Dallas Light Rail Stop –Akard Station Part One - Thanksgiving Square

It is hot today. I am standing here sweating and waiting for the Red Line train to arrive. Even the kids in the crowd are standing still, looking down the tracks in anticipation of the train’s arrival. There is something sweet about the air conditioning, once it arrives. This is the beginning of today’s journey. I am riding to the Akard Station with the intention of exploring the area around that stop.

There is a DART police officer on the train checking tickets. The way DART officers present themselves is impressive. The officers and fare inspectors are really nice, but they are there for a reason. If you ride the train, be sure to keep your ticket, or pass, handy.

I am seated facing backwards on the train. What you see from that position is very different from the normal position in a car. The trees are going past me start out as a blur and then come into focus as they move into the distance.

At the Tyler Vernon stop we are waiting for people to board, and I can see a tile mosaic depicting the Texas country side. The stations all have art by different artists. In my opinion, this is one of the better decisions made by DART. You could do a tour based on the stops alone. As we move again, I look down and see an abandoned railroad bridge to my left. Now, the train is passing over a traffic jam. I smile, but I really want to point and laugh. I feel kind of bad about that.

I arrive at Akard Station and the first thing I am looking for is a place to eat. I see a small Mexican restaurant at the corner of Akard across from Thanksgiving Square. I will check that one out another day, there are at least four other Mexican establishments within a couple of blocks. I now know that my criteria today is that it cannot be Italian or Mexican. I am walking on Akard, one block west of the station, and I see the Galilee Mediterranean Café.

It is one of those places that you have to walk down into, which nicely separates you from the city street. The food in this place is good. I had a lamb gyro and a fava bean salad.. Most of the food is served cafeteria style. You have choices of rice, mushrooms, hummus, and other Mediterranean style foods. The gyros have to be ordered, and are brought out to table when ready. The price I paid was $7.00, including drink. The gyros portions are generous and they come with rice or French fries. I am puzzled as to why fries were on the menu, but I did not ask why.

The service is not that great. I had to wait until someone came out to take my order for the gyro. I cannot understand why a cafeteria line is unmanned at the beginning of the lunch rush. The gyro did come out of the kitchen fast, so I am assuming that the service is usually better. I have an issue with the design of the eating area. This café is loud. There are no soft surfaces to absorb sounds. The floor is bare concrete, there are no acoustic ceiling tiles, or any attempt to negate the sounds of people talking. It does accumulate and can be annoying.

After I ate I walked to a water garden that I like to visit from time to time. I will write a separate article about that. The Akard Stop is next to Thanksgiving Square, which is worth visiting. There are plenty of restaurants near the stop. /The Dart Administration building is here and you can purchase monthly passes or pick up literature, schedules, and maps. The official link is below.