Dallas to Galveston

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Dallas

April 20

Sulphur Springs

From our pit stop in Texarkana we had planned to spend this day checking out the Gulf of Mexico city of Port Arthur, Texas before heading into Houston to visit our daughter for a couple of days. But it looked as though the coastal roads we wanted to drive were closed, probably due to recent flooding. So, we made a last-minute decision to instead go to Houston via Dallas.

I booked a room at the Omni Downtown Dallas, and away we went.

Our Roadside Attractions app informed us that we wanted to stop in Sulphur Springs, Texas, which is about 100 miles from Texarkana. There were two roadside attractions we wanted to see.  We got downtown and parked the car.  As it turns out, Sulphur Springs is actually a very lively, vibrant, artsy town.  Their downtown area was worth the detour on its own.  But our objective was to first find the one-way-glass public restroom.  We found it.  It really is a public restroom in the middle of the downtown park that has one-way glass.  So, when inside doing one’s business, you can look outside, while those outside can’t see in.  It was definitely a little awkward, but of course we used it.

The other roadside attraction was a crosswalk which had signs depicting Monty Python’s “Ministry of Silly Walks”.

Sulphur Springs definitely has a good sense of humor about it.  There was also some beautiful architecture…

…and some interactive art, which Emilie took part in

George W. Bush Presidential Library

After tooling around Sulfur Springs for about half hour we forged onward.  About an hour further, we stopped at the George W. Bush Presidential Library just north of Dallas.  Finding the parking lot for this place proved rather difficult for us.  With some help from a security guard who kicked us out of the first place we attempted to park, we were eventually able to figure it out.  This library had a spectacular 360-degree flowing video ribbon high above in the main foyer. That alone was worth the price of admission.

Dallas

On to Dallas for the night. The Omni Dallas turned out to be not only perfectly located for one night of walking around Dallas, but we got a killer view of the city, and it’s also  where the original Mobil Pegasus neon sign is located.

After checking in late afternoon, we walked to the JFK assassination site.  It was interesting to us to see the exact spot where he was killed.  We’d always imagined it being on a straight main road through the city.  Instead, it’s really along an “S” curve on a busy but secondary road.  It was also interesting that the spot on the street is marked with an “X”.  It was a bit eerie.  It wasn’t the plan, but in a matter of days we unexpectedly visited the assassination spots of both JFK and MLK. Neither spot was remarkable or noteworthy in any way.

It was getting near dinner time, so we walked around town looking for a place to eat.  We ended up eating at an excellent Mexican restaurant called Uno Mas on Main Street.  In an open garden area next to the restaurant there were people setting up for some sort of art fair. In the middle of the green sat a giant bloodshot eyeball sculpture.  This is actually a permanent sculpture situated there.

It was getting dark by now and we meandered our way to the vibrant AT&T Discovery District. This lively area contains food halls, a beer garden, shops, and large art displays and sculptures.

Walking through the AT&T Discovery District we then made our way back to our hotel. Just before the Omni is Pioneer Plaza.  We discovered the awesome Cattle Drive sculptures here.  The cattle drive is made up of many larger-than-life longhorns and cowboys on horses cast in bronze. It looked even more surreal at dusk. Very, very cool!

We had drinks at hotel bar where we commended ourselves for deciding to stop for a night in Dallas.  It was a great stopover!

Off to bed with a view.

April 21

George H.W. Bush Presidential Library

We checked out of the Omni in Dallas and began the 4-hour drive to Houston. We stopped to get coffee at I-45 Donuts right off the highway in Ferris, Texas.  Two decent coffees and two fresh donuts for $4.25! Wow!

Then on to College Station to visit the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library. The Library is very nice, but the thing that stands out the most is the beautifully maintained grounds and cemetery plot.  Just outside the library is a path around a colorful pond that leads to a beautiful bridge, and ultimately to the Bush’s cemetery plot.  Simply gorgeous.

Got to our daughter Suzannah’s Houston apartment around 5:00 PM. Just in time for her and Emilie to get dressed and head out to the Taylor Swift concert.

Em and Suzannah got back around 1:00 AM. I stayed and babysat the dog and cats.  Emilie agreed that I would take the money that I would have paid for the concert and buy myself a Land Rover.

Galveston

April 22

After a $70 late breakfast downtown Houston at the excellent Tout Suite, we headed for a day trip to discover Galveston with Suzannah.

It was a Saturday, and the weather was very nice, so Galveston was a very busy place.  For day-trippers it’s basically one very long strip along the water.  Eventually we found a parking spot along the sea wall, and then walked the beach and sidewalk.  We got drinks on the pier.

We got drinks at what appeared to be one of the few piers with a bar. It was the Pelican and The Shark on the 61st St. fishing pier.  There was a souvenir shop here, too. It’s a perfect setting to enjoy the Galveston Island views with a refreshment. Emilie even got a shark in her drink!  Just be careful, the waves come up onto the pier ramp!

We got dinner on the island somewhere beyond the sea wall (and so less crazy), and then headed back to Houston.

Got back to Houston around 7:00 PM. and went for drinks and a giant pretzel at the Flying Saucer.

Off to bed at Suzannah’s apartment

Next: Big Bend National Park