Lower Oak Lawn

A few months ago, driving down Lovers Lane, I spotted a sign in the window of StellaDallas. “Coming soon to the Dallas Design District,” the sign teased. Because I very much live inside my Lower Oak Lawn bubble, I rarely make time to visit the hip, home shops in the rest of the city. A shop as cute as StellaDallas just blocks away? I was beyond excited! My excitement has turned to sheer giddiness as now we’re now just a few short days away from its grand opening. (more…)

The Reliant Trinity River Wind Festival is back, filling the 146 W. Commerce St. viaduct (near the intersection of Riverfront Blvd. and W. Commerce) with hot air balloons, kites, music and more. All events are free and open to the public.

Here’s what you can expect this Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m.:

• Show kite teams from the Southwest
• Reliant Energy kite giveaway
• Reliant’s Smarter Home on Wheels
• Hot Air Balloons on display
• North Texas Hang/Para Gliders Association
• Kroger Kids Fun Zone with bounce houses, clowns and face painting
• Blackland Prairie Raptor Center birds
• Sprint Cellular Phone recycling center
• Dallas Zoo with birds and cool animals
• Wildflower Planting
• Ultimate frisbee
• Paper Plane Making Designs and Contests
• Free Dallas Wind Symphony Concert
• Food for purchase

You can download the full schedule of events here.

Don’t forget your kite!

Do you read D Magazine’s FrontRow blog? I have to admit, it’s one of my favs. This art-focused digest dishes up a daily dose of culture, reviewing the best of theater, museums, opera, film, dance, music and visual arts in Dallas.

While I don’t always agree with their critiques, I love how the authors keep me in the know about what’s new in the Dallas arts scene. I stay pretty on top of the visual arts happenings through my work in the Design District, but it’s fun to read about what’s going on in the performing arts.

An established FrontRow fan, I was pretty excited last November when they decided to take a leap from the virtual to the actual, hosting FrontRowLive, a culture-packed, art-filled party at the Dallas Contemporary. Hundreds of culture crazed enthusiasts turned out, and the event was such a success that they’re offering up seconds!

FrontRow Live will be hosted, once again, at the Dallas Contemporary in the Dallas Design District on May 31. Headlining performers are Portland electro-pop act STRFKR, French musician Onra and Austin-based DJ Ben Aqua.

The reasonably-priced $15 ticket includes music, food, free beverages, art and all sorts of other surprises. If last year’s event is any indication, the surprises might come as a shock to even the organizers!

Registration is now open at dmagazinefrontrowlive.eventbrite.com. I’ve been told tickets are selling quickly, so I recommend you scoop yours up ASAP.

Read more about this year’s event and get the latest on performers and artists as they’re announced at www.frontrow.dmagazine.com.

We don’t have many details yet, but the sign has gone up at 167 Turtle Creek Blvd. for Bowlounge, a new bowling, pool and games lounge that will have a full bar and live music. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook for updates — they should be coming soon!

Here are some of their latest tweets:

Mayor Mike Rawlings held a press conference on May 1, during which he declared his support for the Trinity Parkway, a 10-mile, 6-lane toll road extending along the Trinity River levee. Though the project has been largely ignored in the past few years due to lack of funding, the city has now outlined a feasible funding plan and, with the Mayor’s backing, the project will most likely become a reality.

Though the supporters of the toll road emphasize Dallas’ need for traffic congestion relief in the Downtown area, the Mayor’s decision has been met with much outrage from many vocal members of the community, expressing concerns that another toll road will prolong the urban sprawl of Dallas instead of encouraging the city center to become a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly community.

The Mayor attempted to touch on their concerns in his speech; he said, “Frankly, I don’t want to be L.A. covered in concrete and with the poor air quality. And on the other hand, as much as I love Austin, I don’t want to be that type of city with the major traffic gridlock they experience everyday just because they didn’t come to terms with the problems they faced…I don’t really love roads; I don’t think many of us do. But if done right, they can be a major catalyst for growth.” (more…)