We have recently had a guest staying at the Bailey’s Uptown Inn who has a family member at Baylor Hospital.  She has been with us for over 6 weeks.  She started me thinking.  We are located just 1.7 miles from Baylor.  We should see if there are other families out there who don’t want to stay at a hotel, they want to stay someplace more like home.  We offer a special rate for family and friends of Baylor patients.  Call now – (214) 720-2258 or email info@baileysuptowninn.com.

One of the advantages is that once you learn the route from Bailey’s Uptown Inn to Baylor (which is displayed below), you really don’t have to learn your way around Dallas because you can walk to just about anything in Uptown.  In Uptown you can walk to restaurants, drug store, grocery, shopping, dry cleaning, hair salons, all without getting in your car.

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If you’re looking for something to do this weekend and you live in Dallas, or you’re staying at Bailey’s Uptown Inn, take a look at our suggestions.

The Fatal West End Haunted House
If you’re in the mood for a Halloween-y outing, and aren’t too much of a scaredy-cat, head over to the West End for Dallas’s most terrifying haunted house. The House is laid out over two subterranean floors of one of Dallas’s oldest buildings, and one that many locals claim is haunted, to boot. There’s no phony plywood here: all the creaking floorboards are real. The Fatal End also boasts some of the best-trained actors of any haunted house in the country. Tickets are $25 at the door.

Hitchcock-tober
The Angelika Film Center will be showing the classic Hitchcock thriller “Psycho” this Thursday, October 27, for free. The movie will be shown on the theater’s patio, so you’ll also get to enjoy the fresh fall weather. The event’s organizers suggest bringing blankets for picnic-style seating. The Film Center itself, which is located in Mockingbird Station, also features a full bar, so enjoy a drink while you watch this suspenseful classic.

Paul Simon
Paul Simon is playing at the Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie on Friday, October 28, at 8:00 P.M. Simon is a world-renowned musician who has won twelve Grammy awards in his lifetime. Originally part of a duo with Art Garfunkel, Simon now tours solo, but still plays many of the hits from him Simon & Garfunkel days. Some of Simon’s most famous tunes are “The Sound of Silence,” “Kodachrome,” and my personal favorite, “You Can Call Me Al.” Ticket prices vary, but they usually begin around $20 for decent seats and max out at around $100 for front-row.  The theater isn’t close to Uptown, but for Paul Simon I will rive 20 minutes.

My pick for the best American inspired menu was actually a suggestion from one of our regular guests at Bailey’s Uptown Inn. He reminded me of this great little place in Deep Ellum, which is less than a mile from Bailey’s, called Local. I haven’t been there in a while but when I went back to look at the menu I made a reservation.  Deep Ellum isn’t what it used to be but this place is worth the trip.

The decor is modern yet inviting.  There are multiple rooms which keeps the noise under control and makes it feel cozy.  It is definitely a special occasion place but the food and attention to detail are both excellent. As the name implies, the focus of the restaurant is to bring fresh local ingredients that change with the seasons.

The first thing that comes to the table is a small dish of warm spicy nuts and a sample of the soup, two small bites but both were enough to whet your appetite for more. For an appetizer we had the fried green beans, which are crispy and surprisingly light. They come with a delectable garlic sauce.

For the main course I had the hazelnut mustard crusted halibut. I love nuts and mustard, together they were unbeatable and it was perfectly cooked. My husband had the burger basket and he didn’t leave a bite behind. It wasn’t just your basic burger. It was juicy and paired with caramelized onions, horse radish for a bit of spice and the original panko crusted tator tots.

The portions are small, but for me that is a good thing because I can try lots without feeling miserable at the end of the meal. Especially because the highlight for me is always dessert. This place had an excellent chocolate trio, a must for any chocolate lover. The trio includes a mini chocolate milk shake, small chewy chocolate brownie cookie and small chocolate souffle. Do I need to say more?

See what the folks at Yelp say.

Located at 2936 Elm Street.

My favorite new restaurant in Uptown is Nosh Euro Bistro.  I have tried many things on the menu and everything is delicious.  Some of the things I like:

• Meatballs will literally melt in your mouth.  They are a meal.
• Avner’s mother’s salad is light and fresh and not too filling.  It’s not heavy like so many salads where you feel like you shouldn’t have ordered an entrée.
• Roasted red and yellow beets  with goat cheese – what a great combination
• Grilled Ahi tuna – the portion was the perfect size and it was so delicious with the pickled red onions
• Grilled beef tenderloin with cheddar potatoes – this is not your normal Texas sized portion, it is just right so you don’t feel bad when you eat every single bite, and you will.

Nosh takes reservations and they have a unique chef’s counter where you can dine and watch the kitchen all at the same time.  I love the atmosphere, the food and the service.  You absolutely can’t go wrong.

Unlike most places close to Uptown there is actually plenty of parking. Additional parking is available in the back.

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If you are looking for something to do in Uptown this weekend, look no further.  These things are all close to Bailey’s Uptown Inn if you’re staying with us in Dallas this weekend.
Theater
Duets is a series of duets, but spoken not sung. Performed by just two actors, one male and one female, Peter Quilter has structured the comedy into four short plays. In Theater Three’s basement production, Carol Farabee Blackwood and Terry Dobson play all of the characters. The stories include a middle aged couple who met through a magazine, a woman with a crush on her gay boss, a couple planning a vacation to celebrate their divorce and a sister and brother just days before one of them remarries. The play was written as an homage to Neil Simon and explores the lighter side of relationships and romance. The show is at 8:00 p.m both Friday and Saturday and the tickets sell for $25 to $30.

Museums & Music
“Til Midnight at the Nasher - The Nasher Sculpture Center will be staying open late this Friday, September 16th, so bring a blanket and plan to enjoy the cooler weather in the outdoor sculpture garden. Live 80, a band that covers all the hits from the 80′s will perform live from 7 PM to 9 PM followed by the classic movie Footloose. In addition to the movie and band line-up, ‘til Midnight also features al fresco dining by Wolfgang Puck Catering and gallery tours. Admission for adults is $10. Seniors get in for $7.
Music
Austin’s own Explosions in the Sky will be performing Friday at the Annette Strauss Square, an open air park in the downtown area. Think of rock instruments – guitar, bass and drums – used to create sort of a cross between alternative and movie soundtrack. In fact this band wrote and performed much of the music in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights, which tells the story of the players and coach of a small town Texas football team. The show starts at 8 PM and the tickets sell for $25 to $35.

Here are a few things going down in Uptown this weekend near Bailey’s Uptown Inn.

1) Dallas Arts District Architecture Walking Tour – Get to Downtown on Saturday for a 90-minute walking tour of the new Arts District area. You’ll be guided through the architecture of buildings dated from the 1890s to present day. These mid-morning tours are an inexpensive way to see the heart of the city.

2) Also on Saturday is the Bishop Arts Saturday Market. Just across the Trinity River, the Bishop Arts is a quiet little pocket of Dallas that has lots of charm. This market event is held in the historic Bishop Arts District and has vendors from all over the Metroplex. Be sure to bring an appetite, too. There are lots of restaurants surrounding the event.

3) Chinasaurs – If you need a way to beat the heat that’s still lingering around Dallas, check out the Museum of Nature and Science’s exhibit called “Chinasaurs.” In its final days at the museum, this is an exciting exhibit showing several dinosaurs found in ancient China. This is a great exhibit for families and singles alike!

4) Another fun thing to do with the family is to go see Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka the the Artisan Center Theater. See the candy man in action and relive your favorite songs and scenes from the book and/or movie. Oompa Loompas will also make an appearance. Tickets are available for Saturday only, so be sure to reserve your seat!

5) Watch the Big Game – If you’re a fan of football, you’re sure to enjoy LSU v. Oregon on Saturday at Cowboys’ Stadium. Can’t find tickets? That’s ok. With several neighborhood bars and pubs just around Bailey’s Uptown Inn, you’ll still be able to catch the game. Most bars, restaurants and pubs around the Uptown area have big screen TVs where you can belly up to watch every minute of the game.

6.) Hamlisch plays Hamlisch: music fans should definitely head to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 3 to see Marvin Hamlisch, one of the most highly-decorated contemporary American composers, conduct some of his most famous and popular music. Hamlisch’s work has earned him four Grammys, three Oscars, two Golden Globes, five Emmys, a Tony, and a Pulitzer. Hamlisch composed music for such films as The Way We Were, The Sting, Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer, Three Men and a Baby, Ice Castles, Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Save the Tiger, and, most recently, The Informant. Hamlisch also holds the position of principal pops conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and San Diego Symphony. Tickets are $100. The show begins at 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, Sept. 3.

7.)Wild Oats: Uptown’s theater-in-the-round, Theater Three, is putting on Wild Oats in honor of James McLure, a Texas playwright who graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in the 1970s and went on to national fame. McLure is perhaps most famous for his plays Lone Star, Pvt. Wars, and Laundry and Bourbon. He wrote about the South and Texas in particular. Wild Oats is an adaptation of an 18^th century play by the same name by the Englishman John O’Keefe. The events of the original farce are transported to Mulshoe, Texas. The play follows a colonel who, upon discovering that his brother has left a fortune to his niece, tries to help his own son inherit some of the wealth. Farce ensues. Tickets are $50 on Friday, Sept. 2, at 8:00 P.M.

A dry cleaner is pretty much a dry cleaner.

That being said, Bibbentucker’s is the most conveniently located for people staying at Bailey’s Uptown Inn. They’re a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. They’re fast and reliable, will do minor repairs and even deliver, free of charge. They are located at 3501-E McKinney Avenue, at the corner of Mckinney Avenue and Lemmon Avenue.

Customers generally find the service pleasant and helpful according to yelp.

If you’re looking for something cheaper, try Comet One Hour Dry Cleaners & Laundry.  They are located at 2900 Lemmon Avenue.  They don’t deliver, but they will have your laundry finished in an hour, and they’re less expensive than Bibbentucker’s.  Here’s what the folks at yelp say.

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Here are a few things happening in Uptown, just a stones throw from Bailey’s Uptown Inn.

1) Jewish Arts Festival – Head to the Morton H. Meyer Symphony Center on Sunday, August 28, for the Jewish Arts Festival. The festival, which is sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of Dallas, is returning for its 13th year after a two-year hiatus. The event will include an arts and crafts exhibition and sale, which features traditional Jewish crafts as well as artwork by local and internationally recognized Jewish artists. The festival will also feature stand-up comedy by Elon Gold, who has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Chelsea Lately, as well as musical artists Joshua Nelson and Rick Recht. Nelson is a self-proclaimed “Kosher Gospel” singer, while Recht performs “Jewish rock.” The festival is catered and kosher. Admission is $15 for adults.

2) Wet – Wet is an exhibition at the Turner Carroll Gallery that takes water as its inspiration. In light of this summer’s exhausting heat, looking at pictures of water inside might be safer than actually swimming in it. The exhibition features three artists: the painter Eric Zener from California, and the painter Conrad Kern and sculptor Geno Miles, both from New Mexico. The gallery, which is attached to and owned by the Hotel ZaZa, is open seven days a week from ten ‘til six and admission is free. Stop by the ZaZa’s Dragonfly bar after visiting the gallery for a trendy drink. The gallery is located just down McKinney Ave. from Bailey’s.

3) Twilight Safaris – The Dallas Zoo is one of the best in the Southwest. Head over there on Friday or Saturday after 7:00 PM for Twilight Safaris. If you’ve ever wondered what zoo animals get up to after the zoo closes (hint: they don’t talk), then this tour is for you . Twilight Safaris are offered beginning in the late summer each year and run through the fall. Because Dallas has been so abnormally hot this summer, going to the zoo after the sun sets is really the only way to go. The tour will take you through most of the animals, and you’ll even get to see some of the education animals up-close. Groups are allowed to range from 4 to 40 people, and each group tour costs $20 per person. The safaris end at 10 PM. Getting to the zoo from Uptown will require a rental car or taxi.

4) The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato – Some things are best left buried. Other things are best dug up and put on display. The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato purports to fall into the latter category, but you’ll have to actually check out the exhibit to decide if that’s true. Scientists are not sure why 1 in 100 bodies buried in the Mexican city of Guanajuato naturally mummify, but they do, as cemetery workers discovered (much to their surprise, I am sure) in 1865. The exhibit features 36 mummies, ranging in age from newborns to the elderly. Forensic scientists have performed thorough examinations of each mummy, and have presented theories about who they were and how they died. The exhibit also delves into the Mexican culture’s relationship with death and funerary customs. The exhibit is located in the West End, a ten minute car ride from Bailey’s. Tickets are $15 per person.

S&D Oyster Company

The S&D Oyster Company is located right across McKinney Ave. from Bailey’s Uptown Inn. It has been in the same spot for nearly thirty years, so that should tell you something about its staying power.

S&D offers a “New Orleans” style seafood experience, with the main focus being oysters (of course), shrimp, catfish, crawfish, etc. My personal favorite is the BBQ Shrimp, which, because of its popularity, is only available until they run out each day. And be sure to try S&D’s cole slaw, made with plenty of paprika. If you’re an oyster fan (I’m not), they offer them on the half-shell or fried, and your server will make your oyster sauce to your specifications at your table.

Speaking of service, the same staff has been at this place for as long as I’ve been going there. S&D has some of the best service anywhere in Uptown. Meals typically run around $20 per person.

It is located at 2701 McKinney Ave.

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Check out their entry on Yelp for more information.

Here are a few of our suggestions for what to do in Uptown this weekend.   All of these things are walking distance from Bailey’s Uptown Inn.

Live Music

1) Uptown Jazz Dallas Live at House of Blues – If you’re a jazz fan, we recommend you head over to the House of Blues on August 19 for Uptown Jazz Dallas Live, an all-night jazz concert sponsored by Uptown Jazz Dallas, coordinators of the upcoming Uptown Jazz Dallas International Jazz Festival. The night’s headliner will be the Quamon Fowler Quartet. The event will showcase not only jazz but also soul, reggae, funk, salsa, and fusion. The doors open at 9:30 PM. Tickets cost $10 at the door. The House of Blues is located about one and a half miles from Bailey’s Uptown Inn, so we recommend a taxi or car to stay out of the heat.

Cultural

‘til Midnight at the Nasher – The Nasher Sculpture Center, which usually closes early, will stay open until midnight on Friday, August 19 for live music and a movie. Guests are invited to bring a blanket and sit in the outdoor sculpture garden to watch the sun set over downtown Dallas. The Roof Raisers, a popular party/wedding band in Dallas, will perform live from 7 PM to 9 PM. At 9, the Nasher will show Up, the recent heartwarming hit from Pixar Animated Studios. Admission for adults is $10. Seniors get in for $7, students for $5, and children 12 and under for free.

Crow Collection After Dark: the Mystical Arts of Tibet – A gang of rather unique out-of-town artists will be taking up residency in Dallas for a week starting Friday, August 19. These artists are Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. The monks will spend their week in Dallas creating a “sand painting.” Sand painting is the art of pouring colored sand and powdered pigments onto a surface to create an image. The Drepung monks will spend a week creating a massive sand painting as a form of spiritual exercise. To celebrate, the Crow Collection is hosting an opening night party, which begins at 6 PM and continues until midnight. Activities will include singing and meditation and there’s free bubble tea, too. Admission is also free.

 Live Theater

Victor/Victoria – the Uptown Players are putting on the stage-adapted version of the Hollywood classic Victor/Victoria for three nights beginning on Friday, August 19. Victor/Victoria is the story of a soprano who pretends to be a transvestite in a Paris nightclub act to make ends meet. A Chicago mobster falls for the mysterious performer and drama ensues. Cheryl Denson will direct, with Ashley Puckett Gonzalez as the title character. Also starring are Paul Taylor and Shane Peterman. The show will be put on in the Kalita Humphreys Theater, one of only three surviving theaters designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Shows are at 8 PM on Friday and Saturday and 2 PM on Sunday. Tickets range from $30 to $40.