Beautiful Dallas
"Suggestions on where to stay"
In Dallas, my number one recommendation would be the Stoneleigh Hotel. It is my favorite, for many reasons (history, beauty, location). It is by no means your standard hotel, which is definitely my preference. And the best part is you can stay any night of the week for $129, a right steal!! You can see pictures at: http://www.stoneleighhotel.com/
It has a fantastic restaurant as well as a very trendy cigar bar called The Lions Den and is ranked as one of the Historic Hotels of America, built in 1923.
A little bit of interesting history about the hotel:
The Stoneleigh Hotel was built in 1923 for the then staggering sum of just over a million dollars. At the time it was built The Stoneleigh was showcased as the tallest building in Dallas, as well as the tallest hotel west of the Mississippi River.
Frank J. Woerner designed the Stoneleigh in a combination of Art Deco and Federal styles. The hotel's rich history dates back to Colonel William Stewart of the Confederate army. Secret passageways, trap doors, mysterious rooms and sliding mirrors are a favorite when touring the property. The hotel's unique features also include walls of intricately carved oak from London's Charthouse School, a rooftop neon sign (named a historic landmark in 1983), and extravagant mirrored wall pieces from Balmoral of Scotland.
For prices of $129 a night, go to www.hotels.com.
Otherwise you can call them at 214-871-7111 and let them know you found that rate on the web and would like to know if they would honor it over the phone.
By the way, they have a courtesy airport shuttle as well as a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a 5 mile radius, which includes Deep Ellum, the JFK memorial, Turtle Creek (fantastic!), Greenville Avenue (a must), and so much more. It’s the ideal location.
Another great recommendation is the Hotel Lawrence, built in 1925. (See http://www.hotellawrencedallas.com/ - a very good web site) located in the heart of downtown, and CLOSE to everything – including right next to the JFK memorial and the West End (a little touristy but worth a visit for dinner if you can walk). You can find deals on the web for an average of $100/night. Or you can call at 214-761-9090.
Another suggestion is the Wyndham Anatole (beautiful!!). @$160-180 US
http://anatole.wyndham-hotels.com/
Hotels.com has a listing of hotels in/near Downtown/Deep Ellum with really great rates.
"Links to events/attractions/activities:"
The Handbook of Texas Online - A multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture. It comprises more than 23,000 articles on people, places, events, historical themes, institutions, and a host of other topic categories.
http://www.texas-onlink.com/
Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce
http://www.dallaschamber.org/
Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.dallascvb.com/
Dallas - Fort Worth Online magazine
http://www.dmagazine.com/index.shtml
Dallas Texas Activities
http://www.accessamer.com/dallas/
Texas Music Events Calendar
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/music/tmec.main.htm
Dallas Music, Dining, Arts and Movie Guide
http://www.dallas.com/
Dallas Outdoors magazine
http://www.dallasoutdoors.com/
"Don't forget about Ft. Worth!!"
As far as Fort Worth, the only thing I can say is it is a must see! The downtown area is truly beautiful. You can see some pictures on my site at: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/5bb76/#TL
There are many wonderful restaurants and live music. It is one of the safest downtowns in the U.S. and the people are unbelievably friendly. I miss the southern hospitality. (It’s much stronger in Fort Worth than Dallas!)
The stockyards are right next door so you can get a good feel of true cowboy life. I would suggest at least one day in Fort Worth. You can catch a DART train for a few dollars between Dallas and Fort Worth so it’s quite easy if you don’t want to drive. If you want to stay overnight though, I’d check out the Radisson Hotel on Main Street (http://www.radisson.com/ftworthtx). Their rates are pretty reasonable ($149US) and they are located right in the heart of downtown Ft. Worth so you can walk to everything. Their number is (817) 870-2100 or you can book on-line.


