Dallas is one of those cities you forget about … or, should I say, that I forgot about.  Last time I was in town was 2001 … and I didn’t do any sightseeing whatsoever.  Last weekend, I more than made up for it … while eating my way through the city.

Dallas has a long, illustrious past.  For the longest time, the entire city felt immense remorse … like they were somehow responsible for the assassination of JFK in 1963.  Then, of course, the city had a renaissance in the ‘80’s thanks to the immensely popular TV show “Dallas” starring Larry Hagman.

And while I didn’t see Larry Hagman while I was in town, I did make a pilgrimage to the 6^th Floor Book Depository.  I saw the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald forever changed the nation.  It’s been turned in to a user-friendly museum where you walk through a timeline of the day’s events on November 22^nd.   I simultaneously had goose bumps while the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up the entire time I was in there.

I visited Dallas to see my good friend Ron Corning, who I met way back in 1994 in St. Louis, uh, when we were both in our teens.  He’s had a meteoric rise to fame as an anchorman (both local and national), and just landed a sweet gig at WFAA-TV.  I hadn’t been in his car for more than five minutes when I spotted a gigantic billboard with his mug on it.  Before I had a chance to comment on it, I spotted his pearly whites beaming from the side of a bus driving beside us.  “You’re kind of a big deal,” I laughed.  The always-humble Ron said, “Nah, it’s just my welcome to the city.”  You’ll notice that they’re playing up the “Corning in the Morning” tagline … which is both memorable and humorous.

The weather could not have been more gorgeous the entire weekend.  After a summer of squelching 100+ degree days in the Lone Star State, the temperatures have finally settled down.  Mother Nature must have known about my aversion to sweating.

Because I make a friend wherever I go, I wasn’t at a loss when trying to dazzle Ron’s friends.  They like to eat as much as I do, mercifully.  I met his friend, Lisa, an entrepreneur who sells her Liscaro scarves and hair-wares on QVC.  And we also had brunch with another gal pal of his, Courtney Kerr who is the resident southern belle on Bravo’s “Most Eligible Dallas”.  Sheesh — Ron’s been in town ten minutes and he’s already A-list.

I also got the chance to hang with my dear friend Jen Colella, who I haven’t seen since we traipsed around Rome in 2000.  She spent the weekend hanging out with us boys … and seemed to acclimate quite well.  Well, that and we all went to go see Blondie in concert and shook our groove thang all night.  Jen was a professional dancer for years, so I had to step it up a notch or two … or ten.  I nearly threw out my hip trying to keep up with her.  Happens.

Would I move to Dallas?  Yes, in a heartbeat … but only between the months of September-May.  I can’t take 70+ days of 100 degree heat.  I don’t think any human can … save for the 5.5 million folks who live there.  All y’all are crazy.