Dallas, Fort Worth, and the nation of Texas

Guess what this is:

Yes, that is right. A mouse on a cat on a dog. Only in Fort Worth.

~.~

Of course, it was unusually cold when I was there, but still warmer than Chicago. Dallas was really cheap and so full of modern architecture that it makes it a great trip for a poor student. Some things that happen in Dallas:

1. The sixth floor museum, the site where JFK was shot and his memorial
2. The Texas State Fair which happens there since a long time ago and takes place inside history museums which is really cool cause the history is part of the present, too
3. Apparently it is a really great place to shop

So when I went to the fair grounds I met this guy (who was kind of the curator but not really), Tom Hood, who was a Texas lover and a great person. He personally escorted me through the Texas State Building which is an art museum and talked about every single detail of it. This is the guy you need to talk to if you want to know all about Texas. Below are the Texas State Building and the Women's Museum:

 

If you ever go here and you feel the hunger coming, you should check out the Meridian Room which has a really chill atmosphere, great food, and a huge selection of beer.

~.~

The Dallas downtown has this new theater district that is full of sleek buildings by famous architects.
OMA:

 Renzo Piano:

I. M. Pei

So on the trip to Dallas I could not miss Fort Worth where two of the most amazing museums ever designed lie side by side. The Fort Worth Museum of Art by Louis Kahn and the modern art museum by Tadao Ando. They are splendid!!!

 

 

They also have this little traditional and very touristy area in Fort Worth where you can see how things are not anymore in Texas.

Lastly, on the way back up, many things happened to me. I spilled gas all over me trying to refill the rental - so I had to change at the airport not to stink up the place, for the first time ever finally talked with the person next to me on the plane (this is very good to do on long flights - I encourage everyone to try), and finally saw all the snow that was going to come down on Chicago...

Kansas City -- KA and MO

I decided I am going to start every entry with a guess-what-this-is picture that I have taken wherever I go. I do these a lot lately and this will be a great way to maybe get some people to guess. And if you can't guess, then just read the rest of the post and you will be able to know what it is by the end of it. So here is my Kansas City - guess what this is:

~.~

Kansas was just like a remembered it from being there five years ago - flat, vast, sunny (most of the time), and just relaxing. Well, Overland Park where I stayed is mostly like I described, but OP is a suburb after all. I love these clouds...

The cities are small and cute and filled with bars. The power and light district is great for a long night out, when the weather is nice.

Must-go-to restaurant in the city: La Fou Frog. They had kangaroo meat!!!!! But pretty much everything you ordered was great. The chef had complimentary little cute dishes for you and then the waiters even accompanied you to the parking lot. Totally worth the price.

Of course went to the after Thanksgiving shopping which was great in Kansas - cheaper and more room to park. But thrift store shopping was also great. In the one below, we saw that the bibles were free while you had to pay for the other books.

Architecturally speaking, the Bloch Building was pretty amazing. Both Casey and I decided we want to design a building like that in the future. The light in it was just amazing that we could not help posing for silhouettes in renderings. Also, channel glass is one of my favorite building materials.

 

Another cute little community center was the Nerman Museum of Contemporary art. That's a screen underneath the overhang.

Also, I am pretty sure this is the original AMC - the one they show before the movies start (where the little teenagers walk into!) Downtown KC, that's right.

I also have to mention the speed limits in Kansas (according to my post tradition) - they reach 70mph!!! Impressive! I tried to take a picture but I was going too fast!

 And to finish this post off... our new friends! We had a blast hanging out with Edward and Jake - they are just so shiny!