DFW, Part IV
The worst part about Dallas….

I arrived at the airport slightly earlier than intended as I had thought my departure time was at 7 p.m., but it was actually at 7:20 p.m.

I can deal with this. I head to the President’s Club and begin to set up. I have about an hour; I can get a few things done on the computer and have a free glass of wine (or two!) At 6:45 they announce, “Last call for alcohol.” When I go to the front desk to enquire how long they are actually open, I find out that my flight is delayed. I make a beeline to the bar and ask for two glasses of red.

Only to be denied.

I was told that you are not allowed to have two glasses of alcohol sitting in front of you in Dallas. Wow. That’s something I never would have expected. No more trips to Dallas on the schedule. But definitely an experience to remember….

DFW, Part III
As if the Swingers club weren’t enough….

R and I walked all over downtown Dallas on Sunday morning. We watched people heading into church.

We walked in a park and stumbled upon a cute shopping area with a few restaurants. After lunch and waiting for the downpour to stop, we headed back to find the car. And then we observed our second instance from the dark side. Why I didn’t break out the camera when we was just two meters from me, I’ll never understand.

Welcome to the Lone Star State

DFW, Part II
Exploring

R and I stopped and had sushi on the way to the hotel. Does it seem inherently wrong to eat sushi in Texas? In a landlocked city?
The following day we explored a bit and did some shopping. We had dinner and went back to the hotel. R said that we could not possibly be so lame as to not go out for the night. He forced me to drag my sorry rear off the bed and head out. He said, “We should go dancing. Maybe we’ll find a place that has karaoke.” (Okay, so he knows, karaoke, or at least the mention of it, perks me up.)
We’re driving down the freeway and I see a large sign flashing “Karaoke Tonight” at the Sterling Hotel. We take the next exit and maneuver our way to the hotel. Once inside, we ask where the karaoke is. As we stand in the doorway observing the scene, I say to R, “Let’s get out of here.” It’s scary. Something is just not right. R, Mr. Outgoing and Sunny Personality, makes a comment about the karaoke to the front desk staff. They inform us that if we don’t like the karaoke, there’s a swingers club on a different floor. Dallas is an interesting place….

DFW
“Oh my God! I don’t fit in here!”

Usually, I feel comfortable in any city, on any continent: even those continents where it is quite obvious that I am not a member of that particular society. However, as a good friend once made the argument, Texas is a republic, so maybe it is another country….
Well, I got off the plane and headed outside to wait for R wearing Teva flip-flops, jeans, and a fitted t-shirt type tank. I know that I would feel right at home in either SoCal or Virginia Beach. But apparently not here. As I hung up my phone and came a bit out of my daze, I noticed an enormous red pick-up stopping for a woman a few feet from me. She was dressed to the nines, high heels, big hair, lots of jewelry, very, very flashy, and she was picking up her luggage to get into the red truck. I don’t know; this just somehow made me feel completely underdressed and out of place as “Oh my God! I don’t fit in here!” ran through my head. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear cowboy boots, but I’ll wear sandals 365 days a year if the weather permits.

Taste of Chicago

M, this is a culinary experience you would love….

A couple of months ago, I went to Taste of Chicago. I’d been to “Taste of” festivals in a couple of other places, but this really takes the cake. Just the enormity of the festival is a wonder in and of itself. Then there are all the different kinds of food. My Lord! I spent $21 on 33 tickets which was more than enough food and drink. Most booths offered four different food items, each ranging from 4 to 8 tickets per item. Each booth also had a “taste portion” for 3 tickets which was one of the items in a smaller portion. Quite few times the item I really wanted to taste was not the “taste portion” which meant I had to decide if I really wanted something that big. Unfortunately, several hours later, my stomach was completely done, but my brain was eyeing all the things I couldn’t possibly shove down and retain. I hope I’ll be able to go again next year, but I’ll need to make a few adjustments to my trip. My highest recommendation: go with someone you are totally comfortable with, who has similar food tastes, and above all someone with whom you don’t mind sharing bites of the same food. Some may call it unsanitary, I call it a way to sample more of the delectable looking items.