Texas - Downtown Dallas on a Sunny, Sunday Afternoon

After the Bishop Arts gig we drove through downtown on our way back north. The city is deserted on a Sunday and looked like it would be a hoot to ride through. What are the laws regarding cycling downtown? Sidewalk legal or illegal? Are there any dedicated bike paths downtown?

I plan to get a single speed in the next month or two and downtown Dallas is calling my name...

Chris

Downtown Dallas rocks on weekends. So long as you don't need mass transit to get there (check the www.dart.org site for the schedule). Lots of restaurants are open too, plenty of places to lockup to eat. Wear A Helmet! You'll get popped otherwise.

If it's deserted, why would you ride on the sidewalks?

I did find that the McDonalds doesn't like you bringing your bike in, but there's not a good place to lock it up outside, either.

I'm thinking it's pretty easy to get around on a Saturday, too.

The only dedicated bike path I know of in that area is the Katy Trail which starts just north of the American Airlines Center.

It's illegal to ride on the sidewalks Downtown. And make sure you wear a helmet, 'cause if the cops see you, they have been known to ticket for it.

I'd use the roads mostly but I want to confirm if I use the sidewalks some I won't be getting a ticket or hassled by the law.

I would assume there are some places to eat/coffee near the west end.

So long as you're not bombing though a crowd, you might not get hassled by the cops for riding on the sidewalks.

Here's a list of some places that are open on Sunday Downtown:

Opening Bell Coffee (http://www.openingbellcoffee.com/) is at Akard & Pacific in the Mosaic
Ten Sports Grill (http://www.tensportsgrill.com/) on Main St. between Akard & Field
City Tavern (http://www.citytaverndowntown.com/) on Main between Akard & Field
Sol Irlandes Mexican Grill (http://www.solirlandes.net/) on Main between Ervay & Akard at Stone Street Gardens
Iron Cactus (http://www.ironcactus.com/dallas.asp) on Main between Ervay & Akard next to Pegasus Plaza
Campisi's (http://www.campisis.us/locdetail.php?id=2) on Elm at Stone Street Gardens
Press Box Grill (http://www.pressboxgrill.com/) at the corner of Ervay & Elm

I've been to all of them, most of them on bike. They should all have places to lock up outside. There's plenty of police/security presence Downtown between DPD, DART & the Downtown Safety Patrol. I've never had a problem locking up my Colnago or Eddy Merckx outside of the above places.

lots of fun riding downtown.

be sure to check out the farmer's market, and Deep Ellum and Fair Park are nearby and also fun to cruise around when they're empty.

So long as you're not bombing though a crowd, you might not get hassled by the cops for riding on the sidewalks.

Here's a list of some places that are open on Sunday Downtown:

Opening Bell Coffee (http://www.openingbellcoffee.com/) is at Akard & Pacific in the Mosaic
Ten Sports Grill (http://www.tensportsgrill.com/) on Main St. between Akard & Field
City Tavern (http://www.citytaverndowntown.com/) on Main between Akard & Field
Sol Irlandes Mexican Grill (http://www.solirlandes.net/) on Main between Ervay & Akard at Stone Street Gardens
Iron Cactus (http://www.ironcactus.com/dallas.asp) on Main between Ervay & Akard next to Pegasus Plaza
Campisi's (http://www.campisis.us/locdetail.php?id=2) on Elm at Stone Street Gardens
Press Box Grill (http://www.pressboxgrill.com/) at the corner of Ervay & Elm

I've been to all of them, most of them on bike. They should all have places to lock up outside. There's plenty of police/security presence Downtown between DPD, DART & the Downtown Safety Patrol. I've never had a problem locking up my Colnago or Eddy Merckx outside of the above places.


That cus the winos and homeless don't know what you got - it's just a bike to them.

I had a good time at City Tavern before and after a show at the Majestic. I recommend if you don't mind bar food and smoke.

Yep. It's illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in downtown. On a weekend there are very few cops and you wont get hassled as long as you steer clear of the DART tracks.

Downtown is a dserted wasteland on the weekend.

You can really see stuff quickly though on a bike vs a car. Dealey Plaza, behind the fence on the grassy knoll, various office buildings, Thanksgiving Square.

Some parking garages have security, some don't. You can ride up to the top roof deck of some if you sniff out a good one.

Yep. It's illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in downtown. On a weekend there are very few cops and you wont get hassled as long as you steer clear of the DART tracks.

Downtown is a dserted wasteland on the weekend.

You can really see stuff quickly though on a bike vs a car. Dealey Plaza, behind the fence on the grassy knoll, various office buildings, Thanksgiving Square.

Some parking garages have security, some don't. You can ride up to the top roof deck of some if you sniff out a good one.

No, it's not. There's plenty of residents around, and there's always something going on.

No, it's not. There's plenty of residents around, and there's always something going on.

Residents meaning the urban outdoorsmen(homeless) or the wayward person waiting for a DART bus?

I just don't see foot traffic in Downtown on weekends. Other than the Arts District I cannot recall many ongoing things to do there on the weekend. So much of Downtown is shuttered on the weekend it is impossible to find much to do there.

Deep Ellum and Uptown are both 2-3 minute bike rides away. Lots more to do there.

I could find plenty of stuff to do on a Saturday in downtown but could not make it a weekly or even a once a month thing. There is really nothing going on there.

Residents meaning the urban outdoorsmen(homeless) or the wayward person waiting for a DART bus?

I just don't see foot traffic in Downtown on weekends. Other than the Arts District I cannot recall many ongoing things to do there on the weekend. So much of Downtown is shuttered on the weekend it is impossible to find much to do there.

Deep Ellum and Uptown are both 2-3 minute bike rides away. Lots more to do there.

I could find plenty of stuff to do on a Saturday in downtown but could not make it a weekly or even a once a month thing. There is really nothing going on there.

Residents meaning the few thousand people who live in the various residential buildings. Keep in mind that activities don't have to be organized to happen. If you're finding it impossible to find much to do Downtown, you just aren't looking hard enough, or are looking in the wrong places.

Here's a list of current activities in the Downtown area:


Play - "The Light in the Piazza"
Location: Theatre Three
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Description: Through November 23, 2008.

Exhibit - "Tutankamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs"
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through May 17, 2009. 1-866-524-7687 for information.

Exhibit - "Best on the Block: Quilts from the Collection of the Quilter's Guild of Dallas"
Location: Old Red Courthouse
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through March 15, 2009.

Exhibit - TWO x TWO for AIDS and ART
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through January 4, 2009.

Play - "The Good Negro"
Location: Dallas Theatre Center
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Description: This provocative, human drama is having its Dallas premier as a co-production with New York's renowed Public Theater. Through November 9, 2008.

An Evening with Robert Edsel Benefitting the Friends of the Dallas Public Library
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Other
Start Time: 6:00
Price: From $125.00

Tour of Thanksgiving Square
Location: Thanksgiving Square
Type of Event: Tours, Workshops & Lectures
Description: Please make reservations 2 weeks in advance. Tours at other times can be arranged. Please call for details.
Start Time: 2:00
Price: $3.00 for children and seniors, $4.00 for adults

"Dallas Remembers"
Location: Sixth Floor Museum
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Permanent exhibit at the Sixth Floor Museum.

Exhibits - Shakespeare's First Folio on 7th Floor; One of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence on 7th Floor, and McDermott Collection of Navajo Blankets on 1st and 8th Floors.
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: These are permenant exhibits for all to see and enjoy.
Start Time: Regular library hours.

Exhibits - European Painting and Sculpture; Arts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific; The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection; Art of the Americas.
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: These are permanent exhibits at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Exhibit - Texas Collects Asia 2008: Contemporary Art
Location: Crow Collection of Asian Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through January 4, 2009.

On Exhibit - Manderly and Hoglund Manor Dollhouses and handcrafted scale model of 8th Century Viking Ship Drakkar
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Children & Family Events
Description: Manderly and dollhouses loaned by the Dallas Museum of Art and American Museum of Miniature Arts. 2nd Floor.

Exhibit - JFK - 45 Years On - An Invitation to Consider
Location: El Centro College
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: In the H. Paxton Moore Fine Art Gallery. Through November 22, 2008.

Drop-In Tour of the Crow Collection
Location: Crow Collection of Asian Art
Type of Event: Tours, Workshops & Lectures
Start Time: 6:30
Price: Free

Tour of the European Sculpture Garden
Location: Crow Collection of Asian Art
Type of Event: Other
Start Time: 1:00
Price: Free

Exhibit - "The Promenade of Style: The Caralee Biery Smith Collection"
Location: 1900 Elm (Titche-Goettinger)
Type of Event: Exhibits, Musuems & Film
Description: Featuring 19th Century clothing from UNT's Texas Fashion Collection. In the Universities Center Building. Through December 19, 2008.

Gospel Brunch at House of Blues
Location: House of Blues
Type of Event: Other
Description: Tickets at 214-978-2583. Seatings at 10AM and 12:30PM.

Tour of the European Sculpture Garden
Location: Crow Collection of Asian Art
Type of Event: Other
Start Time: 1:00
Price: Free

Atmosphere
Location: House of Blues
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Start Time: 9:00
Price: $18.00 - $35.00

Family Films based on the King Tut Exhibit.
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Children & Family Events
Description: November's film: "Scooby Doo: Where's My Mummy?" In the Museum Theater.
Start Time: 2:00
Price: Free with paid admission.

Exhibit - Mola of the Kuna People of Panama
Location: Latino Cultural Center
Type of Event: Exhibits, Musuems & Film
Description: From the collection of Rev. Isaac V. Perez and Mrs. Alicia C. Perez. Through January 15, 2009.
Start Time: Regular library hours.
Price: Free

Texas Stampede
Location: American Airlines Center
Type of Event: Other
Description: Benefits Children's Medical Center. Tickets at www.texasstampede.org.
Price: $20.00 - $105.00

Arts District Chorale
Location: Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Description: Works by Vaughan Williams and Paul Moravec. 214-942-5085. www.artsdistrictchorale.org. for information and tickets.
Start Time: 8:00
Price: $20.00 - $25.00 at door

Exhibit - "John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation"
Location: Sixth Floor Museum
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Permanent exhibit at the Sixth Floor Museum.

Exhibit - "Tending the Afterlife: Chinese Tomb Art from the Neolithic Period to the Ming Dynasty"
Location: Crow Collection of Asian Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Nearly all of China's major eras are represented in this display of tomb artifacts, which include earthenware, jeweled items and bronze pieces. Offering a glimpse into how China's ruling families and social elite lived and covers a period of about 6,000 years. Through July 12, 2009.
Start Time: Regular museum hours
Price: Free

Collection Highlights Tour
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Start Time: 2:00
Price: Free with paid admission.

Mayan Performance Troupe
Location: Dallas World Aquarium
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Description: Performances at 12:15, 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15.
Price: Free with paid admission.

Family Films at the Center for Creative Connections
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Children & Family Events
Start Time: 2:00
Price: Free with paid admission.

Mu Phi Epsilon Concert Series
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Dance, Music & Theater
Description: In the Central Auditorium.
Start Time: 3:00
Price: Free

Exhibit - "Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson"
Location: Dallas Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through March 15, 2009.
Price: Free with paid admission.

On Exhibit - What They Do When You Aren't Looking
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Art by Library staff members.
Start Time: Regular library hours.
Price: Free

On Exhibit - Corn Dollies: Traditional Folk Art Celebrating the Harvester
Location: Erik Jonsson Central Library
Type of Event: Exhibits, Musuems & Film
Description: 4th Floor.
Price: Free

9th Annual Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner
Location: Stephan Pyles
Type of Event: Other
Description: Five-course dinner with each course presented by a different celebrity chef. A fine wine paired with each course. After dinner, a short and lively wine auction. Presented by The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas. Cocktail attire.
Start Time: Reception at 6PM - Dinner at 7PM.
Price: $175.00 per person - tax and gratuity included.

Exhibition of artists Alex Rubio, Alex de Leon and Sally Warren
Location: MAC - McKinney Ave Contemporary
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: Through December 12, 2008.

Exhibit - "JFK - 45 Years On - An Invitation to Consider"
Location: El Centro College
Type of Event: Exhibits, Musuems & Film
Description: Works in many media honoring the 45th anniversary of that tragic day in November 1963. Through November 22, 2008. Promotional support by the Sixth Floor Museum.
Price: Free

"One Day in the Holocaust: April 19, 1943"
Location: Dallas Holocaust Museum
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: A dramatic presentation on important themes and happenings in the Holocaust with connection to people from North Texas. Also presented are the Righteous of the Nations and the Memory Room. Recommended for ages 10 and above.

Art - Oils by Donna Finch Adams
Location: First United Methodist Church
Type of Event: Exhibits, Museums & Film
Description: In the Goodrich Gallery.
Yes, the majority of the events listed are in or near the Arts District, and yes, a few are outside of the CBD, but as you can see, there's quite a few activities there to keep one busy for more than just one weekend.