But first: A long winded spiel on Texas.

After leaving New Orleans we had a late dinner in Lafayette, Louisiana, heart of Cajun country. We drove into the night through Shreveport, and overnighted at a cheap motel about 125 miles outside Dallas. I always make an effort to dine at local places, but one chain I like, (perhaps because there are few where I live), is Waffle House. The restaurants are small and cramped, and the counter and booths wrap around the open kitchen allowing you to see all the action as it happens. Good prices, greasy food, and endless coffee. Perfect for a week on the road away from the gym.

The ranches and open lands of east Texas funnel into the metropolis of Dallas. I had been to Dallas briefly before for work and had checked out downtown at night. I thought it would be interesting to see Daely Plaza and Elm Street again, where President John F. Kennedy was shot. Having had our fill on museums the past week, we passed on the 6th Floor Museum, and just walked around downtown in the perfect sunny weather.

We wandered over to Reunion Tower which is attached to the Hyatt Regency. The observatory atop Reunion Tower is in dire need of an extreme makeover. Peeling conference tables and filthy carpet greet you after a muffled futuristic female voice in the elevators meekly announces you’ve arrive. We peeked in the restaurant one level above, which was in nicer shape. For two bucks it’s a deal and a good look at the skyline, but only if you have nothing better to do.

I had heard the Mockingbird Station area of Dallas was a nice walkable area and had some local restaurants, so we drove up there from downtown, and had a lunch of crab cakes at the Hurricane Grill on Greenville Avenue. During lunch I reviewed the Dallas Observer, the weekly alternative newspaper, but the only interesting thing we could find on a Friday night was Dustin Diamond, (Screech from Saved by the Bell), doing standup somewhere in Fort Worth. We considered this a sign, and headed north to Oklahoma City.

Only 200 miles from Dallas, Oklahoma City was larger that I expected. We passed through the suburb of Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. We visited some bars near Bricktown, an area on the east side of downtown featuring bars, clubs, and nice restaurants.

The Oklahoma City Memorial is a few blocks north of downtown on a small hill, and is home to the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed by domestic terrorism on April 19, 1995. This event in history is far overshadowed by September 11, but for this medium size city on the plains, far from New York, it’s still a vivid memory more than a decade later. The memorial features a large rectangular reflecting pool, and 168 bronze and stone chairs representing an empty chair for each of the 168 people who were killed by the blast.