WEST

A Throwback Kind Of Day

Head slightly west of our neighborhood for a day of nostalgia and whimsy with a dash of spice and action.

IT IS AN

OVERCAST,

BREEZY MORNING. The heat, at this early hour, is not yet oppressive. It’s your day off, and you are feeling sentimental and venturesome. “Let’s do something meaningful,” you think. Now, before you get going, are you one of those wake-up-hungry types?

YES, I MUST FEED. [GO TO #1]

NO, I PREFER TO WORK UP AN APPETITE. [GO TO #2]

ONEYou take the Royal exit off Central Expressway and find a comfy booth at Cindi’s NY Deli, a tried-and-true institution featuring fluffy flapjacks and hearty omelets plus Jewish staples such as Challah breads and Matzo ball soup. You praise the staff for the all-day breakfast offerings and generosity with the coffee refills. Man, those pancakes hit the spot! Now, do you jump right into physical activity or ease into your day with a quiet shopping excursion?

LET’S GET PHYSICAL. [GO TO #5]

SHOPPING SOUNDS LIKE ADEQUATE EXERCISE FOR NOW. [GO TO #2] TWO

You travel back in time — that is, to Forest Lane at Inwood — arriving at Forestwood Antique Mall, which specializes in sports memorabilia, folk art, collectables and rare jewelry.

After scoring a Battle Armor Skeletor Evil Lord of Destruction action figure for your vintage toy collection (fist pump!), you enjoy lunch at the mall’s Garden Tea Room it opens at 11 a.m. and serves classic comfort foods including casseroles, soups and chicken fried steak until 2:30 p.m. Maybe Forestwood merely whet your shopper’s appetite, or perhaps you met your antiquing quota for the week — which is it?

I COULD SHOP SOME MORE. [GO TO #3]

I AM ONE PARCEL AWAY FROM HOARDERS BURIED ALIVE; LET’S JUST LOOK AT SOME COOL OLD THINGS. [GO TO #4]

Three

You cruise along Forest until you arrive at the North Dallas Antique Mall, nestled in a shopping park at Marsh. You feel giddy and proud, discovering treasure after treasure including mid-century modern, Mad Men- era knick-knacks, old records and eighttracks. Nothing can stop you now that Linda Rhonstadt’s Greatest Hits is in your possession. Your reusable shopping bags are full, but is your tummy?

NO, LET’S EAT. [GO TO #6]

I’M STUFFED AND READY TO CONTINUE MY DAYLONG ESCAPE FROM REALITY. [GO TO #4]

Five

As you enter the cardiovascular exercise paradise known as Jump Street, off Central Expressway at Royal, you immediately revert to child-

Four

You go back. Way way back. Like 2,000 years back. The Museum of Biblical Art, located at Park Lane and Boedeker, has all the adventure you can stomach — births, death, war, gore, peace, passion One kindly docent explains that in 2005, a fire destroyed the museum and some 2,500 works inside, but that from the ashes rose a more magnificent venue of 30,000 square feet featuring biblically themed art that, be you devoutly religious or not at all, fuels the soul. Your soul might be filled, but is your gut?

THAT LOAVES AND FISHES STORY MADE ME HUNGRY. [GO TO #6]

I’M NOT HUNGRY, BUT I AM INSPIRED. LET’S CARPE THIS DIEM! [GO TO #5] hood. You are 10 again as you bounce and test your trampolinedodge ball (yes, that is all one thing) and arcade game skills, or ride the mechanical bull. Now you’ve worked up an appetite. Are you down for a quick margarita and pulled-pork fajitas or do you prefer something a little less heartburn inducing?

BRING ON JALAPENO FLAVORED EVERYTHING.

[GO TO #6]

BUT MY ULCER IS ACTING UP.

[GO TO # 7]