Posted on 02/01/2013 2:42:49 PM PST by morphing libertarian
After a year of medical problems and working too many hours, taking short vacation. Dallas and San Antonio. Soliciting freeper tips and hot spots for senior tourist who can still walk.
When you go to Casa Rio on the Riverwalk to eat, catch the boat there for a Riverwalk boat tour. San Antonio is my favorite place to visit.
My mother, who once owned property in Oceanside, knew a realtor who was a parishioner at San Luis Rey.
I fled Dallas long ago. But I sure miss the way it was.
I second the nomination of the Dallas World Aquarium. It is totes awesome.
That caught my eye when I visited Austin in 2000. I was amazed that the ACLU hadn't gotten rid of it.
Just curious before I make a suggestion. Do you have kids that need to be entertained? Are you interested in upscale restaurants or home cooking?
I will say that as far as bbq goes, I would get off of the beaten path on my way up from San Antonio and go to Lockhart. Of course taste is subjective...but Black’s is the best I have ever eaten (outside of my own, lol).
God bless Texas! Great advice on this forum. I seriously want to move there in a couple of years I just have to establish my career first.
Just me
Love down home most types including chili and bar b q
Noted, sea world with grand pups three months ago
I’m fallen away and wife at Calvary chapel oside.
Coincidently we are both re brokers
Putting on my list thanx
Flying in
I have wires in my chest. I’ll eat some steer, but no rides. Lol
I read that you were going to Dealey Plaza. Afterwards, I would grab a sandwich and take a trek to Fountain Place on Ross Ave. It’s pretty cool. The Frontiers Of Flight at Love Field is very interesting...and the Perot Museum is really cool. I thoroughly enjoyed it...without kids.:)
Lots of great suggestions on this thread. I have to concur that Fort Worth is a friendlier environment. The Stock Show may sound like a cattle auction...but it really isn’t. It is a lot of fun. Lots to do.
Down home eating..Babe’s (several locations) is my fav. Served family style.
Hook, Line and Sinker (Lemmon Ave) serves excellent catfish, shrimp and grilled seafood.
Motor And Maple (location in name) serves a great homemade burger.
Although Texas is not the Mecca for Italian food..Sal’s Pizza (Wycliff Ave) rocks.
I hope you have a great trip!! Please report back!
They will help you up on the longhorn long enough to have your picture taken. We won’t tell that you didn’t actually ride it. ;*} Best of luck with your chest wires, Mr Ditter had the same 5 years ago and he is fine.
Checking out the Rodeo web page, I see them saying they were "the original indoor rodeo".
Which brings to mind one that used to be in Mansfield, which billed itself as the first permanent indoor rodeo (every Fri or Sat. nite, can't remember which.)
I'm afraid I couldn't find the place if I drove out there, since Mansfield and Arlington now blend into one another...been gone 30+ years and can scarcely recognize the place.
Guess now I'm going to have to Google "Kowbell". It used to be what Mansfield was known for. Now, everybody seems to be driving everywhere...and there's a lake covering where we used to cruise around drinking beer, with houses allover the places where we used to drive along slowly, mooing at the cows (and if you did it good enough, they'd moo back, hehheh).
Oh, well. I guess it wasn't that prime of farm or cattle land, in the first place, since if one didn't always stay after the tree growth, small scrubby sorts would soon take over.
I remember way back, when 303 (Pioneer Parkway) dead-ended coming from the West, at Collins...and there were not anything but older farm houses South of there (think 45 years or so back).
What was once South Arlington, is now called "East" Arlington. And not to be racist, but where the town was in those days predominantly white, that Collins/303 area is now predominantly Mexican and Southeast Asian, with some native born and raised black "Americans". Just talking with folks, I get along much better with them, than I do the uppity & suspicious Asians, though most everybody is fairly rude when behind the wheel. Hijab covered female drivers not looking to left or right, Hay-zues in his lifted pick-up truck with the sagging bumpers closely tailgating...what a pain. They make California drivers look quite civil in comparison (though not quite as rude as Connecticut Yankees, thank god!).
"East" Arlington has lots of Vietnamese businesses, some of which cater so exclusively to Vietnamese, that upon walking in the joint(s) just to check 'em out, I get hostile "what do you want" sort of questions. One gal, at a Vietnamese pool hall came running for the door (to close it!) when she saw me standing in it. Another place I couldn't figure out at all --unless it was an unmarked Asian massage parlor of some sort (bearing an obviously left-over-from the previous business at that location's signage). Looking in the tinted windows (most of the area Asian, Indian & Pakistani type business, even legitimate appearing restaurants seem to be fond of tinting the windows so darkly one cannot see in) all that was visible were over-stuffed couches and other lounge seating, but no customers. I asked multiple times "what is this place?", "what business is conducted here?". The young gal told me "people come here to 'watch the game' ".
"Game", huh? It's probably some sort of illicit gambling den, with maybe some prostitution on the side? What happened to the town? Section 8 came long ago in a big way, or so I was told some 20 years ago. That was credited to helping to bring many of the black people. Well, ok. But now, it's Indian/Paki Muslim, Vietnamese, and lots of Mexicans.
Like I said...I don't recognize the town, not this part, and I was around when it was all built. I wonder what 'ol gravel-throat Tom Vandergriff would think about the changes. To the North, near the old turnpike is Cowboy Stadium of course. And some portion of a cent extra in local sales taxes to help pay for it, and wonders to beat all (local) wonders, the Rangers have even been in contention, have been a winning team.
Ok all you Ranger fans...swear an oath. If Jerry Jones EVER tries to get his micro-managing hands on the Rangers, it's pitch-fork and torches time! Is anybody with me?
... I can't hear you. Say it LOUDER.
>>> the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum just off I-35 north of Waco
I agree. The museum also offer visitors a chance to pull out a Ranger’s revolver and experience how heavy it feels (.44 or .45 caliber with a long barrel). There’s lots to see at the museum.
As a teenager, where hwy 360 goes under I-20 and it's sweeping approach ramps, we used the lanes on the Northbound side as a short drag strip. From where the newly-built divided four-lane hwy terminated, just South of 1-20, it was 1/5th mile to the first bridge. That part of road was all but completely un-used in those days, with just a narrow country lane leading to the South...though that country road did bend off to the East too, if memory serves.
The cops pretty much left us alone, but a few got tickets. It *might* have been outside of city limits back then. Driving around, I see Grand Prarie limits go far to the South. Arlington had to "stop", and couldn't expand city limits boundaries as far going South, bumping up against Mansfield, I take it.
I would like to tour some Tx BBQ joints. We should get together along the way.
That was quite the history lesson.
I am a transplant that got here in 92.
As to Jerry Jones, I think it is well past pitchfork time LOL
San Antonio is the home of Tex-Mex food. You can’t go wrong at almost any Mexican food restaurant, but ask the friendly locals for their favorites.
Somebody mentioned Mi Tierra restaurant over in the mercado. The thing about Mi Tierra is that it is a 24 place that caters to all sorts of people who go there after a night on the town for some Tejano music and after midnight snacks. You might see high society people in formal clothes sitting next to a poor Mexican farm family or bikers or high school kids after their prom. So don’t go there before midnight.
Great side trip: Drive 25 miles on IH35 to New Braunfels and visit the restored old town of Gruene. Maybe eat some German food there or in New Braufels proper. Drive up the river road where cypress trees line the Guadalupe river to Canyon Lake. From the lake drive west to Hwy 281 S. to San Antonio again.
Slightly longer trip takes you to the quaint town of Fredericksburg where German settlers made peace with the Comanches that was never broken. More German food, a winery, and nice Hill Country scenery.
If you play gold there are lots of great courses open to the public all over the place.
Western Dance Hall: Midnight Rodeo has the original “race track” dance floor with bars in the center—and all around for that matter. Middle aged folks mingle with the twenty-somethings doing the two-step. Reasonable prices and not really a tourist joint. check our their web site: midnightrodeosanantonio.com/ for reviews and info.
Frankly, Dallas is like Atlanta is like Houston is like any number of American cities. Lots of high buildings and business but nothing you can’t see somewhere else. Forget Dallas and spend a week in San Antonio.
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