Zen city: Seeking solace in an urban environment

In the midst of the digital age, when texting during dinner and checking emails before bed is all too common, having a quiet place to kick back, ditch the latest high-tech gadgets and reset our biological clocks is practically a necessity.

Luckily, our neighborhood has no shortage of rest and relaxation options.

To some, a place of solace means exploring a forest trail, boating on the lake or stopping to literally smell the flowers. To others, it’s practicing yoga while overlooking the cityscape, enjoying a relaxing massage, tucking away in a bookstore with a good read or sipping a craft brew with close friends.

Here are some neighborhood haunts your fellow neighbors retreat to when they need some solitary — or not-so-solitary — confinement.

The fish hatchery trails at White Rock Lake

Two years ago, when Kimberley Scattergood accidentally discovered the foot trails that wind around the fish hatchery at White Rock Lake, she was immediately impressed by the beauty, and best of all the serenity, of the preserve.“It’s quite magical,” she says.

Since then, she and her dogs have explored every trail. Although none of the trails is well manicured, that’s part of the appeal, and some are even rougher than others.

“With those, sometimes you’re having to crawl under brush or climb over fallen limbs,” Scattergood says. “It’s like having this Tom Sawyer effect in the middle of Dallas.”

Depending on the time of year, Scattergood and her golden retriever companions visit anywhere from twice a week to every day.

“Particularly during the fall,” she says. “I look up into the treetops and see the beautiful turning leaves with the rays of sunshine streaming through. So peaceful — it refills me.”

Scattergood was raised in Green Bay, Wis., and she rarely feels at home in Dallas.

“But during that time of year, when I go to the fish hatchery, I feel a little bit like I’m back in the Midwest,” she says.

Find it: To access the trails near the fish hatchery, get on Winsted Drive from Garland Road. Turn in to the parking lot on the right. Take the White Rock Creek Trail, which passes close to the fish hatchery water reserves. When you see foot trails leading off the beaten path, explore.

White Rock Lake at sunrise

White Rock Lake is still waking up when neighbor James Barta slips his paddleboard into the water.

He climbs onto the board and pushes away from the shore with his foot. Once he’s on the water, he stands up, balancing on the surfboard-like equipment, and strokes a long-handled paddle through the water to spur him forward.

He leisurely paddles over to the dam, and then, once the sun comes out and starts to warm things up, he digs hard back at the other side.

“I love going out there,” Barta says. “It’s nice and peaceful. It’s a great way to start the day, clear my mind and think about the day.”

Barta has been paddleboarding on White Rock Lake for four years. When his friend introduced him to the sport, he thought it looked weird. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed it and quickly became addicted. Barta used to rent a board from White Rock Paddle Co. on Lawther, and then he bought his own board three years ago.

He tries to go at least two or three times a week after dropping off his children at daycare. For him, it’s recreational, therapeutic, spiritual and a great workout.

“You see the people out there running or cycling, and it’s the same thing for me, except I’m going across the lake instead of around it,” he says.

Maria Ganson says she retreats to the old oak tree in Tietze Park ( 2700 Skillman), where her children can climb its crooked limbs and she can relax and enjoy the shade. 

The Dallas Arboretum

There’s something almost magical about basking in the quiet of the early morning at the Dallas Arboretum.

Neighbor David Davis says that’s when he prefers to visit.

“The main reason I like the early morning is the luxury of solitude, of having the gardens almost always all to myself,” he says.

Even inclement weather doesn’t discourage Davis. In fact, he welcomes it because it chases off even more visitors.

He rides his bike from his house in East Dallas to the garden to enjoy his favorite views, find a place to read or simply be still. His favorite spot is the Poetry Garden because “few people ever seem to find it.”

The Poetry Garden is a walled garden to the west of A Woman’s Garden — the long garden with all the fountains.

As a former landscaper and consummate gardener, Davis says he especially likes seeing the gardeners out working in the early hours.

“There is always something going on — things being planted, pruned, mowed, removed,” he muses. “It’s a reminder that any garden large or small, like a life, is a continual work in progress.”

Find it: The Poetry Garden is no. 52 on the Dallas Arboretum’s map. It’s tricky to find, so make it easy on yourself and ask for a map at the entrance, 8525 Garland Rd.

Garden Cafe (5310 Junius) is something of a Garden of Eden right here in East Dallas. Guests can enjoy breakfast or lunch on a patio surrounded by greenery.

Neighbor Brit Sparks says hiding out at The Lakewood Landing (5818 Live Oak) for a cold brew is his go-to place for taking the edge off.

The Lot

Brittany Code settles with her family at an outside table at The Lot, soaking in the electric vibe of the bustling restaurant, relieved to finally enjoy some adult time with her husband.

Her children — a 1-and-a-half-year-old and a 4-year-old — run off to the kiddie area to play in the sand while the Codes pick out a craft brew.

As an elementary school counselor, Code helps other people cope with stress.

“It can be very emotionally draining,” she says. “I talk to kids who have been abused, or whose parents are going through a divorce, or who’ve lost family. It’s very stressful, and it’s hard to take time for myself.”

As much as she loves being at home with her favorite people, her idea of taking the edge off is getting out of the house and enjoying a night on the town with her family and friends.

“It’s a treat to go out, but I also want to spend time with my family since I don’t get to see them that much,” Code says.

Their favorite place to go as a family is The Lot because it’s an adult restaurant with all the adult comforts, but it also has a fenced-in playground where the kiddos can play, so Code doesn’t have to worry about them making a break for the parking lot.

“That way, I’m with my kids, but I’m also able to sit down and have a conversation with my husband,” Code says.

Find it: The Lot is at 7530 E. Grand.

Sally Walsh says St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, at 6306 Kenwood, has “such a peaceful solace in its hours of silence.”

Norbuck Park

Neighbor Charlotte Koford says she’s something of a “park groupie” because she enjoys visiting parks so much.

She lives right across the street from the backside of Norbuck Park, which is one of her favorite parks to explore.

“We [Koford and her husband] watch the sunset and watch the fireflies cover the fields at night,” she says.

“We watch the little bats come out and catch the mosquitoes, and the red-winged black birds that nest, and the red-tailed hawk.”

Although the side of the park facing Northwest Highway is rather bland — a baseball field and a field of maintained grass, the trick to enjoying Norbuck Park is knowing how to find its good side.

A street called Van Dyke, which stretches between Peavy and Easton, hugs the backside of Norbuck Park. From there, walkers can access the foot trails that zigzag through the grass and into the woods.

“I love to go over there and take walks,” Koford says. “In the fall, it looks like New England, and I’ve been to New England.

“I’ve been to all seven continents, and one reason I keep coming back here is because I think what we have on Van Dyke is one of the most exquisite views. I mean, here we are in the middle of the city, and it’s like being in the country.”

Find it: Norbuck Park is southeast of Northwest Highway and North Buckner. Access Van Dyke Road from either Peavy or Easton.

Lucky Dog Books

“A bell jingled overhead. The mild, spicy smell of old books hit him, and the smell was somehow like coming home,” wrote Stephen King in “The Waste Lands.”

If your most reliable mode of decompression involves curling up with a book — a real, paper-and-ink page-turner — you’ll get lost, in the most pleasant manner, inside Lucky Dog Books.

The building is small and welcoming. Inside, though, room after room, at least 10 of them, offers books organized by topic then author. Comfy chairs in crannies beckon visitors to loiter and peruse the pages they’ve heretofore plucked from the endless shelves. Once you’ve wrested yourself from the cozy couch in, for example, the poetry reading room, check the wall calendar for book signings, discussion groups, workshops and writing classes, and purchase your picks with cash, plastic or store credit, which you can obtain by donating your old books, records and media.

Find it: Lucky Dog Books is at 10801 Garland Rd.

Promise of Peace Community Garden

Elizabeth Dry, the founder of Promise of Peace Community Garden, says at least 30 people walk or bike through the Imagine Garden every day.

The Imagine Garden is in Little Forest Hills behind White Rock United Methodist Church, and it features a variety of flowers and other vegetation as well as a reflective butterfly garden.

Neighbor Talya Tate Boerner, who sometimes freelances for the Advocate, says her plot at the Promise of Peace garden is her favorite spot.

“Sometimes I sit on the picnic tables and write,” she says.

Find it: The Promise of Peace Community Garden is at 1435 San Saba, behind White Rock UMC.

 

 

What readers say:

—Victor Grizzaffi says he enjoys cycling around the lake because it’s a great place to “be one with yourself and Mother Nature.” Sometimes he stops to feed the ducks.

—John Confer says he and his wife use White Rock Lake as a starting point to stroll through the surrounding neighborhoods and window-shop the unique houses. “Usually we just park at White Rock, pick a direction and start walking,” he says.

—Julie Burch Webber says she enjoys canoeing in White Rock Creek where it runs under Northwest Highway. “Felt like I was not in the middle of Dallas,” she says. “Beautiful! And a great spot for checking out a variety of bird species.”

—Erin Garrett says Café Izmir, the tranquil Mediterranean restaurant at 3711 Greenville Ave, is her “go-to spot” for food, wine, and atmosphere.

—James Davenport says the old-fashioned, home-style restaurant Circle Grill at 3701 Buckner is “like stepping back in time.”

—Julie Billingsley Geron says the picnic table at Peavy/Mockingbird and Buckner offers “a great view of Downtown.” She also suggests visiting the streets north of Flag Pole Hill. “There are peacocks that wander the neighborhood,” she says. Flag Pole Hill Park is directly north of White Rock Lake at 8100 Doran.

—Maria Carmen Ybarra Montes says reading at Lakewood Library is her method of distraction. “It’s a nice quiet place to sit and read or dream your problems away,” she says. “I’ve done it many times.” Find your bookworm haven at 6126 Worth.