Part 1 of a series
My version of the Texas
Two-Step is a little different than the version you might expect to see on any
dance floor in the Lone Star State. For me, the stars in this western
partner dance are two Texas cities that meld together as one. Just
15-minutes apart, Irving and Dallas are so intertwined that part of the
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport lies inside the city limits of Irving.
The
Las Colinas flower clock is a landmark that takes its inspiration from those prevalent in some
of Europe's magnificent gardens. The clock welcomes visitors as they
approach Las Colinas, Irving’s premier planned development community. The
clock's flowers are changed every three months to ensure that the display
retains the vibrant character for which it is famous.
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| LAS COLINAS FLOWER CLOCK |
The Four Seasons Resort and
Club Dallas at Las Colinas served as my home away from home in Irving.
Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, the hotel radiates the relaxed warmth of
a sophisticated urban hotel, yet it offers the resort amenities of a private
country club.
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| WELCOME TO THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND CLUB |
The hotel’s TPC Four Seasons
Las Colinas is an 18-hole, par-70 course that is home to the AT&T Byron
Nelson PGA Tour annual event. On the 18-hole, par 71 Cottonwood Valley Golf
course, the number one signature hole's green, designed by Robert Trent Jones
Jr., is in the shape of Texas (with a bunker in the shape of Oklahoma and a
lake resembling the Gulf of Mexico.
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| TPC FOUR SEASONS LAS COLINAS GOLF COURSE |
The Well & Being Spa at
Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas is an innovative fusion of
spa and wellness, play and purpose, insight and indulgence. And indulged
I was. After 4-days of hard-core touring, on my last day at the hotel, I
booked a Blues Be Gone Massage. This heavenly ritual began with a
steaming Blue Eucalyptus Inhalation and was followed by a Ginger Root Bath
& Body Oil Massage and some mystical acupressure techniques.
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| SOAK IN THE WHIRLPOOL BEFORE A MASSAGE |
The Mandalay Canal and
Walkway, one level below the street, is a charming part of Las Colinas
where the world slows down to an easy pace. Waterfowl swim in the winding
canal and rays of sun create interesting patterns along a cobbled, tree-lined
path. A leisurely stroll along the old-world-style walkway offers a
peaceful respite from the stress of modern day living. If you hunger for
a taste of Italy, you can board one of the Venetian-style mahogany gondolas
that navigate along the canal. Larger waterbuses offer service on the
canal’s adjacent Lake Carolyn.
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| GONDOLA RIDE ON THE MANDALAY CANAL |
At Williams Square, in The
Urban Center at the heart of Las Colinas, is the worlds’ largest equestrian
sculpture, The Mustangs of Las Colinas. Nowhere in the world is there a
sculpture that comes close to the free-spirited bronzes that appear to be
snorting through flared nostrils, as they splash through a stream of water in
the midst of a granite office complex in urbanized Irving, Texas. A
concealed fountain spray system suggests the splashing of water around the
horses’ hooves as they cross midstream. These nine larger than life-size
horses pay tribute to the heritage of Texas…not only the geographical Texas, but
also a Texas personified by free-spirited individuals and
entrepreneurs.
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| THE MUSTANGS OF LAS COLINAS |
Switching from bronze to
marble, Irving's “Five Marble Cows” sculpture, located at the top of Bluebonnet
Hill, stands as a memory of the Las Colinas ranchlands that were once a
predominant feature of the area. The monument features five marble cows
designed and sculpted by the late artist Harold Fooshee Clayton. Clayton named
the cows Lucy, Margaret, Ruth, Elsa, and Annette. They are all made of Italian
marble, stone, and black Spanish marble.
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| MARBLE COWS GRAZE ATOP BLUEBONNET HILL |
Now, let’s switch from
marble to music. The Texas Musicians Museum recently relocated downtown in a
former Toyota dealership. The museum, with an extensive music memorabilia
collection, honors musicians and features stage clothes from artists such as
the Dixie Chicks, Willie Nelson, Hank Thompson, Janis Joplin, Roy Orbison and
Barbara Mandrell. Willie Nelson, Hank Thompson, and Janis Joplin were
among the original inaugural inductees at the museum’s first (Hillsboro)
location in 2008.
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WILLIE NELSON WAS AN ORIGINAL INDUCTEE AT THE TEXAS MUSICIANS MUSEUM |
Irving’s National Scouting
Museum is the official museum of the Boy
Scouts of America. The Museum is home to more than 600,000 artifacts
detailing the history of the Scouting movement. It includes unique neckerchief
slides, items from each national jamboree, awards, discontinued merit badges,
and complete uniforms from across the decades. Norman Rockwell’s first job as
an artist was working for the Boy Scouts of America. The National Scouting
Museum has the largest Scouting-related Rockwell collection in the world. The collection
includes 48 original Rockwell paintings as well as 11 studies and
drawings.
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| COLLECTION OF NORMAN ROCKWELL’S AT THE NATIONAL SCOUTING MUSEUM |
Irving, Texas…Dallas’
high-spirited neighbor just a short distance from “The Big D”…is a bedroom
community that woke up after the Dallas Cowboys called it home 1971. It
is a vibrant community that exudes the spirit and vitality that is Texas.
JANET STEINBERG is an
award-winning Travel Writer/Editor and International Travel Consultant with THE
TRAVEL AUTHORITY in Mariemont, Ohio
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