We have planned an excursion to Dallas on the Trinity Railway Express next Thursday, November 11th. Once in Dallas, we'll ride the DART trains to St. Paul Station and then walk three blocks to the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). Here are the details:

Our TRE train will depart from T&P Station at 8:27am and arrive at Union Station in Dallas at 9:26. We'll meet in the tunnel under the tracks at T&P Station at about 8:00am, which will give us time to coax tickets from the ticket machines ($2.00 for us older folks - two one-dollar bills will make it a quick and easy transaction). Keep the ticket with you, as you will need to produce it if asked by TRE or DART personnel during the day. The ticket is good for riding the trains all day. Then we go up to the platform (there is an elevator) and board the train. The best place for us to ride is the upper level in the eastern-most car (that's the car with a restroom). If you are joining us from St. Alban in Arlington, then you may wish to join the train at Richland Hills (8:41am), Hurst/Bell (8:47am), or Centreport/DFW Airport (8:55am); you'll find us in the front car of the train.

The easiest driving directions to T&P Station: be heading north on Main Street from the corner of Rosedale & Main. Then turn left on Vickery and take an immediate right into the TRE parking lot under I-30. Access to the tunnel under the tracks is at the northwest corner of the parking lot. There should be ample parking, since the lot has been expanded considerably in recent years. Carpooling is advised nonetheless. If you do find the parking lot full, I recommend going back to Main Street and driving around to the Lancaster Street side of T&P Station. There are a number of parking possibilities there.

The return trip. We plan on returning on the TRE train that leaves Union Station at 1:50pm and arrives at T&P Station at 2:48. There are plenty of later trains that depart Union Station at 3:20, 3:50, 4:20, 4:40, 4:55, etc., etc. for those who wish to remain in Dallas longer. In order to make the 1:50 train, we'll need to meet in front of the DMA at 1:00pm. This will allow for a leisurely walk back to St. Paul Station and then taking the next Red or Blue DART train back to Union Station. The DART trains run every 10 minutes at that time of day, and the ride is 10 minutes (3 stops).

The restrooms in the tunnel under the T&P Station are usually pretty clean, as are the restrooms on the TRE train itself. I do not recommend the restrooms at Union Station. All of the museums have excellent facilities.

In addition to the fun of riding the train, here is why we're going. The DMA currently has a special exhibit which has received excellent reviews - "The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy." Also, the DMA's permanent collection is worth the trip. You can read more at www.dallasmuseumofart.org and www.themourners.org. The Nasher Sculpture Center is across the street from the DMA; its current special exhibit is entitled "Revelation: The Art of James Magee." (www.nashersculpturecenter.org) Also across the street (and free): The Crow Collection of Asian Art (www.crowcollection.com), with two special exhibits which sound very interesting: "Tibet: The Land Closest to the Sky, Photography by Marc Riboud" and "Black Current: Mexican Responses to Japanese Art, 17th-19th Centuries."

A quick lunch is available in the DMA's Atrium Cafe, and the Nasher also serves lunch (for a slightly higher price). There is a Starbucks in the same building as the Crow Collection.