Downtown Dallas

is a suburban mom's nightmare of a city. Some of downtown is really old, and you can tell that people used to walk around those parts. Some of downtown is really new, where people are supposed to walk but don't. All things of intermediate age heed the dominance of the auto. Most buildings, whether for cars or for people, look like they were designed by a 3 year old with a pencil, a ruler, and an obsessive compulsion for RIGHT ANGLES. Everything is not congruous. It is here by accident. Outside I hear a street sweeper and many buses. But this is still one of those second-rate cities where only poor people are supposed to ride the buses. There is a strange, tomblike charm here, waiting to be explored. However, it would probably serve the world better if downtown Dallas grew up.