Aww shucks Texas...I guess I kinda like yer.

As much as I rag on and on about Texas and the hate-mongering proletariat I actually do enjoy living here in Dallas. Here are some things that I like about Dallas and Texas.

I like Dallas' skyline. It has some very interesting buildings and some of my all time favorite modern skyscrapers. They are truly unique and aren't all black glass monoliths. This isn't the best picture of the skyline but I like this photo.



I like all of the things in the DFW area by one of my favorite architects, Philip Johnson. In Dallas, there is the JFK Memorial where I am pictured here, a year ago. Its best to see this at night when the memorial is lit up. There are lights underneath each part of it and it gives the illusion of a floating white concrete cube. I find the black slab in the middle of the cube with JFK's name on it quite powerful.



There is also Thanksgiving Square, a public place in the middle of downtown that is anchored by a non-denominational place of prayer. The exterior looks like a Dairy Queen soft serve vanilla cone but the inside has a dazzling display of stained glass. These are just two works of Johnsons in the area, there are many more. These two photos are courtesy of Heather.



One of the remarkable things about Dallas is the amount of sculpture that is in the downtown area. Here you can see a sculpture by Rodin, one of many that occupy the plaza outside of the Trammel Crow tower in downtown. If you walk around downtown you will see many other sculptures by artists of note.



Another thing that I like about Dallas, and perhaps my favorite place in Dallas, is Turtle Creek. This may sound jejune to some but I call it the Central Park of Dallas. This creek winds through the middle of the city accompanied by a boulevard bearing its name. The Dallas part of the creek, which is primarily Robert E. Lee Park and William B. Dean Park, is well maintained but is certainly outdone by the part of the creek maintained by the exclusive enclave of Highland Park. Turtle creek is also where most of Dallas luxury high rises are, thus giving it a Central Park-esque feel.







I love visiting state capitols and this summer when Brad and I visited Austin, for my first time, I was thoroughly impressed with the capitol and the surrounding grounds. Aside from The Capitol, I think this is one of the most amazing government buildings I've ever seen.



The best photo I have ever taken.



The rotunda floor has a beautiful inlay of granite seals representing the six nations that have ruled over Texas; The Kingdom of Spain, The Kingdom of France, The Republic of Mexico, The Confederate States of America, The United States of America, and The Republic of Texas. For those that do not know Texas was a republic and as a result is the only state in the union where the state flag flies at the same level as the national flag.



The dome is the tallest in the nation.



For some reason I thought it was really clever that the hinges looked like this all over the capitol. I guess some people need to be reminded where they are.



And finally, I like that Texas produced one of my favorite stars of politics, Ann Richards. At the 2004 DNC Wolf Blitzer attempted to coerce Richards into the overly optimistic sentiment that was being expressed by the other party leaders by asking her, "Ann, do you feel that there is a different feeling tonight at this year's convention? A feeling of optimism and of party unity?" In a dry and candid tone Ann replied, "No, it's about the same." I just love how she refused to be a part of the spin.