Mama and I tagged along with Papa again. This time, his training brought us to the pretty city of Dallas! Yes, it's really pretty (even prettier than Houston, actually!)
It took us about four and a half hours to drive from Houston to Dallas. Halfway through, at Huntsville, we passed Big Sam on I-45. We didn't get to stop, though, we wanted to arrive in Dallas as early as we could. (So I just swiped a pic from someone else's site, hehe.)
The Sam Houston Statue is the tallest statue of an American Hero at 67 feet. Photo swiped from Here.
After checking in at our hotel in Irving, we decided to do some sight-seeing already. Why waste precious pasyal time, right? And so, we drove straight out to Fort Worth to drop by the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards.
Papa and Me at the arch of the almost deserted Stockyards. It was a Sunday, and not a lot of people were sight-seeing like us.
We were told to drop by Billy Bob's (The World's Largest Honky Tonk) for some authentic Texas entertainment (but we still don't know what Honky Tonk is exactly). Well, nothing much was happening, but we did go in (for a dollar per person) just to see what the inside of the club looked like.
Here's Mama and me outside, where it smelled like authentic bull poo.
Here I am inside Billy Bob's gift shop, trying out the leather rocking chair. Nice!
The club boasts of the handprints of some of the most famous country-western performers who have performed at Billy Bob's.
This is one of three walls of handprints.
LeAnn Rymes. One of Mama's favorite country singers.
Aww, bull riding on Fridays and Saturdays only. I guess we really went on the wrong day.
Oh well, better luck next time. :) Bye y'all!
So we just took a walk to see the rest of the area and, of course, to take some more pictures.
This is one of arches in the area. This one is along E Exchange Ave where some of the best dining can be had, especially if you want to feed your hungry herd.
For today though, our herd is more interested in taking pictures.
My mama doesn't even eat beef, but it's ok if she poses with it, hehe.
That's it for us and for Fort Worth. Back to Irving for us and the week ahead to meet and spend time with some good friends.
But not before trying to beat the heat of the Texas sun with a few floatie-assisted strokes with my Papa.
For most of the week, Mama and I just stayed at the hotel while Papa went on his training. On Thursday night, we got invited to dinner (and poker) at Tito Nick's house in Frisco, TX. On the way there, we drove down to Plano, TX to see our old friends from Charlotte, baby Gabby and her mommy, Tita Mel. It was a good thing that we saw them that day because they were flying out to Seattle on Saturday morning where they'll be moving to next! Of course, Papa volunteered to take them to the airport. :)
It was so nice to see them again. Gabby is so big now! Good luck in Seattle! We'll see you again really soon. :)
After Papa's training on Friday, we got invited again to have lunch at Tito Cleve's house where I got to play with Kuya Arclint. He's so nice! He even wrote cute little notes for me to take home. Tito Cleve's wife, Tita Arlene, is such a great cook! Papa loved her Baked Salmon, Mama loved her Salad, and I loved her Nilaga so much!
Kuya Arclint and me. I love meeting new friends!
Then, it's goodbye Las Colinas for us (Las Colinas is where we stayed. Nice area!). But first, we had to take a pic of the Mustangs, because that's what the area is known for. Located at Williams Square Plaza, the mustangs are the "largest equestrian sculptures in the world".
We shot the mustangs from a moving vehicle... with a camera, that is. The scupltures are so life-like and breathtaking!
From here, we drove a few miles to the Texas Stadium. Unfortunately, there was a party going on so we couldn't go in to take more pictures. Maybe, next time.
Home of the Dallas Cowboys.
My Papa, the Cowboy.
We wanted to take pictures at the American Airlines Center (because Mama is a Warriors fan, and you know what the warriors did to the Mavs last time), but traffic was so bad that we just decided to go directly to Tito Gilbert's house in Frisco, where we would be spending the night.
Papa and Tito Gilbert have been friends since their job stint in Thailand during the late 1990s. It has been a while since they've last seen each other, so this occasion was very momentous. :)
For dinner, Tito Gilbert and his family took us to Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse. Papa loved it (no diet today!), and Mama and I loved the battered shrimps.
Where the virtues of the Old West live on!
That's Mama and me with Tito Gilbert, Ate Gwyn, Tita Babes, and Ate Nikka (low-batt!). :)
Back at their home, I really enjoyed playing with Ate Gwyn and Ate Nikka, especially since they have a huge playroom with lots of toys!
My favorite toy is this big pink playhouse where the three of us could (very comfortably) play house.
But what I really really loved was making goofy faces with my goofy friends!
Thanks for welcoming us into your home, Tito Gilbert and Tita Babes! We hope you can come visit us in Houston one of these days. :)
Before heading home, we took the Trolley around Uptown Dallas. The best part is, it's a Free Ride! We got on the lovingly restored 1920-manufactured "Petunia" trolley, driven by the multi-lingual Arnold, at the Cityplace Station. The 3.9 mile ride was so relaxing, as well as very educational.
I'll upload the pics from Papa's camera as soon as I get them! Promise!
And, we also learned something new! According to Arnold, you can tell where a dollar was issued by looking at the letter printed on the bill. For example...
A "K" indicates that this dollar was issued by the Federal Reserve of Dallas. Others are: Boston (A), New York (B), Philadelphia (C), Cleveland (D), Richmond (E), Atlanta (F), Chicago (G), St. Louis (H), Minneapolis (I), Kansas City (J), and San Francisco (L).
And the "FW" on the right side of the bill indicates that the bill was printed in Fort Worth, TX.
So since this dollar is true Texan money, this bill is actually worth $1.35 (or equivalent to 1 euro). Whereas, some other bills are actually worth only $.68. Therefore, I am keeping my dollar. :)
And then, we drove by Dallas' Historic West End.
Founded in 1872, the West End offers visitors a glimpse of Dallas' past. Old buildings have been meticulously preserved (even though contemporary establishments are now housed there).
I wish we could have taken more pictures but, we were so pressed for time that we just decided to save our walking tour for later. Besides, we still had a last stop to make before heading home: the former Texas Book Depository at Dealy Plaza, now known as The Sixth Floor where Lee Harvey Oswald shot and assasinated JFK in 1973.
No photography allowed inside the building. Sorry.
On the way home, we passed the JFK Memorial, created by Philip Johnson in the 1970s. The square, spacious, roofless room, called a centograph (an open-tomb), symbolizes the freedom of Kennedy's spirit. As the website says, "this simple, concrete memorial to President Kennedy dominates a square in downtown Dallas 200 yards from where the President was assassinated. It is a space for contemplation, neither open nor closed."
It is intended to be "not a memorial to the pain and sorrow of death," but "a permanent tribute to the joy and excitement of one man's life."
And that concludes our Dallas trip. I've met new friends, had fun eating, and learned new and historical things as well. I'm sure we will be back. Mama wasn't even able to set foot at Neiman Marcus' headquarters yet... :)