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Playful Plano swings No. 1 ranking on 2023 list of best parks in Texas

Parks and rec

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

When it comes to parks, Dallas-Fort Worth isn't playing around. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land’s 2023 ParkScore rankings rated Plano at No. 16 nationally and No. 1 in Texas for the best parks system among the country’s 100 most populated cities. Dallas soared to new heights on the list.

The annual ParkScore report rates 100 of the largest American cities' park systems on five metrics: park access, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Plano hung on to its No. 1 spot in Texas for the third year in a row, but did fall one place from last year's ranking of No. 15 nationally.

According to the report, Plano stood out because:

  • 80 percent of Plano residents live within a 10-minute walk to one of its parks, which is 3 percent higher than last year.
  • Plano spends the most money on its park system out of any Dallas-Fort Worth area city, at $196 per person.
  • The city's median park size is nearly 14 acres, which is more than twice the national ParkScore average of 5.4 acres, so Plano residents have plenty of space to play.

Also notable in this year's ParkScore rankings, Dallas jumped ahead 10 spots from last year, landing No. 43 in 2023. The report lauds the city for putting a more direct focus on its park systems through increased investment and improved park amenities, such as access to dog parks and basketball hoops. Dallas currently dedicates $124 per person for its park system, which is a $15 increase from the previous year, the report says.

In a press release, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson boasted about the city and its work to create "innovative green spaces at an unprecedented pace" and put forth a lofty goal.

"Parks are critical infrastructure in a modern city, and now is the time to take to the next level our efforts to make Dallas greener and greater for all," he said in a statement. "As the single biggest champion of Dallas’ park system, I am committed to ensuring Dallas becomes the city with the highest level of park access in Texas."

Garland was the only other Dallas-Fort Worth city to improve in the ranking, moving up from No. 91 in 2022 to No. 87 this year. Garland spends $106 per person on its system, where 63 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk to any of its parks.

Arlington's ParkScore rank fell the most out of the remaining Dallas-Fort Worth cities after it reduced park spending by $10 year-over-year to $113 per person, giving the city a six-place drop into No. 74.
Irving and Fort Worth also dropped in this year's report by one and two places each, putting them at No. 88 and No. 99, respectively.
Washington, D.C. and St. Paul, Minnesota remained the top two best park systems in the nation, with Minneapolis, Minnesota taking No. 3. Arlington, Virginia, which was No. 3 last year, fell to No. 5 in 2023.
Trust for Public Land additionally published its new research, "The Power of Parks to Promote Health," that discovered high-ranking ParkScore cities are healthier places to live. Overall, the research found that Texas cities are "among the national leaders" working toward improving community health, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area was specifically recognized for its focus and dedication.
"Dallas partners with local community organizations to provide health screenings at parks, Plano offers free guided nature walks, and the Fort Worth Park and Recreation Department works with health providers as part of the Blue Zones Project to promote walking and healthy social activity in public parks," the report said.
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Famed Seattle piroshky bakery makes stop in Dallas on Texas-wide tour

Meat Pie News

A Seattle bakery is coming to Dallas for a special pop-up: Piroshky Piroshky Bakery, which specializes in handmade piroshki, AKA Russian hand pies, will stop in Dallas on a national tour.

The bakery will be at Outfit Brewing, 135 John W. Carpenter Fwy, on October 5 from 5-7 pm, with luscious offerings, both savory and sweet.

Piroshkis are small pies of Russian origin, made from an enriched yeast dough, with savory fillings like meat, vegetables, or cheese, the most traditional being meat and rice or potato and onion.

Piroshky Piroshky Bakery was founded in Seattle in 1992, and offer their pastries in all sorts of delectable fillings: from beef & cheese to cabbage & onion to vegan-friendly mushroom & potato. They make authentic pastries, as well.

Their piroshky are individually made from scratch and hand-formed into unique shapes that help differentiate the flavors and fillings inside.

The company has five locations across Seattle, and also sells their products online. Their original location at Seattle's Pike Place Market serves more than 20 varieties.

But they also make annual tours, just like a rock band, to bring their goods to towns across the U.S. They last came through Dallas in November 2022.

The tour features options such as:

  • Smoked salmon pate piroshky
  • Beef & onion piroshy
  • Impossible beef & onion piroshky
  • Ham, spinach, & cheese piroshky
  • Potato & cheese piroshky
  • Veggie chipotle piroshky
  • Chocolate cream hazelnut roll
  • Cinnamon cardamom braid
  • Pumpkin toffee braid
  • Caraway cheddar cheese stick
  • Poppyseed cinnamon roll

The full menu is online, and pre-ordering is required. The cutoff order date for Dallas is October 3 at 4 pm. There's a minimum of $50; individual items run between $5.25 to $7.25.

In addition to Dallas, they're also making three other stops in Texas:

  • Fort Worth at Martin House Brewing, 220 S Sylvania Ave. on October 4, from 5-7 pm. You must order by October 2; pre-order here.
  • Austin at Twin Creeks Park, 2303 Dervingham Drive, Cedar Park, on October 6, from 5-7 pm; pre-order here.
  • Houston at Elks Lodge, 10150 W Airport Blvd, Stafford, on October 7, from 5-7 pm; pre-order here.

Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas initiates action to save birds from dying

Bird News

Reunion Tower, the little ball on the Western edge of downtown Dallas, is famous for its sassy light shows illuminating the Dallas skyline. But in recent years, the building has followed a bird-friendly policy of dimming its lights, and that dimming is about to get underway.

From October 1 through October 21, Reunion Tower will observe the following lighting schedule:

  • Sundown to 11 pm: lower its lights
  • 11 pm-6 am: go completely dark
  • 6 am-sunrise back to dim

The building enacts these changes to protect birds that are migrating through Texas.

Dallas is on the path of the Central Migratory Flyway, which extends from the Northwest and heads diagonally southeast through Mexico.

Every fall and spring, nearly two billion birds travel through Texas. The bird migration is one of the largest on the planet, and takes place at night. Light attracts migrating birds, making them vulnerable to collisions with buildings and causing them to become disoriented and distracted.

Birds get pulled into urban areas, collide into buildings, and die. Volunteer surveys - in which people go out and count actual dead bodies - in cities such as Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth, finds hundreds of dead birds every night. It adds up to nearly a billion birds killed in the U.S. each year.

Dallas-Fort Worth is the third most dangerous area in the U.S. for migratory birds to travel through; Chicago is No. 1, followed by Houston which is No. 2.

As this map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows, Dallas and Houston are both massively lit, representing major obstacles to the success and survival of the birds' migration.

Lights Out Texas was initiated as a statewide effort in Spring 2020 to protect birds from light pollution by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdCast, with the essential support of founding Texas partners Houston Audubon, the Dallas Zoo, and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

According to Audubon, the actual critical migration period through Dallas is September 6 through October 29. A glittery skyline is surely pretty, but downtown should just shut it down during those times.

Dallas' JSX fuels up for new flights to West Texas oil-and-gas country

new routes

Hop-on jet service JSX is adding a new, year-round destination for the millions of Texans who work in oil and gas: Midland-Odessa.

Starting January 15, 2024, JSX will fly nonstop from Dallas and Houston to Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field (ODT). According to a release, the schedule and fares will be:

FromDallas (DAL)toOdessa (ODT):

  • Regular flight service between Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field (ODT), Monday through Thursday, two flights per day.
  • Introductory fares start at $279 (one-way) and include at least two checked bags (with weight/size restrictions), onboard cocktails and snacks, and free Starlink Wi-Fi.

FromHouston (HOU)toOdessa (ODT)

  • Regular flight service between Houston Hobby (HOU) and Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field (ODT), Monday through Thursday, two flights per day.
  • Introductory fares start at $309 (one-way) and include at least two checked bags (with weight/size restrictions), onboard cocktails and snacks, and free Starlink Wi-Fi.

As with all JSX domestic flights, customers may check in just 20 minutes before departure (hence, the "hop-on" idea) and fly out of crowd-free private terminals. In Dallas, that terminal is at Dallas Love Field (8555 Lemmon Ave.) and in Houston, at Houston Hobby airport (8919 Paul B Koonce St., Houston).

“JSX is proud to support Texas' energy economy by introducing our unique 'hop-on' jet service with daily flights connecting business commuters from Dallas and Houston to Odessa at the start of 2024,” says JSX CEO Alex Wilcox in the release. “Not only is Odessa central to the Permian Basin, but it's also home to companies powering some of the nation's largest wind and solar farms. We take pride in supporting those who supply the energy we all depend on every single day.”

JSX continues to tout its "no crowds, no lines, and no fuss" travel experience that made them especially popular during the pandemic.

Passengers have access to valet parking, touchless check-in, Wi-Fi lounges, and speedy baggage retrieval. The 30-seat planes are now beaming up to SpaceX's Starlink Wifi, and there's a pet-friendly policy that allows small dogs and cats to fly for a small fee.

The air carrier now serves routes across more than two dozen key North American markets. In 2023 and beyond, JSX plans to expand both its domestic and international flight service with new routes and expansion plans underway, they say.

View their full route map here. All flights are available for booking via the JSX website.

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