party on the bridge!

saturday was the big "margaret hunt hill bridge" opening celebration and it was the perfect opportunity to see the fabulous bridge in all it's glory while taking in some of dallas' local treasures.  i was volunteering with bcworkshop, a nonprofit architectural firm, interviewing attendees about their neighborhoods and communities within the city.  it was such an amazing thing to talk to all of these people and get their different perspectives of dallas, the bridge and how it will affect the city. one of my favorite quotes was from a boy about 8 years old who, when asked what could be done to improve his community, said "stop all the sagging!" ha! indeed. 

i also got to watch my friend and true talent, lauren adelle crowder perform. she was amazing and i was proud to watch her on that stage!

during my break, i enjoyed a scrumptious bbq grilled cheese sandwich from ruthie's rolling cafe food truck.

the bridge at night was incredible. when taking pictures all we could say was "wow it almost looks fake!" because of the contrast of the clear night sky on the bright white cables. truly an amazing structure.

stephen and i went back on sunday during the day to walk across the bridge again.  we really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, since it will never be open to pedestrians once it is a fully open and functioning roadway.

it was really wonderful to be a part of history in dallas.  bravo, mr. calatrava, you did an amazing job creating a beautiful structure that will forever change the dallas skyline.

(all photos by me, on the ol' iphone)

price tower

since we were in tulsa a whopping 8 days, we decided to take a little adventure to the exciting town of bartlesville, ok.  well we didn't just go to visit the b'ville (though it did prove to be a much cuter town than expected), but the purpose of our trip was to stay at the lovely inn at price tower.

price tower is the one and only realized skyscraper designed by famed architect frank lloyd wright. originally commissioned to be built in new york city, the price tower was envisioned to be "the tree that left the crowded forest" and instead was built as corporate headquarters in bartlesville for oil tycoon harold c. price. some years later, the building was converted into a hotel and arts center where they display exhibits from artists, furniture designers and even fashion icons like edith head, among many more.

we actually had visited the arts center early in 2010 and thought of how neat it would be to stay there, and being a student at the school of architecture, stephen was able to get a killer deal on a room. so what the heck, right?? we had such a nice stay and the hotel is even more incredible than i'd imagined.  all of the furniture designed for the rooms kept the original vision of mr. wright, using natural materials, basing design on the triangle (lots of 30, 60 and 90 degrees) and incorporating copper into pretty much everything.

after marveling in the room, we ventured up to the top floor and enjoyed a drink and appetizer at the copper bar (and yes, the bar is actually copper) with the nicest bartender and a beautiful view.

and with the suggestion of many, we took to downtown bartlesville to have dinner at the most adorable restaurant, frank & lola's. this spot definitely exceeded my expectations (though i did have high hopes): the food, service, decor and overall ambiance was so great and perfect for our little getaway. they even had a trendy billiard room in the back filled with a great photo exhibit so we could play pool and enjoy the art while we waited for our table.

after our most amazing dinner, we had drinks at two sister's pub & grille and called it a night. it was really a wonderful and much needed escape for the mr. & me. i highly suggest, should you ever be visiting bartlesville (or are really just a huge architecture nerd, like us), that you at least visit the price tower and if you can, stay the night with frank lloyd wright!

(all photos by me except the first one, source)