your new weekend plan.

I know my weekend plans have just changed
(yours probably will, too!) after I found out about the Dallas City Arts Festival going on all weekend downtown. Free museum admission. Free food and wine. Free movies. Free shows. Could there be anymore DALLASights in one weekend?

Every Friday from now until July 18th, the Nasher Sculpture Center will host movies in the garden, playing relatively vintage films (Field of Dreams, anyone?). To make things even better, Nasher is showing The Wizard of Oz tonight for FREE to celebrate the art festival. The movie starts at 9pm, right after some garden entertainment from guitarist James Gabriano.

http://www.jamesgabriano.com/

His romantic music has a smooth Latin feel--great music to sway to as you watch the sunset. Listen to samples on his website for a taste!

If you would rather try some tequila or watch a melting pot of dance styles, you can grab a FREE yellow cab shuttle over to Pearl to watch local chefs in their element making you samples (sip on wine while you wait, of course)! Try not to sample too much tequila or you may find yourself dancing on the Dallas Dance Stage with ballerinas and cultural dancers (dancers will be from 6-9pm, a new performance every hour).

Saturday, there are even more activities to enjoy starting at 11am until 10pm. Once again, you can enjoy singing, dancing, art, and food. Many of the activities occur simultaneously, so take a look at the schedule to figure out your particular interest: http://dallascityarts.com/overview.htm. I suggest joining the 1pm historic stroll around the Arts District to learn more about the buildings and the future developments.

Inside the Dallas Museum of Art there is an interactive exhibit that you and your kids can enjoy! Children can spin an "inspiration" wheel and create art out of different media. Do not miss the busts made out of chocolate and soap! The artist actually licked (delicious or nauseating...I cant decide) her chocolate sculpture to create her features and she lathered the soap sculpture to mold it. It is pretty amazing to look at--and smell!

Did you know?
Upon completion, the Dallas Arts District will have more buildings designed by Pritzker prize winning architects in one contiguous location than anywhere else in the world. Now that's a DALLASight!

To end the night Saturday, try some 'creative cocktails' from Kirby's Steakhouse at 9pm. Saturday is going to be a long day...but save some energy for Sunday (and don't forget to bring dad!).

The Dallas City Arts Festival did not forget about Father's Day. At the Nasher Sculpture Center, kids can create handmade cards for the occasion from 11am to 3pm, maybe while dad enjoys some relaxing garden yoga at 11am (can you imagine?). Once again, Sunday offers all of the fun, free, festive activities that you can handle.


All weekend, museums will offer free admission to various exhibits, so check out this link (scroll to the last page) to see which ones: http://dallascityarts.com/Images/CA_2008_Sunday_Events.jpg

Enjoy this annual hot spot of DALLASights--it is going to be a sight to see!

daniel padilla.

Oak Cliff's Bishop Arts District is becoming my favorite area to explore. There are fun restaurants (have you tried Tillman's yet?) and endless collections of art in almost any door you walk in. There is one art gallery in particular located at the corner of Davis and Tyler Street that I find special.

Originally from Houston, Daniel Padilla wanted to find a more art-embracing city to embrace his work. After a year long search through New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, he found the Bishop Arts District of Dallas.

His gallery is filled with colorful canvases and wooden planks. His work is inspired by his love for music and adventures that screamed to be turned into art. Daniel was inspired to create a work called "Underwater Paradise" (pictured below) after seeing an unusually colored t-shirt. Daniel decided to apply the same colors to the wood--evoking an experience of scuba diving--the sand and water created spirals of color evident in the glossed wood.

Daniel said that he loves the spontaneity of his wood works. When he splatters a combination of water-based acrylics, oil paints, and thinners unto the wood pieces, Daniel sees unusual shapes taking form. The paint almost tells its own story.

In another wooden art piece, Daniel described the profile of a knight and another of an Indian princess that had been created unintentionally by the art process. I pointed out to him that I saw a young tiger face emerging out of the turquoise paint (you will have to go to the gallery to find your own hidden images).

The gallery also contains art that requires less imagination to develop the forms--full body portraits and amazing close-ups of faces. These large canvases are very detailed and completely different from the abstract work of the wood forms. There are abstract paintings that are very geometric and bold. The colors pop off the work and light up the gallery.

The large canvas portraits take a month or longer to complete while the mixed media on wood pieces are quick and spontaneous. Daniel likes to alternate his styles so that he has artistic freedom and flexibility.

DALLASight Down Low: Daniel Padilla found the perfect gallery to show his work...but the gallery also serves as his personal studio! You may catch Daniel working on his art behind the gallery. He is always around, so you will definitely get to meet him and ask more about his work and inspiration.

Fortunately, Daniel has support from his entire artistic family. You can find his sister's pottery, brother's paintings and jewelry, and his mother's paintings in his studio. The different styles fill the gallery but compliment each other well.

Go to Daniel's website to look at more of his art: http://www.danielpadilla.com/, but you really should go to the gallery to see the details of the work and meet the artist himself!

rustic roadhouse.

Just inside the bustling Bishop Arts District, you will find the heart of Oak Cliff: Tillman's Roadhouse. This local restaurant perfects every detail of the food, decorations, and the friendly atmosphere.

Thin chips in an over sized silver spoon start off the experience as a complimentary table-treat. Even though the chips were distracting, it was hard to miss the ornate decorations. Camouflaged within the wood paneled wall were a herd of wooden deer heads--the unusually tall booth back right underneath them adorned with over sized pillows.

The rustic appeal of the wood was offset by vintage pictures in all different frames. Even more contrasting were the elaborate chandeliers that lined the restaurant. The chandeliers looked so interesting in a rustic setting but further modernised the concrete floors and industrial ceilings.

The food was delicious. You have a choice of four side items with sandwichs--sweet potatoe fries (I couldn't resist), russet fries, chips, or fruit (but, come on, you have to get fries or chips here!). Every last detail was precious...the silverware was oversized and looked like silver wood. The ketchup was even different--it had a cinnamon twist.

To top all of that off...there is a hidden party room in the very back of Tillman's. It was gorgeous. The room was lined with branches from floor to ceiling and had peococks near one top corner. The room was very intimate, only two tiny wooden windows peered within. The chandelier in the middle was so unique: it had ribbon, metal, crystal, flowers, and more. It was stunning.

DALLASight Down Low: This intimate party room can be reserved for a maximum of 24 people and a minimum of 14 people. The chef personalizes the menu for the party: prices range from $44 a person to $65. Also, Tillman's is closed Sunday and Monday (what a shame!).

On your way--dont miss "Fuel City", the ranch of downtown Dallas! The view of longhorns grazing behind a gas station right next to Interstate 35 is quite a sight--it will definitely get you in the mood for the rustic nature of Tillman's Roadhouse!

www.tillmansroadhouse.com

one for one.

If you are looking for the perfect comfortable summer shoe to run to the grocery store in...well, you will need to run to the grocery store to get them.

This Thursday, Whole Foods at Preston and Forest has a fun event for all ages: decorating canvas shoes! The event is open from 3-7 to the public and is FREE (you have to buy the shoes, of course). The shoes are about $42 but for every pair you buy, a child in need will receive a pair.

Whole Foods has plain canvas shoes that you can decorate any way you would like. They have men's, women's, and children's shoes available. It would be a great Father's Day gift for a dad who needs to take off his dress shoes (or cowboy boots) and relax.

You can purchase these adorable shoes straight from the website or Tyler's, Whole Foods, or Whole Earth.

DALLASight Down Low: You can also go to the website and give these shoes as gifts to your friends or co-workers! You do not even have to know their size or their style to impress them. You can submit the amount you are willing to pay and send a cute e-card to them so that they can pick out their favorite pair! http://www.tomsshoes.com/

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DALLASight Sighting: Looks like Simpsomo enjoyed Grande Luxe and the Galleria yesterday!http://perezhilton.com/2008-06-09-sighting-195

view as a sniper.

Every Dallasite has been to the Sixth Floor Museum...it is our history. However, there is something fresh and new right at the very spot the sniper stood when he changed American history. The best part? You don't even have to leave home.

Yep--now you can stand where the sniper once stood. A webcam now gives Dallasites (not to mention the world) an exclusive look of all the views the sniper would have had from his perch. It is very interesting to check out and watch Dallas live.

http://www.earthcam.com/jfk/

You can also go to the museum to explore the temporary exhibit of Dallas home videos. It is interesting to see because Dallasites that captured the last moments of JFK also had footage of personal home movies on the same reel, giving special insight into the culture of Dallas at that time.

http://media.myfoxdfw.com/JFKvideo/

If you have never been to the Sixth Floor Museum, it is definitely a DALLASight must see. If you have gone many times like me, put yourself in the very spot that the sniper perched...maybe put some boxed up books around you for extra atmosphere.

mission for migas.

I am on a personal mission to find the best migas in Dallas. When I was in Austin, I went to Trudy's (a local Mexican restaurant) as often as people were not sick of Mexican food. I loved their migas...breakfast, lunch, dinner...it did not matter.

Since being back in Dallas, I have been on the hunt to find the perfect migas to replace my Austin obsession. So far, I have only tried two places: Ozona Grill & Blue Goose; and so far, I have not found my new Trudy's.

Ozona Grill off Greenville was definitely a fun atmosphere, but their migas were very dry. Blue Goose off lower Greenville had a great outdoor patio and their migas were better than Ozona's migas for sure. The only problem was the eggs were a little runny and they were not served with hashbrowns (hashbrowns are the perfect compliment to the migas).

So, so far I am a little disappointed but I am still on the hunt. If you know of a place with the perfect migas...let me know. If I find the Trudy's of Dallas--well, you can find me at that DALLASight.

fresh from the farm.

The summer heat is rising but there is nothing better than a juicy mango to cool things down. Raspberries have just arrived at the Farmer's Market this past week--they are delicious.

http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/

DALLASight Down Low: If you go to the market during the week, there will be less of a crowd and less farmers, but the same selection of produce. It is also fun to go during the weekend because there are more vendors (more farmers=more samples). Searching for parking may be difficult on the weekends, but I found a great lot that is practically empty and right next to the market. Park on Taylor Street & Central--it is directly behind the vendors.

The Farmer's Market, located off Pearl Street, offers all the fruit and veggies that you crave...and if you want to try giving farming in the city a try, you can buy your own plants! Dont forget that you CAN negotiate prices and you CAN mix and match fruit if they are both offered as "2 for $3" . Have fun, bring cash, bring your dog, and bring a tote to carry your food!

Did you know?
The Dallas Farmer's Market is the largest farmer's market in the nation. Over 1 million Dallasites enjoy the local produce each year.

Order one of these cute bags that turns into a small ball when not in use! http://www.flipandtumble.com/