LGA-DFW-LAX
Next stop: Dallas, Texas. Yee haw! I flew out of La Guardia, another airport that can be an awful experience if you time it wrong. My suggestion is to not travel during peak times -- but if you must, arrive extra early. Fortunately I had a 3 p.m. flight, so I missed the crazy evening peak travel (and the power outage that occurred a few days later -- here's that story). My flight to DFW and then to LAX were both on an American Airlines MD80. Both were 3 hours long, and went by quickly. Interestingly, on my trip to L.A. the American Airline agent charged me $25 because my bag weighed 57 lbs. -- 7 over the limit. I was running late, so I had no time to start taking items out. Before I paid the fee I said, "I didn't get charged yesterday for the same bag." The agent replied, "You got lucky." I asked, "What if you're an elite member, or have a first class ticket?" She said, "Here at American we treat everyone the same." I like that attitude -- but I don't know how many elite members or first class passengers do.

AA NEXT GENERATION BUSINESS CLASS
I was in Dallas for only 16 hours. That's good, because it was HOT: 100 degrees! I was there to check out American Airlines' new Business Class seats, which will be installed on every 767-300 and 777 by the end of 2007. Currently, only one 767-300 boasts the new seats. I'll write a more in-depth article about them when I actually get a chance to fly in one of those planes. It's difficult to tell what they're really like just by seeing them at their headquarters and the factory. They do look amazing, and I like some of the features such as a dual tray table, so passengers can simultaneously eat and work.

AMERICAN AIRLINES HEADQUARTERS (DALLAS)
As an airline buff it was a huge treat to visit American's headquarters and see their daily operations. The entrance features a huge map of the world, with marks in the cities that American and its partners serve. Afterwards we drove 30 minutes to Fort Worth, to see those new seats being manufactured. This was my first visit to an aircraft seating manufacturer, so it was another special opportunity. The company American (and 8 other airlines) use, Recaro Aircraft Seating, Inc., is based in Germany. It specializes in seats for luxury cars like Porsche and Ferrari � and, of course, airline seats.

EMBASSY SUITES
In Dallas I stayed at an Embassy Suites close to the airport. This was my first time at an Embassy Suites in a long while, and I was quite impressed. For $109 guests get a huge suite, including a bedroom, a living room separated by a clean bathroom, two TVs, phones and a kitchenette. It's perfect for business travelers on extended stays, and families. Other perks: The staff was very friendly, and guests get free access to a huge American breakfast, workout room, pool and airport shuttle (it's 10 minutes to and from the airport � call for pickup when you land). Wireless internet costs only $9.95 a day, but if you are a Hilton Honors member (it's free to join) the patchy service is free. Embassy Suites Hotel Dallas - DFW Intl Airport South, 4650 W. Airport Freeway, Irving, TX, tel.: 972-790-0093.

DEALEY PLAZA
On the way to dinner we stopped at Dealey Plaza. There is a tribute to President Kennedy, and an "X" in the road a few feet from the Grassy Knoll marks the spot where he was tragically shot. It's almost surreal walking around there. Of course, though, a bunch of people are trying to capitalize off the assassination. I actually was impressed by this fast-talking, friendly man selling Conspiracy Newspapers for $5. He seemed to know more facts than my history professor.

IRON CACTUS
Just a few blocks down from Dealey Plaza, I had dinner with some friends and employees from American Airlines. They took me to the Iron Cactus, which serves up tasty Tex-Mex. The restaurant is nicely decorated, but I bet during the day it's a lot more crowded. This downtown business area was eerily quiet in the evening. Each table gets fresh chips and two kinds of salsa. We started with fresh guacamole, made at the table ($8.95). I ordered the pollo relleno (tender breast of chicken stuffed with cornbread and cheese), served over rice with jalapeno cream sauce and sauteed herbed vegetables ($14.95). A fat-free meal like that wouldn't be complete without dessert. Iron Cactus, 1520 Main St., Dallas, TX; tel.: 214-749-4766. For more click HERE.