One of the best things in Dallas is the fact that they have the M-Line Trolley! Best of all, it’s FREE to ride! You can ride it all around Uptown Dallas with 38 stops all throughout and it even runs on Sundays and Holidays! There are restaurants and bars all along McKinney Avenue and other parts of Uptown that you can enjoy.
M-Line Trolley in Uptown Dallas. Photo by: Manny Garcia.
One place the sloth went to in Uptown was called Three Sheets. It’s a two-story restaurant and bar usually open for dinner. It has a balcony upstairs to enjoy your drink or food in and it also has a huge patio with a large TV showing sports or anything major going on. The sloth went on a Sunday morning to enjoy a classic chicken and waffles brunch and here it is!
Yummy chicken and waffles at Three Sheets Uptown. Photo by: Manny Garcia.
You can finish off with a tasty desert drink at Sip Stir Cafe. It’s a cute little cafe where you can go study or hang out with friends; the possibilities are endless. You can have a cappuccino, cinnamon roll, cookies, a smoothie, cake, muffins, so many options! The best thing is that you can ride the trolley all around to get to these fabulous places. See you in Uptown!
Sip Stir Cafe in Uptown Dallas. Photo by: Manny Garcia.
The Hilton Anatole in Downtown Dallas is having its annual Christmas celebration called Sparkle! It includes an indoor skating rink, over 1.2 million lights, light shows, slides, velcro jump walls, storytime, marionette shows, bounce houses, food trucks, arts and crafts, live entertainment, origami, and so many other things to do!
The sloth is very excited about Sparkle! because it looks very colorful, festive, and fun with so many events in one. There are different things to do on certain days including karaoke, dog costume contests, yoga, bingo. Also, appearances from the Dallas Zoo, the Turtle Creek Chorale, and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Check the calendar of events to decide what you want to see most and get your tickets! Sparkle! is in business from now until January 4th.
Tickets can be purchased here for $19.95 plus tax for the Sparkle! event or you can purchase discount packages including the event, parking, and room accommodations on their website!
Dallas is home to a large district appropriately called the Dallas Arts District. It is made up of about 3.3 miles of different establishments, approximately 32 that participate in the Art Walk. Many of the participants allow free public access so as long as the place is open, you can go in and explore. That helps so much, especially since we are so close to the holidays! You can enjoy the Art Walk on a random afternoon when you can’t think of anything else to do. You can take a tourist friend out there to enjoy what the Dallas Arts District has to offer or even go on a lovely date there.
The Dallas Museum of Art is located in the center of the district and has FREE general admission! The museum is home to two stories of art from around the world and different time periods. You can also go to a certain section where you can test out your own art skills and create your own masterpieces (also free).
Another establishment is the Nasher Sculpture Center where you can go enjoy some more art, but expect to see some interesting yet almost otherworldly sculptures here. The admission is FREE every first Saturday of the month; other than that, entry is $10 (or $5 with student ID). You can also enjoy or freak out with the headless statues in the large outdoor section of the museum.
These are just a couple of things you can (and should) check out in the Dallas Arts District, whether you are a local, visiting, or just want to explore the city. This is one of the sloth’s favorite places to enjoy and when he has visitors, it is usually the first place he takes them. The best thing about the Art Walk is that it is self-guided and most things are free. So enjoy this big great city and prepare to be amazed! Have fun!
The Cosmic Café is quite the extraordinary place because as you’re walking in, you feel like if you are in another country. The decor in the room is all Indian themed with Vishnu and Ganesh statues along with other deities to greet you throughout the establishment. The building is two stories and you’re free to walk around the upstairs where they have poetry readings, meditation rooms, and scheduled yoga sessions.
There is only one word to describe the food: divine. Okay, so there are a ton of words you could use to describe the delicious fusions of vegetarian goodness. Yes, it is a vegetarian restaurant, but they have a plethora of delicacies. You can start with hummus and freshly baked nan bread or a warm tomato soup. Then enjoy a scrumptious Indian pizza, vegetable medley, or even spinach enchiladas. Finish off with a fresh smoothie or nan bread with an exciting mixture of sweet deliciousness.
This sloth is not a vegetarian, but the Cosmic Café sure would make it easy to be one. What makes this place so great? The food? Yes. The atmosphere? Yes. The meditation, the yoga, and poetry? Yes! It is definitely a place you should check out and enjoy. See you there!
Hi everyone! My name is Evan and I am actually TheInformativeSloth’s brother (adopted obviously) and he let me borrow his blog for this week. I was researching on comparing TheInformativeSloth’s blog to other blogs and Twitter handles that may relate to each other. I used Twiangulate to compare TheInformativeSloth’s Twitter to a local Dallasite by the Twitter handle New Gal In The City. Using Twiangulate, I discovered some supernodes that TheInformativeSloth could network with. (You’re welcome, bro.)
A supernode I discovered was Dallas Foodie on Twitter. She posts about local eateries everyday and has over 12,000 followers. She also has a blog where she writes extensive reviews on the restaurants she goes to with what to eat and what not to eat. That supernode led me to another one; Joseph C Wylie who is the writer for one of the blogs that TheInformativeSloth is following called ILiveInDallas. He posts on Twitter about concerts that come to the area so he is very centered on the music entertainment industry. Of course, the blog posts about festivals, restaurants, and bars in the area so it is very useful to the sloth.
All in all, the supernodes will help the sloth come up with ideas to write about so that his readers will have great places to check out in the area. I’m very excited to see what else TheInformativeSloth has to say and hope you all enjoy his suggestions! TheInformativeSloth will be back next week.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on November 2nd to honor their deceased loved ones. The Bishop Arts District is having its First Annual Dia De Los Muertos celebration filled with live music, poetry readings called Calaveras, Mexican street food, and art on display by local artists. The Bishop Arts District is a new up-and-coming neighborhood filled with restaurants and shops to go to. It is one of the trendiest parts of town with art all over the place where people can just walk around and take it all in or stop in to have a drink. The sloth is very intrigued by this event because there have been many Day of the Dead celebrations all over the country (and Mexico of course). Since the district is so new, it makes the event that much more exciting! The event takes place on November 2nd from 6 – 10 pm; it is FREE and all ages are welcome! See you there!
He said it before and he’ll say it again; the month of October is the best month because it is so festive! There are tons of activities that go on, not just trick or treating. There is the annual Halloween Block Party that takes place on Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs in Dallas. It is always on the Saturday right before Halloween; this year it is on Saturday, October 25th. It is the largest block party in the area and it goes from 7 pm – 2 am. The clubs get wild too! This spot is also known as “The Gayborhood,” but people of all sexualities go and show their best costumes and just party the night away. Best of all, it’s FREE!
2014 Halloween Block Party ad from www.facebook.com/s4dallas
The costumes that people wear are everything! A lot of people make their own so they are very unique and not found in your average Party City; ie: The Informative Sloth was Amy Winehouse one year. Yes, that happened. The contest is hosted and judged by local drag queens, so you know they are going to have witty comments and truly appreciate the costumes that had a lot of thought and effort. The Dallas Voice posted a link of some snapshots from the 2012 Halloween Block Party. (WARNING: may be NSFW). The Dallas Observer also posted a link to some photos, but these are some that they considered the Best Costumes from the Halloween Block Party in 2013 (WARNING: also may be NSFW). Though some of the photos may be risqué, all ages are welcome at the event, (but not at the clubs. All clubs are 21+ on the night of the block party.) These are just glimpses of the creativity that people come up with at this exciting event that you do not want to miss!
The clubs! Oh My Sloth, the clubs! Again, all of them are 21+ that night, but everybody is so hyped up from being out in the street seeing everyone, taking photos with random strangers, and dancing with each other. “The Strip,” another word for the Gayborhood, is lined up with clubs on both sides of the streets with different music. Station 4 plays EDM and Top 40 remixes on two floors with a lounge, The Rose Room with live drag shows, multiple bars throughout, and a courtyard where you can just hang out and meet new friends. J.R.’s is more like a bar playing Top 40s, but it also has two floors and a patio where you can overlook the street and enjoy your beer while you watch. The Round-Up Saloon has a large dance floor where you can get down to Top Country Hits, a karaoke bar where you can let loose and sing your heart out, and a back patio where you can just chill and enjoy the fresh air. Of course these aren’t the only clubs on the strip, you also have Sue Ellen’s, TMC, and Woodys. The users on Yelp have reviewed these clubs saying just how awesome they can be. The Informative Sloth guarantees you will enjoy yourself at the block party. So many people to meet, dance with, and stare at!See you there!
Tis the season… for haunted houses! Halloween is The Informative Sloth’s favorite time of year! With the month of October, many haunted houses seem to pop up and terrify the masses. Lucky for you, Fort Worth, Texas is home to the Guinness World Record for The World’s Longest Walk-through Haunted House. Only 30 minutes away from Downtown Dallas, it is located in an abandoned meat packing factory in the historic part of Fort Worth called, “Hell’s Half Acre.” You get the feeling that you are in the middle of nowhere and you should definitely not be walking by yourself, at least in the middle of the night. The Informative Sloth is about to take you out for a scary fun night!
Hauntworld.com gave a review describing the terrors that go on inside Cutting Edge. Hauntworld is a very reputable website that reviews haunted houses all over the United States. Cutting Edge is consistently in the top 5 of their list and for good reason. They describe their experience as “having witnessed the difference between a haunted house that makes people’s hearts pound for five minutes and a haunted house that resonates under the skin for days, one thing is clear. Cutting Edge has spent the past 20 years making people’s nightmares feel like a reality and will undoubtedly spend the next 20 years making people’s realities feel like a nightmare.” With the actors scaring you at every twist and turn, heart-pounding music, phenomenal sets, the sloth would have to agree 100% with the words Hauntworld has given Cutting Edge. As soon as you arrive, you are greeted by a demon on the roof throwing up the sign of the horns (bottom left photo) with search lights so you know you have arrived. Demons and psycho killers chase you around with chainsaws as you wait to enter the record breaking haunted house. As soon as you enter, you are surrounded by fog and total darkness until you reach the spinning walls that make you want to panic and collapse. You move on into a room, really a long pitch black hallway where someone (or something) can pop out and scare you. The frightening part is that sometimes nobody comes out and you’re left wondering if something is watching you. You also go through a room full of terrifying lifelike corpses which gets you thinking, “are those really fake bodies?!” The house has three sections with different themes to haunt you, a maze that is sure to disorient you, and the worst foam room to finish the experience. Going through the foam room, you might even feel like you are never going to get out of it. When the sloth went through that room, he nearly suffered a panic attack because he felt like it went on forever and it really does get hard to breathe in it so it’s like you really are trapped. It also has overwhelming and almost hallucinatory music being played through an old-fashioned record player that is stuck on repeat. It is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. Sometimes, you can even hear other people screaming for help that feel like they are trapped inside this insane establishment. The entire experience is very mind-altering even for people with the strongest wills. Citysearch.com lists Cutting Edge as one of the best haunted houses being recognized by the Wall Street Journal, Fangoria Magazine, and USA Travel Guide, among others. It also allows people to comment on their experience and not one of the reviews was negative. KTXD-TV sent reporter Don Wall to Cutting Edge, the following video shows you a glimpse of what to look forward to.
The Informative Sloth has warned you, Cutting Edge is the scariest haunted house he has ever been to and you will be so glad it is right in your backyard. If you are ready to have the most fun being scared, Cutting Edge is the place to go to get your screaming on. Click here to purchase tickets online!
TheInformativeSloth 