Guide to Dallas, Texas

Dallas_Texas_02

There are two things I love dearly: Champagne & Texas. So it was a joy when Veuve Clicquot asked me to do an Instagram takeover guide to Dallas this past weekend! As if going back home could get any sweeter…

Below are the images in the series they edited down to their 5 favorites but here are a few of my other must see, eat, play places!:

Shopping

Forty Five Ten– A new luxury boutique offering designer clothes and home decor in a historic building surrounded with Texas live oaks with its own cafe.

Neiman Marcus– The historic flagship luxury retailer store opened originally in downtown Dallas in 1907 and still stands to this day with the chic Zodiac restaurant.

Grange Hall– A new and lavish shop that boasts and exquisite collection of home décor, jewelry, handbags, apothecary and other opulent oddities with a floral shop and gorgeous restaurant.

Cocktails

Five Sixty Reunion Tower– See in the above image. This chic and glamorous restaurant and bar by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck sits high atop Dallas in the Reunion Tower, a famous spherical piece of architecture iconic to the Dallas skyline.

Midnight Rambler– An underground craft cocktail salon located in the hip Joule Hotel in the heart of downtown Dallas.

Bowen House– Set in a historic house in Dallas’s cosmopolitan Uptown neighborhood, this charming and cozy watering hole serves craft cocktails and Texas bites.

Activities 

Nasher Sculpture Center– Located in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the Nasher is one of my favorite art museums to take in modern and contemporary sculptures, especially in their curated gardens.

Dallas Arboretum Botanical Garden– I grew up visiting this tranquil and beautiful 66-acre botanical garden with historic structures and sweeping views of White Rock Lake.

Dallas Farmer Market- A Texas-sized sprawling daily market with a focus on seasonal produce, local farms, speciality foods, honey and beds of flowers all for purchase.

The Rustic– Kick up your boots and listen to live Texas music on the patio under string lights at The Rustic in the heart of Dallas, featuring a bar stocked full of Texas made beers and liquors and farm to table eats.

EAT

Bolsa– A cool Bishop Arts District spot in a historic building known as Settles Garage with local seasonal food and amazing flatbreads.

Pecan Lodge– Texas BBQ joint located in Deep Ellum serves up classic comfort with a variety of smoked meats, sides and desserts served on no-frills metal trays, a true southern experience.

El Come Taco– Don’t let the location in a strip mall fool you- this small, loval and hip counter-service taqueria offers the best Mexican fare famous for their street tacos and breakfast tortas.


Dallas_Texas_03

Above~ Have champagne, will travel. The perfect backpack for both, by Buscemi

Below~ Attending Veuve Clicquot’s kick-off dinner at the Hotel Zaza starting a nationwide journey for the Champagne house in a silk satin dress by Kaelen & Schutz heels.

Dallas_Texas_04 Continue reading “Guide to Dallas, Texas”

24 Hours in Dallas / Fort Worth

24 hours in my home town and at my parents house in the country, I became a part of the car culture as I commuted between Fort Worth and Dallas on my day’s errands and social engagements. This is my first set with the 24 hours series that was experienced with car travel and what I’ve learned in comparison with the other cities I’ve photographed is that you miss so much life when you zoom by at 70mph. I always ask myself “why do I love living in New York?” and through this project I’ve come to realize that I like being open to new experiences. When you walk from one destination to the next you have to experience the sounds, smells, weather, locals and events that you hadn’t planned on happening around you. In Cape Cod when I went for a walk down to the ocean’s edge I came across some local fishermen and we talked for about an hour on the business of being seamen accompanied by fascinating stories. If I had driven I would have missed that conversation and richness to a local culture.

To me, this set of 24 hours is very different because it consists of moments of destinations premeditated with broken time intervals where I commuted in the car which breaks up the narrative of the day. However, that is what this series is for — to compare the different cultures, landscapes, people and experiences of time spent in diverse cities to better understand how we live and how we choose to live in the future. 

24 Hours in is a series where I capture an honest portrayal of a place through my experience and what I see within 24 hours shared in 24 frames. All images taken with my Hasselblad 500c and black & white Tri-X 400 film.