This is the second weekend that I have made the trip to Fair Park to check on the trains and to see the transformation that occurs in preparation for the State Fair. I'd like to see Big Tex in place before the fair starts but not holding my breath.
There was some activity at the train location where the Museum was before the shift to Frisco. There was a fair amount of people who seem to be doing the same thing. I talked with a lady that was there yesterday and was back today taking pictures. It was pointed out yesterday that the Big Boy will probably not move until after the fair is over in October.That does not surprise me one bit. The logistics of such a move was much more than anticipated. The Santa Fe Engine 48 is being used to move pieces around in the cramped yard so it's going to be at the tail end of the move as well, one would guess.
The prize of the day was finding the Chinese Lantern Festival crew taking up one full section of the parking lot at gate 5 assembling the large displays. Another photographer that I run into now and then and at locations were I shoot as well was there shooting the same lanterns.
From Fair Park it was up Exposition to Main Street and a trip through Deep Ellum before entering downtown. I love the eclectic atmosphere of Deep Ellum. There are really two Deep Ellums. One by day----the other by night. The one by day is my favorite because you find so many interesting things. One discovery that I made and been wanting to shoot for a while was the new Las Vegas-style neon sign. There are several meters but only one parking meter outside the landmark venue for rock groups to perform. It was open and I parked, put my two dimes in for 24-minutes, walked down to Good Latimer at Main and got my shot. Then, it was a walk back toward the bar to where you could see downtown Dallas from that part of Main Street to put it all in perspective.
Traveling down Main thru the heart of downtown to Griffin, it gave me a chance to see the new deck park that covers 5-acres of Woodall Rogers Expressway and is scheduled to open in October. It really is the much needed mental bridge between downtown and Uptown Dallas. There were a lot of people in downtown and mass had just let out at the Cathedral in the Arts District.The sidewalk vendors all had lines of hungry and thirsty church-goers. The City's new performing arts center for smaller groups had a lot of traffic going in and out of the building. It's just amazing what that stretch of Flora Street houses today. The arts district is truely unsurpassed anywhere! New York Theater Companys are stunned by what they see in the Arts District and rave about the technology and planning.
Here are a few more shots from today.
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Neon For Deep Ellum. This is at Good Latimer and Main Street. |
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Chinese Lantern Festival is being assenbled at Fair Park. |