A Glance at Where the Feds Used to Stock up the Gold, Profound Beneath Dallas

By: Marco A. Ayllon
Nautilus Famous Dallas City Entertainment News
March 31, 2009

Ever wondered what the abandoned vault beneath the old Federal Reserve Bank on 400 S. Akard Street looked like? Swell. Because HTML pioneer and blog-advice guru John Pozadzides took some folks from GeekBrief.tv on a tour, and, in return, they offer this video worth a look-see.


GeekBrief.TV #486 from Cali Lewis on Vimeo.

Last Night at SMU, Andrés Duany Took the Wrecking Ball to "The North Dallas Special"

Mayor Tom Leppert's introduction of renowned urban planner and architect Andrés Duany last night at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Ballroom on the SMU campus was less a please-welcome than a separate speech altogether. Full of pragmatic optimism and pride, and clad in his trademark pinstripes, the mayor insisted, "Not only is Dallas a player on the environmental front, but we're [in] a leadership position, and I can say that because of policies that have been put in place by the city of Dallas." Leppert went on to describe those policies, from Dallas's green building ordinance to its "very aggressive" recycling program, before, yet again, instructing the full house how to vote on May 9.

But after climbing down form his soapbox, the mayor handed over the stage to Duany, co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism and principal of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, which has gained international recognition for its urban planning work. "New Urbanism" is a multifaceted and, till recently, a somewhat obscure concept, but Duany outlined its basic points in a few words: diversity, connectivity and compactness, the last of which could describe Duany himself.

Small and energetic, what he lacked in physical stature he made up for in style and wit. Within two minutes, he had the audience laughing; within three, he was raining down fire and brimstone on one of the great barriers to the walkable, livable city -- suburban sprawl, exemplified by what Duany calls "the North Dallas special," by which he means the over-sized, treeless mansion of isolation that's cheap to build and far from the city center.

Cul-de-sacs of postwar McMansions, Duany said, are emblematic of the single-use suburbia in which residents must work in one place, shop in another and live in yet another -- and use cars and highways to shuffle between them. Such a model, he says, encourages "social segregation," in which uniformly priced subdivisions separated by walls, gates and automobiles preclude the kind of diversity that makes such cities as New York and Paris edgy and alive.

"We need diversity, and diversity is mixed-use," Duany said. "We need places that within walking distance you can shop, you can live, you can go to school, and you can work. Very little can occur, in terms of the foundation of a community, unless you can walk to things."

Duany has several development projects underway, from Houston and Galveston to North Richland Hills and the Legacy Town Center in North Dallas, so he's heard the old argument about walking: It's too hot to walk in Dallas.

"People walk in hotter places and in colder places [than Dallas]," Duany argued. "There are more walkable streets in four cities in Canada than the entire United States," he added, eliciting a chorus of sheepish laughs from the audience. "It's not the climate, it's the [city's] physical design."

But walkability doesn't come on its own, and it doesn't come just from "creating density," or smooshing buildings together until a city block is full. Rather, Duany insists, crafting a diverse and thriving city needs precise planning and conscious efforts to design incentives, like street life and a "sense of place," that will create real urbanism -- livability -- from density. The more sprawl ensconces people in cocoons of self-sufficiency and car-driving, the more it eliminates their interaction with others and with their environment.

According to Duany, what Dallas lacks "time and time and time again is sense of place. You have a pretty low quality of life, given your wealth."

That's a bitter pill, but the audience took it well.

Duany has the ability to be at once scathing and encouraging, hilarious and morbid. He calls the country's three-tiered crisis -- rising oil prices, a caving economy and global climate change -- "incredibly exciting," because there's just enough desperation to make people open to change. And so it should go with Dallas, in Duany's view.

"When you look upon your Dallas, your model is the neighborhood," Duany explains, illustrating his point with slides of quaint, tree-lined prewar American towns. "That's the human habitat. Nothing in your codes allows that."

So, then, what are we to do?

"Comb through your codes," Duany said. "Better yet, throw them out. They have suburban sprawl in mind. Incentivize the [new] code and let the old code wither. It'll be an historical and hilarious artifact."

AC /DC Preformed at A&A Center Dallas

Nautilus Famous Dallas City Entertainment News
January 23, 2009
By: Marco Ayllon
More than three decades into their career, AC/DC visited Dallas city American Airlines Center. They played classics such as: “Black and Black and Stay with me;” like electricity itself provided the world with an essential source of power and energy. This energy electrified American Airlines Center on January 23 as AC/DC plugged in their "Black Ice World Tour" into Dallas.
AC/DC's mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist -- no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. Combined with Bon Scott's larynx-shredding vocals, the band spawned countless imitators over the next two decades. AC/DC were formed in 1973 in Australia by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet Underground, collapsed (Young's band has no relation to the seminal American group).
With his younger brother Angus as lead guitarist, the band played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 15 years old at the time and his sister suggested that he should wear his school uniform on-stage; the look became the band's visual trademark. While still in Sydney, the original lineup featuring singer Dave Evans cut a single called "Can I Sit Next to You," with ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Malcolm and Angus' older brother) producing.
This worldwide tour - the band's first since 2001 - promotes "Black Ice", AC/DC latest studio album. The album's first single, "Rock 'N' Roll Train" was released to radio on August 28 and immediately went to No. 1 at Rock Radio. People drove from Oklahoma and from Houston so they cloud enjoy their favorite band. “It was an excellent show,” sated Erik Dipp from Mesquite TX. Tickets price started at: $85.00
http://www.acdc.com

New York Divine Performing Arts at Dallas

Nautilus Dallas Entertainment News
Dallas February 5, 2009
By: Marco A. Ayllon

On February 4, 2009 at the Eisemann Center, The New York based Divine Performing Arts got into the stage at Dallas City Richardson TX, with an innovative full orchestra, returned to the Dallas - Ft. Worth area for another spectacular, original show of Chinese dance and music. On this night its masterful choreography and graceful routines ranged from grand classical processions to ethnic and folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronized patterns. It was a fantastic night where state-of-the-art backdrops conjured up celestial palaces and blossoming landscapes, while a live orchestra combined the best of Chinese and Western compositions. Based on ancient heroic legends and modern courageous tales, Divine Performing Arts and its breathtaking beauty are not to be missed. www.DivinePerformingArts.org

Nautilus New Year Eve Celebration 2009

Nautilus Dallas Entertainment News
Dallas December 31, 2008
By: Grace Ayllon

Celebrating friendship, good partnership, and the best for the New 2009 Year’s; Dallas based Nautilus Information Systems and the hosts Ayllon family and fiends had a good time until 3:00 a.m. Wilma de laTorre said: “We had a superb New Years eve., I loved the Vinish Hour and at the end the bag to take home with Beagles and Cream Cheese and the 2009 new Dallas Morn4ing News.” It was at Capo Del Anno Novo and Dance the Night Away at the ICD. It was a time to ring out the old and ring in the new on December 31st at the Italian Club of Dallas (ICD) Clubhouse at the ICD’s first New Year’s Eve celebration! In a year filled with incredible activity, there had many stories and much laughter to share. I was a lovely gathering of 80 friends and family and prepared to indulge in a glass of Cristal and Viuve Clicot The Poghsadine champagne and a gourmet dinner with the Nautilus family in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Clubhouse. At ICD waiters served a delicious antipasti witch was awaiting for you when you walk through the door, but it was only a precursor to a main meal featuring the best of what the unbeatable team of Semira Pacifico and Chef Tommaso had to offer. When you couldn’t eat another bite, it was time to hit the dance floor to an excellent Jets Band and DJ spinning your favorite dance music, both old and new. As the New Year arrived, all gests ringed it in with champagne, roasted chestnuts, and the traditional Italian panettone. It was an enjoyable family a friend’s time, to not only look back on the highlights of 2008 but also to the hope and possibilities of 2009.

Dallas Hotel Named One of Preferred Hotels for the Tutankhamun And the Golden Age of the Pharaoh’s Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art

Nautilus Dallas Entertainment News
By Graciela J. Ayllon
Dallas, October 7, 2008

(NDEN)- Experience the world of King Tut at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel with an experience fit for a king. Enjoy a deluxe room, breakfast and V.I.P. tickets to the exclusive Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, allowing guests to skip the line-ups and see the exhibit any day or time, even if it is sold out.



Since opening in June 2005, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs has drawn nearly four million visitors. Opened in Dallas on October 3, 2008 at the Dallas Museum of Art, the exhibit provides insight into the life of Tutankhamun and other royals of the 18th Dynasty. All of the treasures in the exhibition are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old, offering glimpses of that evolving period. On display are fifty of Tutankhamun’s burial objects, including his royal diadem, the gold crown discovered encircling the head of his mummified body that he likely wore as king and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs. More than seventy additional objects from tombs of 18th Dynasty royals, as well as several non-royal individuals, are also exhibited.



The King Tut Dallas Hotel Package at the Renaissance Dallas includes:

• Deluxe overnight accommodation for two in a newly renovated guestroom

• Buffet breakfast for two in Charisma

• Valet parking

• Two V.I.P. tickets to the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs

• Rates from $179 - $299 per room, per night

• Valid through May 17, 2009



The Renaissance has completed a multi-million dollar Dallas hotel room renovation. The iconic hotel’s 518 new guest rooms dramatically redefine the elegance of the city’s business epicenter, which has long been anchored by the striking pink granite property.



The Renaissance Dallas Hotel’s renovation is part of a $2 billion global investment by the brand’s owners and franchisees. The Renaissance Dallas, Texas luxury hotel will continue through two additional phases, beginning with a dramatic rebirth of the dining and welcome areas, scheduled for completion in 2009. The hotel’s final renovation phase will increase and enhance its meeting capabilities, providing for a total of 50,000 square feet of upscale Dallas hotel meeting space. For more information, visit http://dallaslandmark.com.



For more information on the Dallas Museum of Art exhibit, visit http://dallasmuseumofart.org, and enjoy a hotel that is fit for a king!



About Renaissance Dallas Hotel

The award-winning Renaissance Dallas Hotel is centrally located in Market Center, near the city's top attractions, the West End Entertainment District, American Airlines Center, Convention Center and Dallas Love Field Airport. This exquisite Dallas family vacation hotel features remarkable architecture, spacious guest rooms, upscale amenities and breathtaking views of the city's skyline. Experience a Dallas, Texas hotel favorite, boasting well-appointed executive suites and club floor Dallas accommodations offering evening hors d’oeuvres delivered via room service, as well as elegant event facilities and high-tech meeting rooms. Inside this contemporary Dallas TX hotel, T-Bones Steakhouse and Grill serves guests delicious fresh seafood and Angus beef, grilled to perfection. The comfort and convenience of this Dallas Market Center hotel is ideal for both business and leisure travelers. It's everything you'd expect a luxury Dallas hotel to be, and more. Experience the Landmark Hotel of Dallas at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.



For more information or to make a reservation, call 800-228-9290 or visit http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/dalbr. For more information on the King Tut package, visit http://marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals.

State Fair of Texas opens, runs through Oct. 19

Nautilus Dallas Enterteinment News
By Graciela J. Ayllon
Dallas, October 7, 2008

Food. Football. Fun.

The State Fair of Texas opened Friday at Fair Park in Dallas. The annual expo runs daily through Oct. 19.

The Main Stage outdoor free entertainment venue includes Rodney Atkins on Oct. 3, Kellie Pickler on Oct. 5 and Jessica Simpson on Oct. 17. A.B. Quintanillla and the Kumbia King All Starz will perform Oct. 19.

A light show with the theme "Ignite Your Senses!" will feature high tech visual effects, fire and pyrotechnics each night.

Three college football matchups are scheduled at the Cotton Bowl.

Grambling State will face Prairie View A&M on Oct. 4. Oklahoma plays Texas on Oct. 11. It will be Texas A&M Commerce vs. East Central University of Ada, Okla., on Oct. 18.

One unusual food item to try is chicken fried bacon, dipped in batter and breading — then deep fried.

For More Info.:
On the Net:

http://www.bigtex.com