Set'em up. The Fairmont Dallas, one of PCMA's official host hotels, features the recently revamped Pyramid Bar & Restaurant, which serves creative pub fare and tasty winter tipples like the Red Hot Toddy, made with warm cider, agave nectar, Canadian whisky and Red Hots candies. pyramidrestaurant.com
A great way to explore the vibrant Uptown neighborhood (home of the Dallas Museum of Art, among other cultural institutions) is aboard a restored antique electric trolley car run by the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority. The ride is free; a route map is available at mata.org/map.shtml.
Offbeat BBQ. Smoke, at 901 Fort Worth Ave., is not your typical Texas barbecue joint. Try the unique bar nibbles, such as crispy hominy with lime and chili, or go straight for the 'cue by taking up a No. 2 pencil and filling in the Scantron-form menu for, among other delights, coffee-cured beef brisket. smokerestaurant.com
Witness to tragedy. The Sixth Floor Museum, housed within the former Texas School Book Depository, preserves the infamous perch (left) from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. The museum also celebrates the life and legacy of JFK. jfk.org
The original. Neiman Marcus opened its first store in downtown Dallas in 1907. It burned down in 1914 but was quickly rebuilt at 1618 Main St., where the luxury retailer remains today, luring shoppers with designer wares. The fifth floor is a museum of Neiman Marcus history. neimanmarcus.com
On the Web To pinpoint venues noted here and more, see M&C's interactive map of Dallas/Ft. Worth at mcmag.com/map_ektid27336.aspx. And check out the FrontBurner blog, frontburner.dmagazine.com, for insider takes on the city.