When the connection between the Trinity Mills Station of the DART light rail and the new service to Lewisville, Lake Dallas, Corinth and downtown Denton opened up, the service used the old BUDD-made rail cars. The ones that you see in movies in Chicago and New York are that BUDD made type. Last week, it was time to ride the new sleek European-style cars and they were super nice! The immediate difference that was noticed was the quiet ride and how smooth it was. Yes, the cars did rock like any train does, but that was at the bottom of the 'fix it' list if there were to be one.
The arrival at the downtown station was obviously the same, but walking the two blocks up the hill to court house square went well this time. The last time, my surgery was fairly new and my strength was not fully recovered. Plus, it was in the middle of summer and the heat and humidity didn't help. But, had I decided that I didn't want to repeat that physical strain again, there were plenty of bus routes this time that service the rail station. Most of the bus routes pass through court house square.
When up town, a walk around the square was an architectural tour. It is amazing how much history is in that square. The 1896 court house is a masterpiece. Texas, like many other states, have amazing county seats that are architectural wonders. One thing that weighs heavy on my mind is seeing a sign that says,"closing sale" and "closing after 54 years". Locals would know that it is the Ethan Allen Furniture Store. Others see it as another store closing with people out of jobs. Several years ago some one ask me if I thought the economy was getting better. My response was that as long as stores are closing and laying off workers, numbering in the hundreds, are still happening the economy isn't as well as it looks. And to enforce that Sears Holding announced this week that they would be closing 78 more stores; 68 K-Mart stores and 10 Sears stores.
Lunch was had at a sidewalk table at Cartwright's. The sizzler and platter of thick fries was a delight that carried me through the rest of the day. My waitress was so nice and took care of my table service very,very well. Some would say that good service is reserved for the locals, but that was not to be found at all. She really impressed me in a small town kind of way, which is the type of service I was looking for when I chose Cartwright's. So, the next time I make a trip to Denton to the Jazz Festival or what every event interest me or my editors, Cartwright's is where I will dine!
When I got to the bottom of the hill on the return, a fast-moving Union Pacific freight train came sailing through town. It's been many years since I have seen a freight train at that speed through town, although I know that there are little towns that see it daily. I grew up in a small town where trains came 'tearing down the pike' like this one. It brought back a flood of memories. One guy was filming a video of the train. My camera was still out of the case and I got a couple of shots , too.
All-in-all, it was a long day on the road. I used public transportation from my door step end-to-end and it was fun. I had been complaining to my doctor that my legs just didn't have the strength that they did once. Well, I found muscles that I hadn't
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| Downtown Denton Station for the "A" Train |
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| Ethan Allen Closing after 54 years in Denton |
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| Union Pacific tears through the crossing. |
used in months, obviously, because I am still working out the soreness in the calves of my legs from the walking and climbing the hill.
