Here are some of the highlights of the trip.
1.) Real Texas BBQ- After RJ picked me up from the airport we went directly to a place called Railhead BBQ.
I didn’t know what I was in for, so I just went with the sampler platter. The platter contained delicious, moist ribs (the meat was literally falling off the bone), pulled pork, baked beans that I didn’t touch, coleslaw, barbecue sauce, two slices of white bread that seemed out of place even when I made a half sandwich with the pulled pork, and a gigantic goblet of beer that was pre-frozen (the goblet, not the beer) so much so that chunks of ice formed in the beer almost instantly. It was as if I were drinking a chemist’s concoction and not a beer, but it was phenomenal.
2.) Lockheed Factory Tour- RJ works for Lockheed Martin, which is a defense/technology based company that makes fighter jets, weapons, etc. for the U.S. government. The Fort Worth location manufactures three different types of fighter jets, so I got my American pride on as I toured the facility.
The place is enormous, which I guess makes sense because they build planes there. I wish I had a pedometer on during my visit because I’m pretty sure that I walked for over 2 miles just checking things out. My favorite part was the stealth paint color that reflects radars because it’s apparently such a high valued technology that if a drop gets in an employee’s hair the company will cut it all off before you can leave the premises.
3.) In & Out Burger- People on the West Coast crank it to In & Out Burger, so when I saw one in Dallas I made sure that we went there. I ordered a double double with fries and chocolate milkshake. The burger was amazing, but the fries were horrible…and I was hammered. Usually everything tastes great when I’m drunk, but these fries were brutal. The hype around In & Out Burger may be through the roof, but I’d much rather have Five Guys or Whataburger.
4.) Dealey Plaza- In case you don’t know, I was a politics minor in college and I’m a bit of a history buff, so when I decided to go to Dallas the first thing I wanted to do was go to Dealey Plaza. I’m sure most of you are asking yourself, “What’s Dealey Plaza?” Dealey Plaza is where JFK was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. Don’t worry if you didn’t know that. I went to check it out with someone (RJ’s girlfriend) who thought JFK was assassinated in Washington DC and she lived in Texas for over a year. I think it’s safe to say that it’s the most famous murder in American history (most famous murder in history is probably Caesar, right?), especially because of the conspiracy theories about who may have played a role in its execution.
View from the Grassy Knoll
We were able to tour the 6th floor of the Texas School Book depository (where Lee Harvey Oswald fired at JFK), take pictures from the Grassy Knoll (where many believe a second shooter was located), and stand on the two X’s in the street which indicate where the presidential motorcade was when JFK was first hit and where he was when his head was blown off. It was a very cool feeling to take in such a historical site.
5.) Gun range- For the first time in my life I unloaded a gun that wasn’t attached to my body. I figured that if I was in Texas I had to shoot a gun, so it was probably #2 on my to do list. I was dumping my pants on the way to the range because of all the safety concerns, but it was more of a nervous anxiety. I was nervous about doing something wrong or against protocol, but also anxious to feel what it was like to pull the trigger on an actual fire arm.
The feeling of shooting a gun is unlike any feeling I’ve ever experienced. It is absolutely exhilarating to wield so much power. The avalanche of adrenaline adds to this feeling of invincibility, but there is also something calming and liberating about it.
6.) Authentic Dr. Pepper- People drink Dr. Pepper like it’s water down in Texas. In fact, it was invented in the 1880’s by a man named Charles Alderton in Waco. The first bottling plant was established in the nearby town of Dublin and it’s still in operation. It’s also the only plant that still uses the original formula because in the 1970’s all of the other bottling plants began to use cheaper corn sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup) instead of the original sugar. The Dublin plant only ships their Dr. Pepper to stores within a 44 mile radius, so I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to taste the original product while in Texas because Dallas is about 100 miles northeast of Waco. Apparently some of the stores in the 44 mile radius sell the original sugar variety to retail chains (Walmart) in Dallas, so I had the opportunity to try to the real formula. My expectations were naturally high and the original sugar variety didn’t exactly meet them. The difference, to my admittedly weak palate, was negligible.
7.) Honky Tonk Bar- We went to a bar on Friday night and if I didn’t know any better I would have thought I was in NYC or Boston. Looking around no one looked like they were from Texas. So on Saturday RJ took me to the area of Forth Worth known as The Stockyards.
We went to a bar called Cadillac’s that was as honky tonk as honky tonk gets. They were playing country songs that avid country fans from the Northeast have most likely never heard of and everyone in the bar knew all of the words. I saw about 4 Texas Rangers baseball hats and about 50 cowboy hats. 75% of the guys were dressed like they just came from the rodeo. In fact, all of the TVs in the bar were showing the rodeo. People were doing the Texas Two Step in a small area designated for dancing like it was going out of style. The age range of the clientele was about 20-60 and there was a nice mix. I swear, I felt more out of place than the lone black guy in the bar dressed in Cowboy garb. That all said, I thought it was awesome.
8.) Cowboy Stadium- Although there were plenty of reasons for me to go to Dallas, the main reason was to see Cowboy Stadium. Back in 2009 it made my Top 10 list of sports venues that every fan needs to experience and I’m glad that I got to check it off my list. First and foremost, the video screen is as advertised…enormous.
I spent about 66% of the game looking at it. That might have something to do with the fact that we didn’t get actual tickets to the game. We got party passes and had to stand on the concourse for the entirety of the game, but I snuck up to watch the game with my own eyes a few times and even walked down a level and stood in the last row for the last 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter and first 7 minutes of the 4th quarter.
The fact that the Giants came back from a 12 point deficit in the final 3:14 made my experience in the stadium that much sweeter.
1 comment:
shot a gun for the first time a little while back in Denver with the future father in law.. you described it very well
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