2.18.2013

Dallas in a Day


Last weekend Baron had a big surprise in store for me.  When I lived in Jacksonville, Florida I had always expressed an interest in driving to another state, in that case, Georgia, just to have dinner.  One night we were trying to come up with something to do and Baron suggested we jump in the car and head north for dinner.  By the time we got across the Florida/Georgia state line we were starving so we decided to stop at the first place we saw.  With each bite of delicious, fluffy pancakes at the IHOP, I crossed something off of my not-actually-written-down bucket list.

Boy was I surprised when, on Valentine's Day, I got a note that said Baron was taking me to lunch on Sunday at Wolfgang Puck's Restaurant called "Five Sixty"...in Dallas, Texas!  That's right, we were going to Dallas just for lunch, and we'd be back in time for dinner!  I was so excited. This was a major step up from our little trip to IHOP a couple of years ago.

Unfortunately my Grandma passed away on Friday afternoon after a few very rough weeks being in the hospital at the end of her battle with cancer.  After talking with my Mom we've decided to not have a service right away.  My Grandma wished to be cremated and her ashes spread in the ocean.  She wanted all of us to be happy and celebrate that she was in her Heavenly home.  My Mom lost her brother just a few short months ago and our family needs a little of bit of time before we are ready to celebrate, as my Grandma wished, when we lay her to rest.  For now, it is just too painful.  My Grandmother's faith was strong, she believed with all of her heart that when she died she would instantly be in the presence of the Lord and be healed.  I believe this too.  I have moments when I feel so relieved that she is at peace and no longer in any pain, and then moments where the sadness overcomes and I remember that I will not see her ever again on this earth.

We decided to go ahead with our plans to go to Dallas on Sunday.  I know my Grandma would've wanted us to go.  Texas was one of my Grandma's favorite places. She lived in Texas until I was born and she moved to Florida so that she could be closer.  I've heard many stories of my Grandma, in her younger days, living it up in Dallas.  It was a bittersweet coincidence that a few weeks ago, Baron randomly chose the city of Dallas for lunch that day.  I know God had a reason and a plan in every detail of my life. It was a nice distraction to be in Dallas for the day, I know that my Grandma would never want me to shed a single tear because of her.  I hope that she was watching down on us in our travels that day.

Our day started when our alarms went off at four o'clock in the morning.  Ugh.  The only part of the day that I was dreading.  It was surprisingly easy to hop out of bed and get ready for the day.  We made it to the airport in plenty of time and were through the security checkpoint just minutes after arriving.  How nice it was to not have a single bag to check or tote around the airport. Just my purse! 


We had a blissfully uneventful trip to Dallas.  The skies were beautiful and I had a wonderful sense of peace as we floated above the clouds.  We grabbed a cab right outside the airport in Dallas and were on our way to the restaurant. We had a little bit of time to kill before our 11 o'clock reservations so we explored the Hyatt Hotel next to the restaurant and even walked around downtown for a bit.


The restaurant in a revolving restaurant located in the top of Reunion Tower.  It was fun to know that my Mom and my Grandma had eaten there many years ago.  Did you notice there wasn't a cloud in the sky?  When we left home it was 28 degrees!  It was a warm 72 degrees in Dallas, and felt so good to walk around without a jacket.




After walking around the nearby downtown area we realized that there were a lot of people out and about for it being a Sunday morning.  Then we realized that we were in Dealey Plaza, the place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in the early 1960's.  In the photo below you can see the Texas School Book Depository Building, where JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, fatally shot the President from the sixth floor window.


In the next photo you can barely see, at the base of the streetlamp, a small white "x".  This was where JFK was when he was assassinated while driving down Elm Street.  We didn't have enough time to visit the museum now located in the Texas School Book Depository Building but both Baron and I decided that we'd love to return to Dallas to visit for longer next time.


Before we knew it it was time for brunch.  The restaurant in located 560 feet above the ground in giant sphere that rotates.  Baron and I have eaten in a rotating restaurant before, the one in Dallas seemed to rotate a bit faster.  I found myself a little dizzy if I turned my head quickly.  We started brunch with delicious mimosas and a beautiful view of Dallas.


Brunch was delicious!  It was a tapas style, Asian inspired brunch and we tried a bit of everything.  My favorite was a Crispy Eggplant dish, tasted a little more Italian inspired but it was really good.  Of course the Yuzu Cheesecake Brulee was another favorite. Let's start with dessert, shall we?


Yuzu Cheesecake Brulee with Blueberries and Burnt Honey

Sea Scallop Sui Mai with Lobster Emulsion

Crispy Eggplant

After lunch we hopped in a cab and made it to the airport right on time.  We had another uneventful flight back home and were happy to sleep in our own bed that night.  The dogs were a little bit confused that we didn't go to work that day ;)  We decided this might be our new "thing".  Next time...Chicago!

No comments: