Monday, August 06, 2007
Dallas Ramble - Day 3
Sorry for the long delay. Day 3 was spend entirely in Dallas. The only motorcycle riding was in-city commuting.
I woke and dressed for breakfast with a my friend Kevin. We planned to meet at a local breakfast place. I arrived first and secured a table. We enjoyed an okay breakfast and good conversation. After of breakfast Kevin headed off for work and errands I went in search of an auto parts store for a replacement taillight bulb.
The first auto parts store I visited (on the way back to the hotel) did not have the needed bulb. When I asked about an alternate, nearby auto parts store, the employee suggested two other parts stores (same chain), both of which were not very convenient. I decided I probably find something closer and continued my ride back to the hotel. Probably two blocks (versus several miles for the suggested alternates) I found another parts store. This parts store had the needed bulb which I replaced quickly after removing the two screws that hold on the brake light lsns.
I continued on to the hotel. I only had a short time before heading off for my scheduled lunch meeting. This was at one of my favorite restaurants, Corner Bakery, this location on Coit Rd. I enjoyed the a good lunch and conversation with my lunch partner.
After lunch, I rode up the street and decided to have my haircut at a regular hair styling salon when in Dallas. This is one of the chains but has generally done a reasonable job for a reasonable price. Haircut accomplished I rode back to the hotel. The weather so far had been mostly cloudy.
On my way I stopped and spend some time in a Borders Bookstore (I had a discount coupon) and purchased a new book. I also visited Nordstrom Rack. I have found some great shoe deals here in the past. Upon return to the hotel, I decided to go for a run. I have a regular 2.5-3 mile loop I generally run from the hotel. This run a one large square that runs from my hotel along Preston Rd (mostly commercial but with good sidewalk and few street or entrance crossings) and then along a major residential artery. I was feeling good and wanted a longer run so I ran two loops (5-6 miles).
After returning from my run, i showered and then noodled on computer for awhile and did some reading. For some reason (possibly because it is one of my favorite restaurants) I still felt like Corner Bakery for dinner. I visited a different Corner Bakery (on Preston Rd) for dinner. Here, my thing is to get a iced tea from the Starbucks (next door) and then walk over to the Corner Bakery> I just like the tea at Starbucks better than the Corner Bakery. This is no negative on Corner as the tea there is okay and the food is excellent. While at Starbucks I saw and spoke to old friend (motorcycling acquaintance) for a short while. My dinner at Corner Bakery was great as usual. After eating my dinner I walked over to the REI (outdoor sporting goods) which is across Preston Rd from the Corner Bakery and Starbucks. REI is a neat store which is a little different because the entire company is a Co-op. The employees are generally very nice and friendly. I didn't find anything I just had to have. It was now around 9:00pm. I walked back across the street and hung out in the Starbucks for a little while reading a book and people watching. Soon I headed towards the hotel, gassed up, and arrived back to go to sleep.
Corner Bakery (Preston Rd)
Starbucks (Barnes & Noble) from Corner Bakery parking lot
A couple of random thoughts:
1. The suburbs of Dallas are somewhat like a big city. You can tend to hang out in a small area. My longtime stomping grounds is around Plano Pkwy and Preston Road. There are many restuarants and stores within a mile of here.
2. The traffic in the area is pretty heavy no matter what time of day. During rush hours it can be almost overwhelming.
3. The Corner Bakery area (near Preston and Park Avenue) is super convenient and and comfortable place to hang out. This little strip mall has a great combination Barnes and Noble/Starbucks, the aforementioned Corner Bakery, and a Whole Foods market almost next door.
4. Another good (at least from a money-savings perspective) thing about motorcycle vacationing is that you have limited room to carry things. This factors into any discretionary purchasing and has me foregoing some of those shopping purchases of things I might like but don't really need.
5. The burned out taillight bulb reminded me that besides being a little self-sufficient, a motorcycle you travel on should be serviceable. Specifically, I note that a lot of motorcyclist modify their directional and regular lights. It was really convenient that I could replace the burned out taillight bulb with a commonly available part.
I woke and dressed for breakfast with a my friend Kevin. We planned to meet at a local breakfast place. I arrived first and secured a table. We enjoyed an okay breakfast and good conversation. After of breakfast Kevin headed off for work and errands I went in search of an auto parts store for a replacement taillight bulb.
The first auto parts store I visited (on the way back to the hotel) did not have the needed bulb. When I asked about an alternate, nearby auto parts store, the employee suggested two other parts stores (same chain), both of which were not very convenient. I decided I probably find something closer and continued my ride back to the hotel. Probably two blocks (versus several miles for the suggested alternates) I found another parts store. This parts store had the needed bulb which I replaced quickly after removing the two screws that hold on the brake light lsns.
I continued on to the hotel. I only had a short time before heading off for my scheduled lunch meeting. This was at one of my favorite restaurants, Corner Bakery, this location on Coit Rd. I enjoyed the a good lunch and conversation with my lunch partner.
After lunch, I rode up the street and decided to have my haircut at a regular hair styling salon when in Dallas. This is one of the chains but has generally done a reasonable job for a reasonable price. Haircut accomplished I rode back to the hotel. The weather so far had been mostly cloudy.
On my way I stopped and spend some time in a Borders Bookstore (I had a discount coupon) and purchased a new book. I also visited Nordstrom Rack. I have found some great shoe deals here in the past. Upon return to the hotel, I decided to go for a run. I have a regular 2.5-3 mile loop I generally run from the hotel. This run a one large square that runs from my hotel along Preston Rd (mostly commercial but with good sidewalk and few street or entrance crossings) and then along a major residential artery. I was feeling good and wanted a longer run so I ran two loops (5-6 miles).
After returning from my run, i showered and then noodled on computer for awhile and did some reading. For some reason (possibly because it is one of my favorite restaurants) I still felt like Corner Bakery for dinner. I visited a different Corner Bakery (on Preston Rd) for dinner. Here, my thing is to get a iced tea from the Starbucks (next door) and then walk over to the Corner Bakery> I just like the tea at Starbucks better than the Corner Bakery. This is no negative on Corner as the tea there is okay and the food is excellent. While at Starbucks I saw and spoke to old friend (motorcycling acquaintance) for a short while. My dinner at Corner Bakery was great as usual. After eating my dinner I walked over to the REI (outdoor sporting goods) which is across Preston Rd from the Corner Bakery and Starbucks. REI is a neat store which is a little different because the entire company is a Co-op. The employees are generally very nice and friendly. I didn't find anything I just had to have. It was now around 9:00pm. I walked back across the street and hung out in the Starbucks for a little while reading a book and people watching. Soon I headed towards the hotel, gassed up, and arrived back to go to sleep.
Corner Bakery (Preston Rd)
Starbucks (Barnes & Noble) from Corner Bakery parking lot
A couple of random thoughts:
1. The suburbs of Dallas are somewhat like a big city. You can tend to hang out in a small area. My longtime stomping grounds is around Plano Pkwy and Preston Road. There are many restuarants and stores within a mile of here.
2. The traffic in the area is pretty heavy no matter what time of day. During rush hours it can be almost overwhelming.
3. The Corner Bakery area (near Preston and Park Avenue) is super convenient and and comfortable place to hang out. This little strip mall has a great combination Barnes and Noble/Starbucks, the aforementioned Corner Bakery, and a Whole Foods market almost next door.
4. Another good (at least from a money-savings perspective) thing about motorcycle vacationing is that you have limited room to carry things. This factors into any discretionary purchasing and has me foregoing some of those shopping purchases of things I might like but don't really need.
5. The burned out taillight bulb reminded me that besides being a little self-sufficient, a motorcycle you travel on should be serviceable. Specifically, I note that a lot of motorcyclist modify their directional and regular lights. It was really convenient that I could replace the burned out taillight bulb with a commonly available part.
