Dallas/Fort Worth International for many years had an outdoor observation area called Founders' Plaza where locals and visitors on layovers could enjoy a picnic and watch planes come and go. Later this month, a new Founders' Plaza will open on the northwest side of DFW, with shaded pavilions and speakers hooked into a feed from the airport's air traffic controllers.

The new mini park will celebrate its rebirth with a performance by Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson on September 17. Meanwhile, DFW is asking aviation obsessives to post photo memories of the plaza online.

Oh, and if you're not in it for the plane spotting, keep in mind that Founders' Plaza was once named the Dallas-Fort Worth area's "Best Place to Make Out."

Related Stories:
· Founders' Plaza [Official Site]
· DFW coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hsiqueira]

Yo, dude: remember the Hacky Sack? Best known (to some generations, at least) as the trademark accessory and sport of choice by 90's high-schoolers who stuck to steady diets of organic popcorn and weed, the Hacky Sack is -- it seems -- poised to make a comeback.

Yeah, we find this curiously random, too, but: Kimpton is bringing the Hacky back. In Dallas, Texas, no less.

Ah, those fine folks at Kimpton simply won't stop the animal-lovin': not only do they welcome kitties of all kinds with open arms, but now we've found out that they open their doors to even the craziest of fame-seeking cat ladies too!

According to the Dallas Morning News, Meow Mix has a game show in the works that challenges cat owners to "think like a cat" (yeah, ok). The traveling auditions are stopping at a Kimpton property Dallas:

Interviews are scheduled for July 5-6 at the Hotel Palomar (details here); you have to bring your cat. Finalists will be flown to L.A. to appear on TV.

That kitty right there can

We were browsing the Kimpton Flickr Pool today when we came across this stunning picture of Hotel Lumen in Dallas.

Located almost literally on the Southern Methodist University campus, this colorful boutique property is the ideal spot to crash for all you mommies and daddies dropping junior off at college -- and you can even bring the doggie along to give your baby a proper sendoff!

Rates start around $179 (and after forking over SMU tuition, you aren't going to be interested in paying much more than that).

Dallas tourists might want to check out Hotel Lumen for its location as well: the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Dallas Museum of Art, Fair Park and the

Dallas/Fort Worth International just soft-launched a new website, and it's quite user-friendly. Reason number one? The airport's usually-paid WiFi will let you log on for free. Beyond that, everything you'd actually want to access is right there on the front door.

For example, it's now easier to find shops, restaurants and services. For restaurants, simply go to the home page, and you can filter 'em down to cuisine and terminal--and even see PDF menus (with prices!) before you pick a spot to eat.

The live flight info has also been expanded. The site uses data from FlightStats to track arrivals and departures, also right from the home page. And since you can log on for free, you'll be able to verify if that gate announcement of a 15-minute delay is for real--or if it's time to start calling the airline's reservation number.

And since the airport figures passengers will have even more ideas about how to update the website, officials will be hosting a user feedback blog until July 2. We can only imagine the comments will be more positive than what showed up on American Airline's blog.

Related Stories:
· DFW Airport [Official Site]
· Travel Websites coverage [Jaunted]

How does an airport hotel win the title of "Number One Hotel in Texas" from the 2008 Expedia Insider's Select List? We headed to the Grand Hyatt DFW, in the new Terminal D at DFW airport, to investigate.

Now, don't get us wrong, we never judge a hotel based on its proximity to an airport, but we were a little bit skeptical here. The last airport hotel we stayed in was so noisy that it made us feel like we were asleep inside a tornado. And frankly, after we'd checked out, we sort of wished a tornado would come by and level the building

Earlier this week The Joule, part of the Starwood Luxury Collection opened up in the historic 1920's Dallas National Bank Building in Dallas Texas, after undergoing a massive renovation.

Originally expected to be called "Hotel Elan", the name Joule was picked as a tribute to the unit of measurement that is used to calculate energy, the Joule (1J = 1N * m for those who need a refresher - our apologies to those who just experienced high school science class flashbacks.)

After undergoing a $36 million dollar renovation, the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas has re-opened with a new look and a new 5,200 square foot spa.

The Spa at Stoneleigh features six rooms to perform some of the spa's signature treatments. Among them:

Le Grand Cru Meritage Facial, combining a unique blend of grapes, an anti-aging complex of raspberries, black currant, rosemary and olive leaf extracts through a double fermentation process; The Stoneleigh Indulgence Head-to-Toe Body Facial, a comprehensive multi-step treatment which incorporates all the revitalizing elements of a facial but for the whole body; the Maple Avenue Body Butter Wrap, celebrating the hotel's address utilizing a signature Bio-Maple compound.

And here's a special treat for women

We have an urge to go to Dallas this summer--blame it on Jenna, our new assistant editor. Anyways, while we enjoy peace and quiet in our hotel rooms, that doesn't mean we like to miss out completely on the happening hotel scene.

So we asked Jenna to round up some of the D-town's hot hotel bars. Here are her picks:

· Hotel Palomar: The hotel is adjacent to the Tiki-themed Trader Vic's bar (above) which is always a good hit. Mai tais all around!
· The Belmont Dallas: The Bar Belmont was just named the "Most Cinematic Hotel Bar" by D Magazine--it's cool and kinda retro-y.
· The W Dallas: Not only can you get

Feeling, um, ambitious? Make like Debbie and "Do Dallas!" But honey, you'll need a wax first.

The May issue of Allure magazine just named Nicole Garcia, of Bliss Spa at the W Hotel Dallas to a list of the best waxers in the country. A magical account of the Allure reviewer's time on Garcia's table:

Sounds crazy, but the initial rips were so mild that we managed to answer her friendly questions without even biting our lip. We emerged 15 minutes later, so pleased with the results, we practically skipped home.

Um, yes. It does sound crazy. We don't skip--and if we did, we don't think post wax would be the right occasion--but it