Favorite Texas Experiences

Favorite Texas Experiences

Monday, January 25, 2016

8:22 PM

As you may or may not know, last week I was able to spend about 36 hours in the great state of Texas. It was everything I imagined it would be: Cowboy hats, pick-up trucks, steaks, and really, really big. It also had some surprises for me as well: nice people, more nice people and a heck of a lot of nice people. It truly exceeded my expectations; but as in life, everything needs a list, so I've created a top 9 that really gets to the bottom of the greatness of my short vacation.

#9 - Steak. Unfortunately, I only had one, but it was really nice. I wanted to have a bit of Texas with all of my meals, but with time being very limited, I had to stop at McDonalds and T.G.I. Fridays once or twice. The time I was able to stop for steak was right on the Riverwalk, and it was a ribeye. There were at least 3-4 different ways I could have dressed it, but I was only interested in trying some good ol' Texas cattle without any of the fixings to make it pretty.

#8. 70 Degrees. Minnesotans reading this will understand. When I left, the airport thermometer read -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Screw that! Now when I landed in Dallas, it was cold. I got off the plane and I was still shivering. The pilot said that the temperature that morning was a robust 36 degrees. I said, we were supposed to land in Dallas… Texas. He laughed, but I didn't think it was funny. Anyway, once the sun came out for the day, temperatures were able to reach a comfortable 77 degrees, and I was able to strip down to the typical summer apparel, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Comfortable indeed.

#7. The San Antonio Bar Scene. Now granted, we were down there on a Tuesday night, so I wasn't expecting the world. And it certainly wasn't. But for a Tuesday night all 4 places that we went to were popping pretty good. We started with an Irish bar, and knocked back some Jameson. It was half full, but they had live music, and it didn't sound too bad. Then we hit up a trendy bar and paid trendy prices, but the bartender poured a beauty and it sent me from feeling good to watching where I was walking. People were nice and the doorman alerted us to a bar just above us that would stay open until 2. We 'worked' our way up the stairs and were able to avoid paying a cover cause the frontman thought us cool and came upon a full bar that still had 3 bartenders slaying drinks. Met the most delightful gentlemen from the same region of the state as my grandmother and we spent 20 minutes weighing the pros and cons of living in each of our current situations (San Antonio won). Bar close pushed us out, and we hit up one more bar, that not only served up a delicious Michelob Golden Light, but also allowed for a forty-five minute respite (while they swept, counted til, etc) from the long walk back to the hotel, in which we discussed the greatness of American Whiskey (There is none). Can't do that on a Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

Bar #3

#6. Drury Plaza. As a foreign exchange student many years ago, I was able to experience the 5 star hotel living and all the benefits of being part of such a great program. It took a many long years (16) to encounter similar living dalliances, but it was totally worth it. Kendall explained that breakfast would be free for us, and I thought, sweet free toast and cereal. Not exactly. Fruit, eggs, sausage, ham, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, and every other essential breakfast item was made available among a large list of hot and cold beverage options. I, of course, still went with some toast. I also don't remember falling asleep, which I would associate to a fantastic sleeping experience. The pillows were as soft as feathers, and I didn't even need a blanket due to the warmth of the city (Boom, 'Sota). The Plaza also backed up to the Riverwalk, which doesn't need explanation. A wonderful, once in a lifetime experience.

Elegance

#5. Texas Friendliness. I thought 'Minnesota Nice' was the nicest out-of-state opportunity that people would encounter whenever they were away for their travels. And I'm still sure that we are a very nice people that have your best interests in mind whenever one searches for help. But, Texas. Oh, Texas. So, as I got off the airplane in Dallas and had to seek out a departure monitor to figure out the next step, an elderly gentleman in a cowboy hat and boots (Yes!) approaches me and asks if he can be of some assistance. Sure, just need to know why there aren't any connecting flights to San Antonio being shown. He laughed, and said, "That's how we fool you outta-towners. This isn't Kansas anymore." Ha, wait what?! Then he went on to inform me that the screen hadn't been updated from the night before and that everything would still be correct and current. In a beautiful twist, I was standing in front of my gate for my departure to San Antonio. In one final gesture, he said he'd lead me to where I needed to be, and then proceeded to take a step forward (Classic!). I had time to kill so I went over to T.G.I. Friday's and had some breakfast. Bartender asked my reasons for being in Dallas, and then left me alone until I asked for the check. She proceeded to wish me a great week in Texas (I wish), and I was on my way to San Antonio... Finally, checkpoint America. So on my way back to San Antonio from my grandmother's place, I was stopped in a line at some sort of checkpoint in which they likely ask a question or two about the why's and when's of your travel. K9's and all that fun stuff. Another cowboy-hatted sheriff steps up and says, "pull your car over there". I'm like, what? Oh, wait, of course, he can see the color of my skin. So I pull into some parking space, and the conversation goes something like this.

"How are things tonight?"

"Good officer, how are you?"

"We just need to do a random search. That's an accent, where are you from?"

"Minnesota."

"Are you taking any drugs to Minnesota?"

"That's a long way to take drugs. No, no drugs to Minnesota, sir."

Checks out the dog, who looks bored. "Well then, have a great night."

Awesome.

#4.  The Open Road and 80 M.P.H. Opportunities.  On a US map, San Antonio to Mission doesn't look like much of a trip at all. So imagine my surprise when the GPS told me it would take 3 hours and 41 minutes between starting/ending points. Wait, so essentially I'm going to Green Bay? Yikes, maybe I should've thought through this more. I get behind the wheel of the 2016 Chevy Impala (Thanks again, Kendall) and begin my journey. Typical for me I get 3 red lights out of 4 before I can get on the freeway. Then once on there, I get to go 70. Wow, sweet, 70 is nice for being in the middle of the city. Maybe I can put the car at almost 80 and really get going down to the border. And I am literally flying past every car on the freeway. What the hell? How come nobody is going over the speed limit? Oh, that's right, because down in Texas it's not a recommended speed, it's the top speed. Well, that sucks. So I slow the car down back to 70, but realize I shouldn't be mad, because 70 is still hauling it pretty nicely. Then it jumped up to 75.  Then, about an hour out of the city, it jumped up to 80. Holy crap! I don't even go 80 in Illinois! I may have spent almost 8 hours in the car during the journey from San Antonio down to the tip and back, but it sure flew by.

Note: There are speed traps up the ass down there. I encountered 2 on the way down, and about 8 on the way back. A car that I assumed had been going about 3 M.P.H. over when they passed me, got pulled over about 3 miles later. I wondered if they were lenient about it, but wasn't really interested in finding out.

#3. The Riverwalk. Oh my goodness. If the Mississippi River could ever be considered sexy, this is what it would be. It wasn't even a quarter of a mile wide, and it was probably only about 2 feet deep (maybe 3 or 4), but the entire city revolved around the goings of this particular area. It had restaurants. It had waterfalls. It had little information kiosks in which you could discover new and interesting things about the city and river. It had a tiny little park. There were hotels. There were bars. Shopping areas. It was like a boardwalk without an ocean, but it didn't damper the experience one bit. I wish I could explain more of it to you, but I just think that those that have already been will understand, and those that haven't been yet need to go. No words can do it justice.

How do these people work?

#2. Spending time with the Lange and Wood families. 17 (!!!) years ago, we were just little asshole exchange students with our wannabe swagger, and our little itty bitty problems that teenagers worry about that really don't matter. And it was a hell of a year. Those wonderful experiences led to the friendships that social media for the most part has allowed us to maintain over the years. And FB gave us a big push as Kendall and I used it to communicate to even design a trip like this, and it allowed our friend Sarah to see that we were hanging out in a city that has now become her home (while I thought she still lived in Canada). Sometimes I think that opportunities create the friendships, but it's better when friendships create the opportunities. And I'd like to thank you both for this great experience in one of my now favorite world cities. We wouldn't have been friends without the opportunity for exchange, and the luck of the placement that put all of us in the same district, but it's our maintained friendship that allowed for us to seamlessly reenter those fun and beautiful times over lunch and that haven't gone away with the aging of our lives.

#1. Donnie and Caleb. While my cousin and I aren't close like brothers would be, I was really sad to hear that he would be moving down to Texas to take care of our grandmother starting last June. I was 13 years older, and so we never really went through the same life experiences, but during the few moments that we did spend together, they were always fun and I learned a lot from him (Hooked on a Feeling, my brother). My grandmother who at 92 is still probably more alert to life then I'll ever be, is someone that I had only seen twice over the past 12 years and we really hadn't had the time to get to know each other again through those two experiences (my wedding and my grandfather's passing). It was because of this that I was even interested in taking a trip down to Texas in the first place. I just wanted to share some memories of the person that I have become, and get to know the grandma that I had always had, but just not so fortunate enough to see over the years. We had about 4 hours together, and they were really great. She loves Jeopardy as much as I do. We both share the same wit (Vodka on the rocks should not be served in anything other than a small, round glass (I served it in a glass mug). We both love some sarcasm. We both love politics. We're both introverted, but enjoy other people's company. For 4 hours on a Tuesday afternoon, I'm glad I got to have theirs.