Take a Page Out of Childhood
As an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of After8toEducate, a nonprofit program supporting unsheltered high school youth in Dallas, Baldor often refers to Robert Fulghum’s classic book of essays, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which informs young adults about the need to follow the basic moral tenets learned in elementary school. Take care of others, do good, don’t lie, and don’t steal. The closer you live in alignment with these tenets, Baldor believes, the happier you will be.
Go on an Afro-Mexican Journey
The Latino Arts Project collaborated with the African American Museum of Dallas to create “Yanga: Journeys to Freedom,” an educational exhibition about the African diaspora in Mexico. Gaspar Yanga, an enslaved African in Mexico, ultimately escaped and became the “first liberator of the Americas,” founding a freedmen’s town in Veracruz. “We are intentionally doing this at the African American Museum to bring cultures together,” says Baldor, a co-curator of the exhibition. “We are bringing these experiences together in a way that has never been done before. This is an exciting experience for us and to see the bewilderment on students’ faces because none of this is being taught in schools.”
3536 Grand Ave. 214-565-9026.
Enjoy Tapas for Two
Secluded in a tiny house in a charming neighborhood setting in Uptown, Si Tapas is ideal for an intimate dinner with family or friends. Baldor’s go-to is paella Valenciana, a vegetarian version made for two. Or keep it meaty with a Spanish-style New York strip steak tartar.
2207 Allen St. 214-720-0324.
Immerse Yourself in Latino Art
“We have been really fortunate in the last couple of years,” says Baldor, who founded the pop-up Latino Arts Project in the Design District. “There hasn’t really been a lot of specific Latino or Latinx art available in major institutions. Right now, in July, there will be several open at the same time. At the DMA, we have the Octavio Medellín exhibit. The artist spent four decades in North Texas. He taught at UNT.” It will be the first-ever museum retrospective to honor the sculptor and artist who had a worldwide impact. Through Jan. 2023: “Octavio Medellín: Spirit and Form,”
Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St.
Step Up to the Open Mic
Baldor enjoys open mic nights at The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge in Deep Ellum, where musicians engage in hours of impromptu, unstructured music from 10 pm to 1:30 am every day of the week. The venue stays open until 2 am, which is the best time to indulge in plates of blackened shrimp pasta and bourbon-glazed bread pudding. “It’s the best Cajun food in Dallas,” Baldor says.
2626 Commerce St. 214-377-9893.
Get Deco-ed Out
Dallas has the largest collection of art deco buildings outside of Miami. Take a day to explore the 20 public buildings on view at Fair Park. Baldor’s personal favorite is the Hall of State, “the most beautiful building in Texas.”
3809 Grand Ave. 214-670-8400.
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