Dallas

In Slovakia we have a Day of Martin who always arrives on his white horse (which means it should snow) when I fly to the capital of Texas, to the town of cowboys and wild horses. Quite poetic…

 When we finally arrive to Dallas after a 15-hour long flight and check-in to Hilton Hotel, I drop my uniform and join the cockpit crew for a dinner. I feel like the male company is better choice than shopping with girls who went straight after flight to the nearest mall. One of the pilots chooses the nearby Twin Peaks restaurant, where the staff wears very cheeky uniforms, looking more like cheerleaders than waitresses. However, when I have a first bite of my juicy, slightly bloody steak and sip of the beer from a local brewery with the funny name Dirty Brunette, I know I have chosen right…

The next morning I want to get to know the city better. My options are either to visit the Museum of J.F. Kennedy, who was murdered just during his Promenade in Dallas, or go to Southfork Ranch known from the famous Dallas series of 80’s. Do you remember Bobby, Sue Ellen, Lucy and J.R.? Eventually, however, I choose to visit the cowboy town of Fort Worth Stock Yards, which is a nice reminder of the Wild West times with its architecture and tourist activities. No one wants to join me, so I’m going alone. I just have to download the Uber taxi app, because without a car in USA you are lost. For less than $ 40 and an hour of journey, I’ll get off  in front of the hall where rodeo shows take place from time to time.

The town has a nice Wild West atmosphere. It is full of western bars and shops with cowboy boots, clothing, accessories and riding sets. Here, among the parked cars, even real cowboys on their horses are parking and posing for tourists. For $ 5 you can hop on a saddled buffalo with its big horns and have a picture taken. And if you arrive to the town at the right time, you can catch a cattle parade when a herd of cattle and horses run down the street. In addition, you can also find here a walk of fame with the stars belonging to the most famous and brave cowboys of all time, a western museum and a studio where you can try old costumes.

Me personally was most impressed by the old wooden maze. Whoever dares, can try to find a way out. Before entering, everyone gets a watch that counts down a time. I notice that some of the parents let their children enter the maze, while they climb on the top of the wooden tower, and from there they are navigating their kids to find their way out. Since I am alone here, without anybody to help me, I do not want to wander in the maze for all night, so I have to skip this activity. I rather go to the old railway station, which now works as a center of bars, restaurants, and western artists attracting tourists with their cowboy skills.

Throughout the day I wander around the city, look into shopping windows, take photos and enjoy the shy sun. But when the sun goes down and before I have to go back to the hotel, I stop by at the restaurant for another proper American steak. Next to me at the bar, a very nice American couple is sitting, approx. in an age of my parents. They came to Dallas for their favorite western band concert. We start chatting and after a while we are showing each other photos of pets, children and friends. Conversation continues with gossiping about newly elected President Donald Trump. It’s true, Americans are really very warm people. I have made new friends and got a sincere invitation to visit them in Colorado…  And here we go, another destination was added on my bucket list… 🙂