{"id":3307,"date":"2019-12-06T07:56:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T13:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/garyborders.com\/pages\/?p=3307"},"modified":"2019-12-06T09:41:53","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T15:41:53","slug":"the-adolphus-ghost-a-giant-eyeball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/garyborders.com\/pages\/the-adolphus-ghost-a-giant-eyeball\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adolphus Ghost & A Giant Eyeball"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DALLAS \u2013 We wandered about the 19th<\/sup> floor of the Adolphus Hotel on Thanksgiving eve, not knowing at the time that the ghost of a jilted bride who hanged herself when her groom-to-be skipped out has allegedly haunted that floor since her death in the 1930s. We had the 19th<\/sup> floor to ourselves, since it consists primarily of meeting rooms, some fancy (I guess) suites, even a wheelchair lift since the floor is split-level. We didn\u2019t see a ghost; we didn\u2019t see anybody.<\/p>\n

My Beautiful Mystery Companion and I weren\u2019t staying on the 19th<\/sup> floor, just wandering around this grand hotel. When it was built in 1912, the Adolphus at 22 stories was the tallest building in Texas. It held that title a decade, until the Magnolia Hotel was built just down Commerce Street from the Adolphus. It consists of 29 stories.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the lobby of the Adolphus, a photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip hangs on a column. It is an official royal portrait, possibly taken by Lord Snowden. He was married for a time to the queen\u2019s sister, Princess Margaret, and was a noted photographer but a bit of a scoundrel. The queen and her husband stayed at the Adolphus in 1991, joining a long line of famous folks, from presidents to entertainers, who have stayed here.<\/p>\n

Now we were guests, ensconced on the 10th<\/sup> floor, decidedly unfamous if not infamous. The Adolphus wasn\u2019t especially busy the night before Thanksgiving. I figure most folks were either headed to where they\u2019ll enjoy their turkey or were already there. When I realized my BMC had a doctor\u2019s appointment in Dallas late in the afternoon the day before Thanksgiving, I quickly started searching for hotel rooms. I wasn\u2019t about to leave Dallas at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, headed east on I-20, along with about half the Metroplex.<\/p>\n

I had nearly enough credit from hotels.com to pay for a night at the Adolphus. What I had to shell out wouldn\u2019t rent one a room at a Motel 6. This was a good deal and a chance to stay in a luxury hotel practically free and have a mini-vacation. The Thanksgiving meal would have to wait a day.<\/p>\n

We left the hotel as darkness set in, searching for Mexican food. Downtown Dallas was festively decorated with Christmas trees and lights on nearly every corner. My favorite \u201ctree\u201d was in Pegasus Plaza, a red junkyard sculpture put together from vintage car parts. It is officially called the Neiman Marcus Car Tree and has been a part of the downtown holiday season since 2003. The purple and pink lighted angels along a fountain were a popular attraction, with little kids darting daringly close to the fountains spewing from the ground. We checked out the window displays at the flagship Neiman Marcus store across from Pegasus Plaza, with its high-fashion displays of clothes no woman not<\/em> strolling down a runway would actually don. The store itself was closed.<\/p>\n

Next we came across the Giant Eyeball, a 30-foot sculpture inside a sculpture garden created on Main Street several years ago. It was fenced off since it was dark, but still highly visible. It\u2019s hard to hide a 30-foot eyeball plopped down in the garden outside the Joule Hotel. The Eye, as it\u2019s unoriginally called, did not sport any Christmas decorations.<\/p>\n

A cold front blew through Wednesday night. Thanksgiving morning arrived with fierce winds and rain. That didn\u2019t deter thousands of folks from running, walking, jogging or pushing strollers in the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot. Several runners came by below our hotel window wearing turkey headdresses. Others pushed strollers or pulled dogs behind them. Some did all three. This provided an hour\u2019s worth of entertainment as we also watched the Macy\u2019s Day Parade on television.<\/p>\n

Finally, it was time to leave the Adolphus. Traffic was mercifully light as we headed east. As always, we stopped at Buc-ees in Terrell. By then we were famished. Our Thanksgiving Day meal ended up being brisket sandwiches. I had potato salad as a side, while my BMC opted for chips. I fished a couple of Topo Chicos out of the cooler.<\/p>\n

We ate in the car, out in the parking lot, after giving thanks.<\/p>\n

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