My friend and I, who grew up in Denton (which in those days felt a world away from Dallas proper), discussed not long ago whether Dallas is truly lovable. We concluded that, because it is relatively lacking in natural beauty and the hip cachet of so many other spots, Dallas is a city that one must decide to love.
Which I note because Sarah Hepola has written about coming to love Dallas, her hometown. Her love starts, as I think is probably true for most of us, with the many great people here: Â “and loving the people in a city is a very, very short walk from loving the city itself.”
This essay seems to have been spurred on by her recent debate with Tim over the number of strip clubs. She feels guilty about having trafficked in stereotypes about the city in another recent piece she wrote, because she observes in how many ways Dallas defies its stereotypes:
And Dallas is becoming a city that feels more like me. All my friends have been talking about it, what a good time this is to live in Dallas: The parks downtown, the food trucks, the bike lanes, the new Shepard Fairey murals. Sometimes I think we’re just telling ourselves this stuff to feel better about living here, and then I think: What’s so wrong with feeling good about living here?
Read the whole thing.
