This weekend's opening of is a chance to perfect your down-dog, train your puppy dog, hear a symphony and squeeze in a game of . All for free.
Also free? Our list of five things to think about while you're there.
1) Just 6 1/2 feet separate you from the top of the freeway tunnel below.
Heavy-duty concrete beams and slabs help form the foundation holding you above the traffic. To lighten the load, architects have installed something called Geofoam. You鈥檙e walking on it when you stroll on the Bermuda lawn. The extra-strength Styrofoam sits below 12-inches of soil. Landscape architect James Burnett says it鈥檚 light-as-a-feather but, 鈥淵ou could drive an 18-wheeler over it and it wouldn鈥檛 deflect at all.鈥�
2) The Key To Success? Women, Especially If They're Pushing Strollers
The consultant who helped program activities in the park says he鈥檒l be watching for baby strollers and women as he measures the park's success. Dan Biederman is also president of the company that manages , a model for Klyde Warren activities. Biederman says women more carefully evaluate their surroundings for safety, so if at least half of the crowd is female he鈥檒l be happy.
3) A Bird鈥檚 Eye View
By the playground, a spiral staircase leads to a platform near the top of a 26-foot bur oak. From the Crow鈥檚 Nest there鈥檚 a pretty good view of the entire park. The tree is among 32 native Texas species found in the park.
4) Something to Howl About
About 30 medium-sized dogs can romp in the enclosed 鈥淢y Best Friend鈥檚 Park.鈥� Fido can cool down with the motion-activated water fountains. The synthetic turf covering raised berms can be washed down after an afternoon of 鈥渓eg lifting.鈥� The berms are treated with an antimicrobial product that minimizes odor.
5) Tree Huggers
Even the park's Chinese Pistache trees are getting ready for winter, wearing some pretty jazzy new coats. They come courtesy of the Dallas Yarn Bombers, a group that covers outdoor fixtures with knitting and crochet.
Organizer Ronda Van Dyk says they鈥檙e dressing up 13 trees and 6 lamp posts near an area called the Reading Room. They鈥檙e stitching together a garden theme: 鈥淲e gave our volunteers guidelines to use bright colors and we wanted them to bring garden insects and garden critters into it. The rest was left to their creativity,鈥� she said.
