[caption id="attachment_53107" align="aligncenter" width="670"] Northaven Trail (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)[/caption] Return to Trail Main Page We live in a virtual park desert. While southern Dallas is studded with green space every few blocks, as shown on the map , our neighborhood has only a small splattering of pocket parks — not much to write home about. This could be because many of the city’s parks were funded during a large push for public gathering places in the early 1900s, years before Preston Hollow was incorporated into Dallas in 1945. It wasn’t until the Northaven Trail opened in 2012 that our neighborhood became walkable. Considered a critical part of the city’s east-west trail connection, the $10 million needed to build the first stretch of the trail from Preston Road to Valleydale Drive was covered by bond funds. The city’s 2008 plan to connect dozens of city trails and parks hinged on Northaven and was bolstered by the ease of acquiring trail access via an easement already secured by Oncor. [quote align="right" color="#46b6d5"] My Park Day Get your hands dirty during this Oct. 1 work day to enhance and enjoy the trail. The day also includes bubble soccer, yoga, rescue dogs and the Hamburger Man. Get the details at northaventrail.org . [/quote] But that was just the beginning. Plans to expand Northaven were in the works before the first section was even built, heading west to the Walnut Hill/Denton DART station and east to link into the White Rock Creek and Cottonwood trails . Both of those expansions are now underway, thanks largely to financial contributions from Dallas County, which has been using roadway dollars on trail projects ever since the majority of its territory became incorporated into cities. “[The county] said if the city comes up with the money, we’ll match it,” says Preston Hollow councilman and longtime trail supporter Lee Kleinman. While the eastern expansion will add just one mile to the trail, at $14 million, it will be the costliest section to build. That’s because it involves a bridge over a major highway, one that is being designed by the Texas Department of Transportation, with funding split between the city and county. [caption id="attachment_53235" align="alignleft" width="300"] Click to see a larger Northaven Trail map at happytrailsdallas.com/trail-maps (Map courtesy of the City of Dallas)[/caption] “There’s probably an outside shot we could see [the eastern expansion] completed by the end of 2018,” Kleinman says optimistically. Currently determined cyclists can take the muddy makeshift path under I-75, but soon there will be safe passage over the freeway. The trail will not only offer a straight shot to White Rock Lake but also will stitch into a patchwork of other trails offering access to nearly any part of the city. To the West, the $8 million expansion will add 6.25 miles of trail from Preston Road to the Walnut Hill/Denton DART station. Currently, the city plans to break ground next year with the trail completed some time in 2018. Eventually, dependent on funding, the western edge of the trail could link into the Elm Fork Trail at the Moneygram Soccer Park, which connects to the Campion Trail in Irving that loops through a variety of scenic parks. Another proposed, but unfunded, addition would expand the Elm Fork Trail to connect into the Trinity River Greenbelt, with its myriad trails and natural beauty. As far as city projects go, Northaven Trail is an example of one of the most seamlessly built and funded, largely because it had widespread neighborhood and city council support. The demand for walkability is evident in local development discussions, as more people prefer to have the option to walk or bike. “We’re trying to make the streets more accessible to all users,” Kleinman says. “If we can get people walking or biking more, it helps our transportation system.” [caption id="attachment_53106" align="aligncenter" width="690"] Northaven Trail (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)[/caption]

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“Everything here is a story,” Hedda Gioia Dowd says of her salon de soufflé Rise No. 1 in Inwood Village. That’s because everything inside this restaurant has had a former life, like the wine bottles repurposed as drinking glasses and the vintage linen on the tables. “Everything here from the mud on the walls to the flatware to the doors is recycled,” Dowd says. And everything is made with local ingredients, something inspired by her childhood summers in France, where she would spend time making soufflés with her grandmother, who always cooked with whatever was in season at the farmers market. “There’s a natural marriage between food and art — when they blend, it adds to the overall sensory of your meal.” For that reason, Dowd serves her soufflés on works of art, literally: All of the plates used at Rise No. 1 are handmade, locally of course, by art students at Brookhaven Community College. “It gives [students] an opportunity to practice their expertise,” she explains. And in return, students are treated to a luncheon at Rise No. 1. Every semester, Dowd gives each art class a project based on the restaurant’s needs. Students spend the semester creating handmade bowls, creamers, bread plates and sauce dispensers — leaving their handprint or fingerprint on each piece they create. Most customers don’t know that all of Rise No. 1’s dishware is local art, but once they find out, Dowd says, it’s always deeply appreciated. “Visitors are absolutely moved.” So moved, in fact, that some even purchase a ceramic piece to take home, which retails at the store for about $40 to $100. “Everyone feels something when they come in and leave with something individual — it’s very meaningful.” For more information about Rise No. 1, visit risesouffle.com . For more information about Brookhaven Community College’s art program, visit brookhavencollege.edu/instruction/bcsa/art .

OurAdmin, Author at Preston Hollow

Q: Digital edition: August 2012

Click here to read the July edition of the Preston Hollow Advocate.

Q: Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant banned from NorthPark

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the apparently unfounded rumo r that gangs were hanging out at NorthPark Center. Now, the DMN and WFAA-Channel 8 are reporting that Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant and a few friends were issued criminal trespass warnings Saturday after their pants apparently sagged well below their waistbands and they became belligerent when asked by an off-duty Dallas police officer to pull the pants up. According to the DMN report , Bryant had a few earlier run-ins at NorthPark, and on Saturday used profanity and refused to leave when asked. As a result, Bryant apparently has been banned from NorthPark for an undetermined period of time (WFAA suggests three months).

Q: Advocate radio: grocery store dining

We love lunch. But sometimes there's just not a lot of time for it. Luckily we have some grocery stores and markets around here that offer good hot lunches sans the hassle and high prices that often accompany dining out. LISTEN HERE

Q: Advocate radio: dream talk

Have a dream? We do (and some weird ones). In fact we sat around for an hour after this 10-minute podcast discussing them. Fortunately the School of Metaphysics and its dream experts reside right here in the neighborhood. This week Jenny Turkyilmaz, a student in dream interpretation, analyzes our dreams, and she can do the same for you. This weekend, the School of Metaphysics, located in East Dallas, is offering a dream hotline: Friday, April 23-Sunday, April 25 beginning at 6 p.m. Call 214.821.5406 or 417.345.8411 to find out what your dream means. It's not $6 a minute, either—it's free. What a steal. We’d also like to hear more about your dreams for an upcoming Back Talk series; email us at chughes@advocatemag.com. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST .