The day started very early. In an almost post Covid world not everything is back to normal. Air travel is up but it's been inconsistent and staffing has been a problem. This has resulted in significant delays at airport security. Unfortunately it's hard to predict when the delays happen so for leaving for my 6:00a flight it was a serious consideration to just go the evening before and sleep at the airport. I decided to gamble because I knew they close security overnight and I'd probably just be in the check-in counter area all night. All turned out well. I got there at 3:00a and the ticket counter had just opened. I was near the front of the line for security and no issues getting on my flight.
The flight I had chosen was booked about a month beforehand and was the cheapest I could find. It also happened to be a direct flight which isn't something I can usually take advantage of. I slept through most of the flight which helped me catch up on most of my lost sleep. The main issue I had was that with the time change and the early start I lost track of what time it was in both time zones so I wasn't really sure what meal I was supposed to eat and when. The other issue was the Dallas airport didn't have a clear taxi pick up area at least where I ended up. I managed to find a security guy who called a cab in for me.
It's Saturday and my conference starts on Monday. I like to add an extra day to work trips so I can explore whatever city I'm in. I tried to research Dallas but it's not really a tourism town and it's very spread out so most people drive. This meant I was going to have problems finding places to go as well as figuring out how to get there. My hotel was near a train station so I took the train downtown. The basic infrastructure was fine but it was not very clear on what train to take and it had a strong pee smell. It looked like most of the people riding were homeless. They had all their belongings with them and I think they were just trying to stay cool.
My first destination was the Ross Perot Museum of Nature and Science. The station I got off on was a bit sketchy. I had several people approach me for money and a few groups of people approach me from different directions asking about the camera I was holding. I don't usually worry about getting asked for money but it was a bit more aggressive then I was used to. I made it to the museum with no problems and bought a ticket for general entry as well as a ticket for a show on dinosaurs in the Antarctic.
The museum itself was quite nice with a good layout. The content was a bit different from what I would expect from a science museum. The dinosaur movie started with 5 minutes on the importance of 'energy' and the role of oil and coal in the creation of energy. The movie ended with a statement about the impact of volcanoes on global warming and a reminder that Antarctica was warm in the past and it was a great lush environment. I quickly realized this museum was going to have a different message then the ones I was used to in BC and California.
I decided to head back to my hotel before it got dark and hopped back on the train. I had trouble when I arrived figuring out where I was going as the only maps were 'simplified' views of the routes that didn't show an overview of what city I was going to. I ended up getting on a train that took a turn I wasn't expecting. By the time I figured it out I was in the middle of nowhere and the nearby houses were boarded up. I got off and spent the next 20 minutes telling people I didn't have any cash for them. I got asked by 6 different people. I did manage to get back to my hotel but hopefully my second day in Dallas goes a bit better.
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