . . . a fantastic and completely believable story"

                                                       Reviews From Amazon.com Readers

In Defense of 32,000 Frog Fans

This has been an exciting season for the TCU Horned Frog Football Squad. The November 2nd edition of the USA has the Purple and White ranked as the nation's 4th best team.

However, this past few weeks has been a interesting one for TCU fans and the city of Fort Worth. On October 17th, Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote a column suggesting that the Frogs deserved larger crowds to witness this special season. Earlier this week, Head Coach Gary Patterson spent part of his weekly press conference imploring more fans to fill Amon Carter Stadium.

I agree. I would like to see the stadium packed for all home games. It would be great on so many levels.

But Saturday when the Versus broadcasters and the studio hosts mocked the city of Fort Worth for not supporting the Horned Frogs while showing an empty section of Amon Carter Stadium, I had to throw a penalty flag.

The one thing that is never mentioned is that TCU is a really small school, one of the smallest in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. There are only 8,000 students. Compare that to the University of Texas and A&M which have nearly 50,000 students. Texas Tech has over 30,000 students. Those schools churn out thousands of alumni every year. And any college Athletic Director will tell you that alumni buy the bulk of season tickets.

Texas is averaging 101,000 fans per game. That's about twice the size of their student body. Texas A&M averages 82,000. That's not even twice the size of their student body. TCU is averaging 32,000. That's 4 times their student body. Name another Division 1 school that draws 4 times their student body. (Answer: Notre Dame)

Boise State has been mentioned in this debate as a small school that sells out at home and gives their team a home field advantage. But Boise State's stadium only holds 33,000. Basically, they are drawing the same as TCU. Plus they have an enrollment of 18,000.

Here in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Can you name another team that averages more fans per game than the Frogs? There is only one, The Cowboys. The Frogs average attendance is higher than the Rangers, Mavericks and the Stars.

Still, it would be great if the Frogs could draw 5 1/2 times their student body and fill 44,000 seats in Amon Carter Stadium, even when they play Mountain West Conference teams and their small cadre of traveling fans. Or at the very least, have the tailgators come into the stadium for the start of the game.

Read Jennifer Floyd Engel's column on the Frogs

My Apologies to the City of Dallas - I Was Wrong.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to the city of Dallas. I mocked you, when you spent $50 million to update the Cotton Bowl. Joining the masses, I derided you for putting curtains on a sinking battleship. I laughed at what I perceived as a tremendous waste of money.

But hindsight is 20/20. And I was wrong. $50 million dollars was an incredible investment.

Consider that the Texas - OU game this past weekend brought an estimated $30 million impact on the Dallas economy. When you multiply that by eight, (Starting in 2008, the two schools have agreed to continue to their State Fair tradition until the year 2015) that means your $50 million dollar investment brings over $240 million to the city. Not to mention the economic impact from the future Texas Tech - Baylor Game, the new January first bowl game and the Grambling - Prairie View game.

Of course, the Texas-OU game is the 800 pound gorilla. Move this game, and the Cotton Bowl would never recover. Both Texas and Oklahoma have a love affair with Fair Park, a love affair that has a lot more to do with money than tradition. A recent article in the Dallas Morning News pointed out that both schools make more money from this one game at the Cotton Bowl, than they would if they were to have the game alternate between their home stadiums. The 90,000 plus seats (with out having to sell any low price tickets to students) makes for one big fat $10 million paycheck every year.

When the city decided to spend $50 million on the Cotton Bowl, its only other options were let it continue to deteriorate and lose the Texas-OU game, or tear it down. If you took the stadium out of the middle of Fair Park, can you honestly think of anything that you could build that would generate over $240 million in economic impact. Basically, the city of Dallas got a very serviceable 90,000 seat stadium for $50 million. That's pretty cheap, especially when you consider that Jerry Jones spent 20 times that on his stadium.

Speaking of Jerry Jones, he is salivating at the possibility of stealing this game away from the city of Dallas. But asks most Texas-OU fans, and they are firmly against moving the contest to Arlington. Taking this game away from the friendly confines of the State Fair would be like traveling to Chicago to watch the Cubs play in a mall parking lot. Jerry World may have the world's biggest TV screen, but it also is surrounded by acres of $75 asphalt parking spots. Not much of an atmosphere, unless of course, you are lucky enough to be in a luxury box surrounded by Roger Staubach, Cher and a Jonas Brother.

Somehow, the aging Cotton Bowl and it's South Dallas surroundings transform itself once a year into an iconic revenue producing venue that blows Jerry's state of the art palace out of the water.

In 1971, the city of Irving spent $35 million on a state of the art venue called Texas Stadium. I drove by that yesterday for one final look before they tear it down. If I told Tex Schramm that his iconic hole in the roof wouldn't outlast the Cotton Bowl, I'm sure he would have laughed. Look who is laughing now.

Read the Dallas Morning News article on the economic impact of the Texas - OU game.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/101709dnsporedriver.221e179cd.html

Cool Thing Hits Dallas - And Nobody Notices

It seems to me, as a new citizen of this humble burg, that people of Dallas love to point out their local government's dysfunction. Even when something good happens, people would rather complain about having to drive to Arlington to watch the Cowboys.

Case in point. This past spring, Dallas opened it's 8th Sprayground in my neighborhood. I must commend city hall for such a simple and cost effective way to cool off in the summer. It's basically a playground consisting of a variety of child friendly fountains. Since the fountains are on timers and there is no need for a staff, it cost very little to run them.

I must admit that I probably wouldn't have known about the one in my neighborhood if it hadn't been built right behind my daughter's school. Sadly, none of the people on my block knew about the Sprayground. At a recent neighborhood birthday party for a 2 year old, not a single person had heard of the park, even though it had been open the entire summer and everybody had kids.

How can something this great fly so low under the radar?

I must also commend the city for it's effective graffiti control program. A few weeks ago, someone decided to spray paint the most ridiculously offensive statement across the Sprayground's pump house. I guess they misunderstood intention behind the word 'Sprayground'. Fortunately, for the younger set who couldn't comprehend the vulgarities, they also painted a rather graphic picture complete with giant body parts.

In a matter of days, the playground Picasso had his work erased. The official city website has a place to report graffiti problems. It took two minutes of my time to report the problem.

I just wanted to take a moment and point out that there a lot of good things that the City of Dallas accomplishes. Next time you're driving to Arlington to catch the Cowboys, slow down a bit. You might be missing something cool.

Locations of Spraygrounds http://www.dallasparks.org/Downloads/Spraygrounds.pdf

What Happened to the Rocket Car?

I drove through my old Fort Worth neighborhood today. I must admit, I was a bit envious. The area between downtown and the Cultural District is in the final stages of a dramatic redevelopment. Soon, a Movie Tavern, restaurants, and cool loft apartments will open, making the West 7th corridor once of the most vibrant parts of Fort Worth.

Yet, I feel an odd sense of loss.

For the twenty years I lived on the westside, this vital link between the city's two biggest attractions featured nothing more than a handful of used car lots and old fast food outlets. Included in that mix was one rather shabby outlet called Aardvark Used Cars and Rental. I honestly don't think in twenty years I ever saw anybody ever shopping at the Aardvark. Why would they? The Aardvark had less than 5 cars on the lot.

But the Aardvark did posses one very special vehicle. The Rocket Car.

The Rocket Car looked like some threadbare handyman's attempt to break the world speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. For twenty years, the Rocket Car sat in the lot of Aardvark. Alone. Abandoned.

Can I be the only one who wondered what ever happened to the Rocket Car?

If we made four bent billboard post into a piece of artwork at the new post office, couldn't we have done the same for the Rocket Car?

If I had a chance three years ago to sit down with Roger Staubach, the developer of this new neighborhood, I would have offered him one suggestion. "Believe me, you're going to want that Rocket Car"

(photos courtesy of FortWortholgy.com)

Anybody for a dip in White Rock Lake?

Recently, Fred Lockhart received a $300 ticket for 'wading' in White Rock Lake. Well, that's what was written on the ticket. Actually, he was floating in an inner tube and fishing.

Mr. Lockhart says if he is ticketed, then so should every kayaker and boater who must get a foot wet to push off from White Rock shore. That's a pretty good point.

Here's my question. Why can't we wade in White Rock Lake? Furthermore, why can't we swim in White Rock Lake?

I can already hear a chorus of 'Yuck'. But before you dismiss this as a ridiculous musing, consider a few points.

White Rock Lake was built as a reservoir for the city of Dallas in 1910. Until the late 1950s, the lake was a popular swimming hole. The first art deco building in the Southwest was constructed in 1930 complete with locker rooms, concession stands and a sandy beach to accommodate swimmers.

 That building still stands today as the Bath House Cultural Center off Buckner.

In 1958, the city suffered a drought and needed the lake again as a water supply. Swimming officially ended in September 2, 1958. After 1958, the city of Dallas focused more on building segregated neighborhood swimming pools rather than re-opening the beach.

During the next three decades, the lake slowly fell into disrepair until it became a teenage cruising spot. In the 90's, the city spent $12 million to clean up the lake, including a two year dredging project. Today, few would argue that it wasn't money well spent. White Rock Lake has become a true gem to this city. The neighborhoods surround the lake have seen their home values skyrocket, thus increasing the property tax revenues.

With this in mind, I recently took a trek out to the restored bathhouse. Since the dredging, one could argue that the lake is as clean as Lake Lewisville or Grapevine Lake. Could we once again have a beach in the middle of Dallas? Could White Rock Lake be resurrected as an urban oasis? Could it be as popular as Austin's Barton Springs?

These are questions I pondered as I looked out at the old swimming dock that still floats in the lake. As I contemplated dipping my toe in the water and making a civic statement, I saw a water snake swim by.

Never mind.

My biggest surprise since moving to Dallas

When I moved to Fort Worth in 1988, Cowtown was rather sleepy. I think the last napping panther had just been swept from the streets. I lived on the west side of town just off Camp Bowie Boulevard, which offered one dumpy grocery store and a Chili's. Fort Worth was boring. We used to lament that there were only 4 place to eat out in Fort Worth. If you wanted to some excitement, you had to make the long trek to Dallas.
About 1995, things started to change. Sundance Square started to take off. Movie theaters, bars, bookstores, restaurants and Bass Hall all opened downtown within a couple of years. All of sudden Fort Worth was a fun place to live. By the year 2009, even the shabby 7Th Street corridor was finally being redone after years of being home to used car lots and an abandoned McDonalds. Fort Worth was becoming an incredible great city. (They are even planning streetcars to connect downtown and the museums
So when I moved to Dallas, there was a bit of remorse that I was leaving when Fort Worth was at the top of it's game.
But hey, I was moving to Dallas. If you are bored in Dallas, it's your own fault.
Except if you live where I live. I think I may have moved to Yawn Town.
I live on the east side of White Rock Lake.
The White Rock Lake area is perhaps the most picturesque part of Dallas. But when people talk about the White Rock area, most are referring to the western side. Lakewood. Lower Greenville. The M Streets.
Have you ever been to the east side of the lake? Equally beautiful. Old growth trees. The Arboretum. Gigantic lots. Great neighborhoods. And a Chili's. That's about it.
Don't get me wrong, I love my home and the half acre lot it sits on in the passed over part of Dallas.
But can someone tell the Shannon Wynne and Phil Romano that the east side of White Rock Lake has tons of potential customers that would love to spend some money for a good time.
In the mean time, you can find me enjoying a drink at Chili's. With my Unicard.

Metroplexing - A Comparison of Life in Dallas vs Fort Worth

My name is Hawkeye. I am a morning DJ on 96.3 KSCS. For the past many years I lived in Fort Worth. I loved living in Fort Worth. I made some incredible friends, lived in a beautiful neighborhood and became a member of the community.

But in November of 2008, I got married to my lovely wife Madelyn. And because I work in Arlington and my wife works in Dallas, we found it more conducive to a good family life to move to Dallas.

I realized that I was in an unique position to compare life in Dallas vs life in Fort Worth. Of the 5 million people who call North Texas home, very few can actually say that the have lived in both Fort Worth proper and Dallas proper. I am probably also one of the few people who subscribe to both the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Dallas Morning News.

Before I start, a few items of disclosure.

I am the son of a career military man. We moved quite a bit growing up. Whenever we moved to a new city, the first year was always very difficult. That is why I purposely waited a year before starting this blog.

While growing up, I always longed to live in one place. The longest I have ever lived anywhere is 20 years in Fort Worth.

I have a 15 year old stepdaughter who attends Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas. So we are committed to staying here at least until her graduation.

Enough for now. My next post: My biggest shock after moving to Dallas.

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