Dramatic Downtown Views

I was showing property to someone yesterday in Oak Cliff. He is a photographer. We began to talk about locations in The Cliff where it is possible to get dramatic views of downtown. I showed him my 3 personal favorites.

1. Commerce and the Levee. The City has put up an awning on the western Levee, just south of Commerce Street. The City did it to help people visualize the Trinity Project. I have always intended to stop but never have until yesterday. Good view (go figure). The photographer decided that for his purposes, from that perspective, fully 1/3rd of the view is consumed by the brown mass of jail buildings located at Commerce and Riverfront. He preferred the view from the Visitor Parking garage associated with the jail complex. It can be accessed from Riverfront. I have never gone into that parking garage, but the signage indicates that it is accessable to the public.

2. The Belmont Hotel. I don't know if there is any more scenic bit of real estate in Dallas. I know from experience that it is possible to ask the desk clerk to let you tour rooms until you find the one with the view that makes you happiest. http://www.belmontdallas.com/index.aspx There are two cheaper ways to enjoy the view. One is from the patio of the Belmont Bar. The other is to drive up along the bluff just north of the hotel. Both have great views of downtown. Interesting Preservation Tidbit. The Belmont was designed by Charles Dilbeck.

3. North-bound on Hampton Road as it crosses over I-30. It is obvious that it is possible to access the areas off-road, but getting there on foot is going to require some focus and determination as well as extreme caution. Dallas drivers don't expect to encounter foot traffic anywhere close to City Streets. Historic Tidbit. This bit of very high ground is the general neighborhood of the Utopian Colony, La Reunion. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/uel1.html