Adios, Good-Latimer Tunnel
January 29, 2007 11:46 PM   Subscribe

Dallas is just a little less funky now. warning: Poorly edited YouTube, but pertinent - bear with me. Not a surprise, but one of Dallas's greatest landmarks is no longer. Fortunately, plenty of people have documented the beautiful art that is no longer.
posted by Ufez Jones (29 comments total)
 
Apparently I love linking the phrase "no longer". 'Tis nostalgic of Dickensian or something.

Also, yes, this post is the bastard child of insomnia and guilt that I didn't go down and document the tunnel myself.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:49 PM on January 29, 2007


I didn't know Dallas could get uglier and more soulless.
posted by tula at 11:56 PM on January 29, 2007


Oh, hell. There are still plenty of great things about Dallas. Strip clubs, megachurches and, uh. . . yeah. Did I mention that they have lots of strip clubs?
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 12:10 AM on January 30, 2007


When I was a teenager, I used to sneak out of the house at night and hang out down there. Lots of fun and danger. *sigh*

And...what tula said.
posted by chillmost at 12:10 AM on January 30, 2007


So this tunnel had a bad smell?
posted by redteam at 12:48 AM on January 30, 2007


My opinion of Dallas began to take shape when I noticed a stream of seemingly open sewage running through a park near the ballet, softened somewhat when I bought an amazing belt buckle from a man wearing a shirt cut from an American flag, and steadily declined for the rest of the weekend. The belt buckle wore out after three months.
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 12:48 AM on January 30, 2007 [1 favorite]


Yep. That was like a gateway to a magical land, once upon a time.

A lot of people would honk the horn as they drove thru that tunnel, for whatever reason.

I saw where Clearview was closing too. Things tend to come and go and then come back again in that area, however, so who knows.
posted by First Post at 12:49 AM on January 30, 2007


Dallas is just a little less funky now.

When was Dallas ever funky?
posted by RayOrama at 1:12 AM on January 30, 2007


Yup. In the '20 Deep Ellum was funky. And if you count skin heads it was funky in the 80's, too.
posted by YoBananaBoy at 1:27 AM on January 30, 2007


And if you count skin heads it was funky in the 80's, too.

There's nothing funky about skinheads. Yo, word to Bootsy Collins! Play that funky music, Dallas white boys!
posted by RayOrama at 1:41 AM on January 30, 2007


whoops, sorry, must have forgotten the closing sarcasm tag after skinhead.

</sarcasm>

there, all better?
posted by YoBananaBoy at 1:44 AM on January 30, 2007


Yes, it is. Thank you very much. :)
posted by RayOrama at 1:54 AM on January 30, 2007


Aw, son of a bitch!

On the other hand, the light rail is very very good for the city, in my opinion.
posted by furiousthought at 1:55 AM on January 30, 2007


It was funky when all the bands had dreadlocked Dallas white boys playing congas, a la the New Bohemians, Ten Hands, Fever in the Funkhouse, etc.

That particular era of the New Bo's and ecstasy sold in jars at the front of the clubs and all that...it was quite a remarkable time for original music of whatever genre. All the cover bands down there now wouldn't have gone over well. It seemed to be more about new and different sounds. At any rate, some pretty funky groups walked that earth in those days.

I always love to play in Deep Ellum. There's a lot of history in the area. Robert Johnson recorded up the road. Charlie Parker played there, with Jay McShnn's band out of Kansas City. Numerous blues and punk legends have worked their magic in Ellum over the years. Some nights it feels like you can just pull it out of the air.

Dallas is what you make of it, though.
posted by First Post at 1:57 AM on January 30, 2007


Jay McShann, that is.

(Normally I try not to bother with such corrections unless it's something that interferes with the meaning of the post, but my grandfather was in the newspaper business and his main rule was that no matter what else was wrong, you should always make sure to get people's names right. So this one's for you, granddad *points at sky*)
posted by First Post at 2:02 AM on January 30, 2007


Booger.
.
posted by romakimmy at 3:26 AM on January 30, 2007


Just remember: If you go down to Deep Ellum, keep your money in your shoes, cause the women in Deep Ellum got them Deep Ellum blues......
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:42 AM on January 30, 2007


Sorry, there were a few good pieces in the tunnel, but most of it was crap. I rode a bike through there just about every day for 3 years and I know it well.
I'm going to stop short of calling out names here, but if you think art like this is beautiful, you need to get out more.
And there's a lot more like that in Deep Ellum, or at least there was when I lived down there.
posted by 2sheets at 10:00 AM on January 30, 2007


that's devastating. i had a lot of fun times there.
posted by Muffpub at 10:09 AM on January 30, 2007


At least that big painting on the side of a downtown building with the kid pulling the wagon is still there. It's looking a little weathered these days, though.
posted by Potsy at 10:17 AM on January 30, 2007


I remember that horrible mural that 2sheets linked to and it was hideous. I will admit that the neighborhood was fun in the late 80's early 90's but trailed off when the music became predictable and typical. The spray can artist in the fair park area produced some great pieces but most of them have been over tagged and since replaced with fresh (gray) paint.
posted by svenvog at 10:19 AM on January 30, 2007


This makes me sad. I always loved that tunnel; it got me pysched for shows on the way in, and soothed my blown ear-drums and tired body on the way back.

But at least theres still Addison!
posted by rosswald at 10:59 AM on January 30, 2007


Oh yeah, and there's still this.
posted by Potsy at 11:01 AM on January 30, 2007


Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well Dallas is a jewel, oh yeah, Dallas is a beautiful sight.
And Dallas is a jungle but Dallas gives a beautiful light.
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?

Well, Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you're down.
But when you are up, she's the kind you want to take around.
But Dallas ain't a woman to help you get your feet on the ground.
Yes Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you're down.

-Jimmie Dale Gilmore


Well, I came into Dallas with the bright lights on my mind,
But I came into Dallas with a Dollar and a dime.

Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eye.
A steel and concrete soul with a warm hearted love disguise.
A rich man who tends to believe in his own lies.
Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes.
posted by nola at 11:07 AM on January 30, 2007


Now if they'd only finish paving Dallas.
posted by davy at 11:31 AM on January 30, 2007


This is a bit upsetting... I lived a block from there on Good-Latimer for over a year, and the tunnel represented one's transition into what passes for an art & music community in D-town. To me, Deep Ellum was the only interesting area to live in Dallas ... other than Lower Greenville. DE has such a rich history and the old buildings obviously have a lot of stories (no pun intended) to tell.

Too bad about the tunnel. I'll shed one small tear and let it go. I live in NYC now, and with the abundance of artist culture here, Dallas no longer holds much fascination.
posted by TreeHugger at 11:33 AM on January 30, 2007


I'm rather happy they're expanding the commuter rail line -- that's the better story.
posted by undule at 3:03 PM on January 30, 2007


It's only fitting that the gateway to the "arts district" be paved over. It's the only story Dallas has to tell, really.

Dallas has no concept of history. Dallas is as bright and shiny as newly minted money. It's what she does. Like a voracious vampiric harridan, she sucks up what passes for lifeblood, and reincarnates herself to lure the next set of victims into her lair. Bless her heart, she's an evil old whore who has just paved over her heart of gold.
posted by dejah420 at 8:56 PM on January 30, 2007


Dallas, TX is so far my least favorite city I have visited in the U.S.

I do think the expanded rail line is good news though.
posted by Ynoxas at 7:34 AM on January 31, 2007


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