Crooked Tree Coffee

What is perhaps the best coffee house in Dallas is on Routh Street in the State Thomas neighborhood. It's not a main thoroughfare, if fact it's kind of hidden around a corner in a neighborhood of single-family houses from the late 19th Century. It's set up like a house inside too with tables, sofas, books and even a piano. The off-the-beaten-path location doesn't keep customers away, it seemed busy throughout the day Monday. I know because after stopping by in the morning, I returned to fetch my hat in the afternoon. It was still there, sitting on the floor unnoticed by students typing away on their laptops, taking advantage of the wi-fi. Crooked Tree Coffee.

Real Estate Council Welcomes New Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings

Days after being elected as Dallas Mayor, Mike Rawlings met with members of The Real Estate Council for one of his first official events on June 21 at the Patton Boggs offices in downtown Dallas. The Real Estate Council endorsed Mayor Rawlings, who is committed to issues that the organization supports such as expanding the Dallas tax base by focusing economic development efforts on the underutilized Southern Sector, small business growth and large business relocations.

"I want Dallas to be the best town in America to do business," Rawlings said at the event. "We need to attract those businesses and recognize that Southern Dallas is a resource for our city. It is 60 percent of the land mass representing 15 percent of the population."

Mayor Rawlings also wants to work with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) on the quality of public education. Although the mayor does not have control over the DISD, Rawlings intends to influence positive change and raise expectations of the educational standard in Dallas. He said he will also concentrate on The Trinity River Corridor Project, which he believes will impact Dallas for generations.