Introducing Dallas

Austin makes fun of her and Houston competes with her, but c'mon, they're just jealous: you can't say Dallas ain't the belle of the Texas ball. This is Texas' most mythical city, with a past and present rich in the stuff of which American legends are made. The 'Big D' is famous for its contributions to popular culture – notably the Cowboys and their cheerleaders, and Dallas, the TV series that for a time was a symbol of the USA to people worldwide. An upscale ethos makes for an amazing dining scene (you can tell which place is hot by the caliber of cars the valet leaves out front) and the nightlife's not too shabby either. The museums are not only excellent, but unique – history buffs should not miss the memorials to President John F Kennedy's assassination. The most impressive addition to Dallas' cultural landscape in recent years is the massive 68-acre performing-arts district, now the largest in the country. Don't worry, though: all this high-falutin' culture doesn't mean that Dallas isn't still a paragon of conspicuous consumption. With more malls per capita than anywhere else in the US (and the second-highest debt per resident), shopping is definitely this city's guiltiest pleasure. So if you feel the urge to take your credit card, throw frugality to the winds and say 'When in Dallas…', you're not alone.