Never say “I’m bored” again April 28, 2009

So, I get it, you’re lazy like me and are constantly bored. Finding things to do in DFW has been difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are my great sources when trying to find stuff to do locally:

1. DFW Quick This addendum to the Dallas Morning News is available everywhere – street corners, coffee shops, grocery stores, parking garages, I always find a place to pick one up wherever I’m going. Page to the Day Tripper and see what they recommend you do today. Also check out their drink specials chart in the back if you’re planning on going out. They have a website but it isn’t as well thought out as the paper version. Sorry guys, check it out old school.

2. Dallas Observer Contrary to the Quick, I dont believe I’ve ever actually picked up a Dallas Observer in person. I’m not even sure where I would do that. But, the “Best Bets” and Events section of their website has every activity ever listed. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to sort through the mass amount but it is guarunteed to have plenty of ideas. One downfall: no pictures, and rarely links to websites you need for more information.

3. Upcoming on Yahoo If you have a yahoo account, you already have this nifty little feature on your homepage, and you probably never even noticed. When you’re logged in, to the right of the weather is a link that says “events in your hometown.” Click it and explore! I enjoy the layout of this site a little more than the others as it seems to be designed by someone with eyes instead of spreadsheets.  The only thing is that it does not cover the whole metroplex, but lists events by city/suburb.

Where conspiracy theories meet drinking April 28, 2009

When you talk to people who aren’t from the US, the two things they recognize Dallas for are : 1. That’s where Bush is from (ick!!) and 2. That’s where JFK got shot. Nevermind how long it’s been since then, Dallas will forever be known for these two sad reasons. Although I’ve never been, the 6th floor museum is in downtown and (i’ve heard) well worth the visit. At the itme of JFK’s assasination, the building was a Book Depository, and Lee Harvey Oswald was one of the employees. He was known to fire shots fromt he 6th floor window, which today has been turned into a museum dedicated to the life and memory of President Kennedy. After checking out the museum, searching the grassy knoll nearby, and standing in the street where it all happened, I suggest you head out to Lee Harvey’s.

The little stone and log shack where Lee Harvey Oswald lived has since been turned into a cool, local bar off the map. It’s intensely Texan, with a large patio with fire pit and picnic tables to enjoy your drink in the fresh air, and it’s becoming well known for hosting hip live shows with undiscovered bands. It’s won several awards from the Dallas Observer over the years, including best onion rings, best campfire, and best place to troll for tail. I personally name it the best place to get drunk and talk conspiracy theories about Lee Harvey, you might need to keep it down though, I bet the government is listening.

Momma needs a new pair of shoes! April 28, 2009

So I will admit, this particular activity isn’t technically in Dallas, but it is a great way to spend a sleepless night in a whole different atmosphere. An hour north off I-35, just across the TX/OK border is Winstar Casino, run off of the Indian Reservation. I’m not a huge gambler myself, but packing in the car with some friends, making a short road trip, and winning some and losing some can be alot of fun. I’m not a card player, so I usually will take $50-150 and spend the whole time playing the nickel slots. Unlike most casino visits, not everyone comes back a loser. In fact, after some observations, I’ve found that most people who play here will end up with more money than they came with at some point. However, as is the human condition, most people will inevitably play until they’ve lost all they won, and walk away with nothing. As long as you come with the mindset they you’re spending the money you come with, or if you’re strong willed enough to walk away while you’re up, it’s a great experience. But, never put more $ on your playing  card than you’re willing to lose. Although the Casino is 18 and up instead of the usual 21 and up, it is still a casino. Expect the entire place to be swarming with cigarette smoke and little old ladies wearing visors. The typical casino perhaps in Vegas or Shreveport will offer free alcoholic drinks to it’s customers, but Winstar offers soda fountains freely placed. Endless mountain dew keeps you on a sugar/caffeine high to gamble all night, as the casino is open 24/7. Since I’m usually broke, this becomes an expensive activity, so I don’t go too often. However, it makes a nice trip on the occasional night where you’re not tired, and itching for an adventure. Winstar also offers comics and entertainers frequently, with discounted ticket prices (with the assumption you’ll gamble the rest of your money in the Casino). There is a hotel onsite, and a gas station where anything that the government taxes will be much much cheaper (booze, cigarettes). It’s worth the trip, every now and then. Especially when gas is cheap and you have $50 to spend. You might have $150 to win!

Lets play pretend… I’m going to be cultured! April 27, 2009

Whenever you visit foreign cities or countries, and you page through your trafalgar guide book, inevitably there is a whole section devoted to museums. This is an interesting phenomena to me because when you’re actually in your home town, museums are considered very boring, “educational”, and intended for school field trips – so why do people only want to visit them if they don’t live there? Dallas is a bit more classy than people might think at first, and we do actually have some museums worth visiting. Now, the best thing to do when visiting a museum, especially artsy ones like I’ll be telling you about, is to take a chick there on a date. Trust me boys, nothing makes a better impression than pretending to care about “culture”. But, while you’re there with the girl you’re trying to woo (this trick won’t work if she already knows you well), you might actually enjoy yourself. One of the most remarkable places in Dallas is the Nasher Sculpture Center. I know, the name makes it sound stuffy and …weird. Trust me, you find plenty of weird stuff there but it will also be fascinating. When the Nashers were shopping around their money and idea for this Sculpture center some of the most prestigious cities in the world were vying for the honor but their hometown of Dallas won out in the end. So, any the any different 3D works of art showcased are truly world class. But, by far the best part of the Center is their outdoor sculpture center. On a nice day, bring a picnic and enjoy the oasis in the middle of downtown.

Right across the street (literally) from the Nasher is the Dallas Museum of Art. With student discounts, and bonus free entry on the first Tuesday of the month and Thursday nights, it’s well worth taking a walk through The DMA’s vast collection of artwork. Although you usually have to pay extra to see the visiting exhibitions, they are usually worth every penny. The current (and very popular) exhibition is a collection from King Tut’s tomb. “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs brings more than 130 treasures from King Tut’s tomb, as well as from other ancient Egyptian sites, to America. Almost all of these artifacts, 118 of them, have never before been seen in the U.S.” Although you will probably have to pay for metered parking (and learn how to parallel park) downtown, making a day trip of these two sights makes the perfect lazy sunday afternoon. You will even be able to be proud of something you did over the weekend, for once, and pretend to be cultured. Well worth the trip.

Meat and Mead April 27, 2009

Are you a huge fan of dungeons and dragons? Do you feel rejected or misunderstood by people born in this century? Do you have an unexplainable fear of robots? Then have I got the activity for you!! Every spring the Scarborough Renaissance Faire comes to Dallas and thousands of nerds, weirdos, history buffs, wenches and drunk people descend upon the fairground. Most people who grew up in Dallas visited with a school group, but I had the pleasure of going for the first time last year. Tickets are pricey at $22 for adults, but there is a unbelievable amount of medieval crap to keep you entertained. Shows and history lessons rotate all day, with demonstrations from different craftsmen such as glassblowing, leatherworking, blacksmithing, pottery etc. scheduled for onlookers. The majority of the appeal to men, as described to me by Charlie and Ricky, is getting to whack things with swords all day, eat turkey legs, call me “wench”, and drink lots of mead. I’m sure the abundant cleavage (courtesy of period-costume corsets) didn’t upset them either. For me, the glassblowing, trying on costumes, funnel cakes and people-watching were of more interest. Like any festival, expect to drive about 30-45 mins (south of DFW), and come home at the end of the day drunk, sunburned, and completely broke. But, as for uniqueness and originality, I’d say it’s worth going at least once, possibly once a year if you like old english, old people who play pretend, or Mead (which is delicious).

It's so easy to make Charlie happy.

Glassblowing! A lost art... unless you count people who blow glass for headshops.

Ah, the joys of period costume.

Why Dallas is better than Austin April 21, 2009

Recently I’ve been exploring the possibility of grad school, both at UTD, and at UT in Austin. Although the UT program is more nationally recognized, I’ve been doing some research on living in Austin and I have to say that I’d rather be here in Dallas. Most Texans that I talk to seem to view Austin as the younger and hip cousin to Dallas, which I think is a bit of a stereotype. Even though Austin is known for partying on 6th Street and their multitude of funky vintage stores, I’ve discovered that there is nothing in Austin that you can’t find in Dallas (usually cheaper). Not to mention that if you scout the whole DFW metroplex, we have alot more to offer. Other than having no place to park and being expensive, there’s really one thing that REALLY bothers me.

And that brings me to the people of Austin. OH, the people. I have such dislike for them. In Austin, on my various visits to there, there are two types of people you will meet (if you’re around the UT campus and my age. Which, lets face it – the UT campus IS Austin). First, you have the pretentious, narcissistic hipsters. The snobbiest of yuppies in Highland Park cannot rival the disdain hipsters have for people who are normal. They will beat you down with their diatribes on how everything alternative is sooooo much better than mainstream, from the way they fix their hair (just a little spiky, to the left) to the organic, gluten-free tofu burger they’re eating, to the music they’re listening to on their so-not-mainstream ipod (bands so indie, they haven’t even been invented yet!). Now, don’t get me wrong. I dig the occasional organic soda, and I’ve been to the odd-indie concert. But I’ve dove into hipster-ville long enough to learn that their tastes are not what bother me. It’s by and large, the attitude. I’m an equal oppurtunity person, and I’ll try anything once. But I absolutely canNOT stand people who have so much conviction that their opinion is the only one that matters. Because of it they have to look down on you, beat you up about it, and then preach to you the error of your ways. Southern Baptists do this also, as an interesting point of fact. Austin hipsters do this with pop culture instead of Jesus. Coincidentally, these are also the people who think Austin is so freakin’ cool and hipster-ish it should be it’s own state. (That is a direct quote as a matter of fact).

Wondering what constitutes a hipster? Play some Hipster Bingo!

If you are brave enough to venture around Austin on a Saturday night you will meet the other half of the Austin population: the wasted college kid. This guy is piss drunk and everything about him creams “I’m THAT guy.” He’s got his burnt orange shirt with the popped collar, and he’s stumbling around screaming obscenities about why Longhorns football is the best in the world. The female version of this has a skanky shirt on, with a breast hanging out or two, and she’s giggling while trying to flirt with a telephone pole. Both of these kids are students whose parents work very hard to send them to school. Both of these kids spend 5 nights a week in this drunken state of confusion. In the waking hours of noon to 3pm when they are sober, you can ask them about college and Austin, why they like it here, and they’ll only be able to mumble something insipid about why their school is great. I’m fairly sure they have no idea what city they’re in. Meeting these people at a party is the absolute worst, because enthusiasm for their school is shortly transferred to talking about drinking games as if they were olympic sports.

Google image search "That guy" and this photo comes up from an actual UT fansite. Yeah, not kidding.

I’m sure there are the odd normal people in Austin, and I probably haven’t been in the right places to run into them. But the multiple time I’ve visited Austin, with different groups of people, staying different places, I find these two living stereotypes as the majority of people I meet. And that’s depressing, because it’s really hard to like a city when the people there are horrible. And I even like New York! I’m not saying Dallas doesnt have annoying hipsters (we do) or wasted college kids (atleast a few) but they dnt make up the seemingly majority of the population nor are they the welcome wagon that rolls out to visitors. I just like to think that they can Keep Austin Weird and I’ll be staying right here where people are down to earth.

Deep Ellum Arts Festival April 14, 2009

Deep Ellum used to be the uber-hip, indie, underground, artsy place to go to in downtown dallas. Full of all the hottest clubs, bars, and strange people, it started to attract the attention of real estate developers about 5 years ago. Since then, it has sadly been mishandled by corporate america and has become the half-finished, abandoned bastard child of downtown. Developers have chased out and pushed away all of the people who made this place wonderful and strange, yet have not built anything new or revitalized other than some outrageously expensive psudeo-hip “lofts”.

But the place is not completely ruined. The Deep Ellum Arts Fesitval is a remnant of it’s glory days that still manages to draw a crowd. Usually the first weekend in April, Artists turn out to line the streets to sell their work or provide demonstrations. As an artist myself I enjoy wandering the streets and being harshly judgemental. There are always the batty old women “artists” who paint bowls of fruit or something insipid, but there are also people you wouldn’t suspect there. Young people of all sorts with really interesting points of view, make art both interesting and fresh. Galleries in deep ellum open their doors for the weekend for onlookers to wander in and out and of course, you also have your typical street fair junk food available. You’ll also see lots of people wandering around with their dogs as they have the annual pet parade Sunday at noon. The pet parade validates all the crazy people who put their animals in stupid outfits the other 364 days of the year. Admission is free and emerging Dallas muscisians play on several stages throughout the day. I have a friend who lives in the area, so I parked at his apartment but generally parking will cost you about 5$ for the day. Altogether, it’s a nice way to spend a spring afternoon even if you aren’t the arsty kind. Plus, then you can always pretend to be cultured and pretentious.

Not Just Another Day at the Movies… April 7, 2009

When we’re sitting around looking for something to do and someone suggests that we go catch a movie I usually groan with boredom. Everyone remembers those days growing up when you couldn’t drive and you weren’t old enough to do anything but get dropped off by your parents at the movie theater or the mall. On top of that “last-resort-entertainment” association, the price of movie tickets has skyrocketed in the past few years to as much as $15/ticket! Very, very rarely do I ever want to see a movie that much. The amount of other perverse, freaky, weird, and fun things I can do for $15 far outstrips a movie. But, thats not to say that it isn’t occassionally fun to go out and catch a flick. Luckily, Dallas has some better and cheaper places to go than the mega-chain theaters.

Independent movie theaters like the Magnolia and Angelika often feature not your typical multi-million dollar blockbusters, but more thoughtful, intellectual movies, the kind which often win millions of awards from some academy or another. Another bonus is that they have features that your mega-movie theater does not. At the Angelika, with locations at Mockingbird Station and in Plano, they offer student discounts (which are rare nowadays) so that a weekend evening movie averages about $7.50.  Many independent theaters offer a full bar so that you’re entertained even if the movie is too intellectual or weird for you to enjoy, which sometimes happens. The Angelika also features unusual events such as matinee movies specifically for mother’s to bring crying babies to sleep during, and special features where they play classic old movies such as “Breakfast at Tiffanys” or “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” on the big screen. The Magnolia is an indie theater in Uptown, where they also offer a student discount which brings ticket prices down to $7.00.

But, if you’re exceptionally broke (like me) and haven’t been out to the mega theaters lately, you might want to check out Cinemark’s Plano Movies 10, a discount theater at Park & Coit in Plano. Although the movies only come to this theater after they have left the big screen at full price theaters, the delay is usually only a month or so. And, tickets for a weekend night are only $2.00! If you’re looking for an even better deal, show up for 75cent tuesdays and save all your money for something better. The price being so low almost pushes you to see movies that you would never waste two-hours of your life on otherwise. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes you regret it.

Perhaps after watching Slumdog millionaire you find all of your movies missing a certain hint of insane dancing and hindu music. Never fear! I have a cure. At the obscure theater FunAsia Richardson located right off george bush you can watch Bollywood movies to your hearts content. I’ve never ventured out to do this so I don’t know if they actually have subtitles on these movies or not, but prices range from $2 – $10 and its certainly an experience you won’t find anywhere else.

So next time you do dinner and a movie, go out of your comfort zone and make it a little more exciting, as well as a little more inexpensive.

Reality TV …. in reality!! March 31, 2009

As much as my friends whine that Dallas is small and boring, they dont realize that it is actually the 5th largest city in the nation. This is reason that you actually get a lot of random and unique opportunities living here, like the chance to try out for America’s Next Top Model for the ladies or for the testosterone-driven, enter in a drag race for Speed Channel’s show Pinks All Out. March 21st both of these shows were filming and thousands of people not lucky enough to reside here, drove hours to attend.

I went down to the America’s Next Top Model Audition in Fair Park to scope things out. Auditions for the show had been held in New York the week before where a smoking car had caused a stampede that landed 4 people in the hospital. Although I certainly didn’t want anyone to end up in the hospital, I was hoping to witness some crazy girls fight. I mean, isn’t that why we watch reality tv shows, to see the ugly side of human nature? Although I didn’t witness any sobbing, screaming, or clawing, I did meet some interesting people. I interviewed Laycee, a 19-yr old auditioning for the show who had driven 6 hours overnight just to come out to the auditions. “I was in a nightclub in downtown Tulsa last week when someone told me they were having an open call in Dallas” she said, “So I got my hair and nails done, took off work, and drove all night to get here around 5am.” Coming from rural Oklahoma, she jumped at the chance to audition in person for the show. “It’s great that they’re doing this in Dallas, otherwise I’d never get the chance to do this. It’s really the only city in the South could get such a large turnout for an audition.” Because of security concerns from the previous auditions, only girls auditioning were allowed to go into the building where they waited for the open call. There were several checkpoints, a metal detector, and lots of staff from the TV station on hand. ONe of the production assistants guesstimated that they had almost 8,000 girls coming to tryout that day. With that much raw talent to choose from, there’s sure to have atleast one girl from the Big D representing on the 13th cycle of the show.

Pinks All Out could not be more different from America’s Next Top Model entertainment-wise but they recieved a warm welcome from Dallas-ites all the same. Filming at the Texas Motorplex just outside the metroplex in Ennis, Tx radio ads the week before called for entrants to be on the show.  The show originated at this very spot, 6 years ago, where entrants would drag race for “pinks” or the title slips to their car. Since then, the show has grown and changed to film all over the nation. Although losers no longer have to surrender their rides, the competition is as fierce as ever. Odd festivities such as the pimped out golf-cart racing started around 7am and continued all day and into the night, with the finals starting around 7pm. Represntatives of the show stated online that they were “thrilled to be returning to their roots here in Dallas. Texas Motorplex has done a great job of welcoming us home.”

So, the moral of the story is that Dallas is welcoming and attracting all kinds of interesting events that you may think only happens in Hollywood. Take a look around  – you never know, your favorite show might be doing some filming here in town soon!

There is no greater motivation to stay home than being broke March 10, 2009

So, challenging myself this semester to get out at least once a week and experience Dallas, I knew this blog would be difficult. However, I expected the difficult part would be finding something unique to do and talk about. What I’ve found, is that there is no shortage of interesting things in Dallas if I can convince myself to go. The reality is that I just have to push myself to do things that are out of my comfort zone. Not that I’m one of those people who isn’t up for trying anything insane or challenging, kind of the opposite really. Anything is worth doing once if it makes a good story. The issue is that my “comfort zone” consists of a box of goldfish, my laptop, and couch. Up until now I’ve been pretty good about finding opportunities and taking them, anything to do that doesnt center around food or shopping qualifies in my opinion. What sucks is that adventuring in Dallas gets to be a little pricey for the typical broke and lazy college student. Especially when that college student got two, count them TWO speeding tickets last month. (Not that she’s bitter).

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So recently my challenge has evolved into something more – motivate myself to go out and explore, and make sure it’s cheap or relatively free. Lucky for me, my boyfriend is a gearhead and spends 95% of his day online talking with other people who love cars. the other 5% of his day could probably be broken down to 2% eating, 1% sleep, 1% pretend to listen to girlfriend while eating or thinking about cars and 1% actually talking about/ working on cars with people in real life. That last 1% led to my subject for this post, The Plano car meet.

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Every wednesday night when the weather is decent, around 9pm hundreds of crazy gearheads drag their girlfriends to the May Hua Parking lot at Park and Coit, park their ride and wander. Now, before you picture “the fast and the furious” in your mind consider this: having a passion for cars does not mean that you drive a nice one. Not everyone has Hollywood funding your corvette with green flames on it or whatever. Part of the fun of wandering the car meet is to see what kind of ridiculous home-made modifications people have made. In fact, the plano kids who come from wealthy families are almost looked down upon unless they can prove that they didn’t just pay someone to soup-up their 350z. True passion for the machine and knowledge are coveted here, as well as the fun and ridiculous. My favorite discovery of the night was an imported right-hand drive civic del sol with an automatic hard top. This might not make sense to anyone else, but my brother had that car when I was in high school, only I would attempt to take off the hard top of the convertible myself and nearly get crushed under it. Sometimes my neighbors would sit and watch me struggle for amusement.

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it's robo-car!

I will admit, I am a fan of cars myself, while my knowledge wouldn’t be enough to gain me any street cred here. It is enough interest however, to wander around and enjoy seeing the hard work that people put into their rides. Currently, my baby, a 3000gt VR4 twin turbo is getting an engine rebuild right now, but as soon as she’s fixed I will be showing her off in the May Hua parking lot.

my baby!

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Amazingly enough, the Plano police who tend to be bored and abuse their power by writing tickets for “loitering” and “bad thoughts”, actually leave the car meet alone. This is unusual since any collection of gearheads and machismo almost always turns into a pissing competition of some sort, in this case street racing. Occasionally you might see someracing up and down Coit, but for the most part it is frowned upon on the off chance that the police will decide to break up the party.

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There used to be a car meet called Rice Killers in the Central Market parking lot on Monday nights, more of a mix of people with expensive toys than those interested in mechanics, but it has since been dismantled because of street racing on 190. Although I’ve been less of a fan of that meet due to the overwhelming amount of douchey mid life crisis guys with power-ranger-esque street bikes, the remainders of the Rice Killers meet has decided to join the wednesday night crew and has turned it into more of an event. And of course, the best part is that it’s free! So, if you find yourself getting restless on a wednesday night, even if you don’t know anything or really care for cars, come to the meet and wander around. You might just learn something. Or if you’re a single girl, you’ll probably get hit on. Just be warned that anyone there will probably always care more about their car than you. But don’t take it personally, you just dont have 300 horsepower.