Fort Worth & Dallas

We arrive early afternoon in Arlington where we are stay for the next few nights.  The park is full of huge trees with leaves falling everywhere, squirrels chasing each other like spring kittens and people just want to listen to us talk - apparently we have an accent.

We headed over to Fort Worth Stockyards as we keep hearing about this place and arrive in time to catch the stock drive of Longhorns through the street.  We took a photo opportunity.....

$5 bucks a photo.

 

Longhorns on parade

 

Stockman.

In the morning we headed out to see JFK, which was a highlight for Daryl and the 6th floor museum had a very good self guided tour.  

The entrance to the museum.

X marks the spot...on Elm St.

The window JFK was assassinated from.

Later we went out to the set of "Dallas" at Southfork and toured the house and ranch where the series was filmed back in the day.  We find there is now a new series which is on season 2 and very popular!  We had some verrrrrrrrrrrrrry enthusiastic people on our tour....

Some of the original cast members.

Larry Hagman (JR) had passed away a couple of days ago so there was a memorial for him in one of the rooms.
 

The dining room.

On the back Patio.

Jock Ewings Lincoln.

The next day we catch up with Charmaine Inch who we used to work with back in NZ - so good to catch up with her and enjoyed lunch down at the harbour front together.  We all got a ticket in the lottery which was for $550 million, sadly none of us won!

Charmine Daryl & Brenda.

A great place to have lunch.

We keep hearing about Billy Bob's in Fort Worth which we had seen but didn't go in as it was only 5pm.  This is an entertainment place/night club which can hold 6000 people, has live shows, rodeo bull riding, shops, restaurants..........
We decide to stay another day and head off to Dallas Cowboys Stadium where we do another self guided tour which includes the cheerleaders changing rooms, the players changing rooms, the field and entry tunnels, bars etc.  The stadium is huge and fully covered with an opening roof and Daryl shouts us tickets ($149 each) in the silver seats for the upcoming game on Sunday night between Dallas & Philadelphia. 

At the Stadium

The veiw from the 4th floor level

Great sponsorship.

In the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders changing room.

 

Now we are staying here for the week and catch up with Charmaine again meeting her in a mall which has a four storey Christmas tree and an ice skating rink around it.  We arrange to go to Billy Bob's with her on Saturday night and book tickets to see Aaron Lewis, a country singer with 7 albums.   (We had no idea who he was but we do now......)

An ice skating rink around the xmas tree in the mall. 

Love my boots.

 Daryl had a sore back so just had to try out the massage chair......getting the cowboy boots off was a mission but gave the shop guys a good laugh....

OK OK maybe I did enjoy it, but $3000 for the chair .....nah. 

 

We arrive early and go for dinner at a little Italian restaurant which turned out to be like a comedy show, with a table of retirees singing karaoke, the air conditioning not working and the owner (who was very Italian and spoke a little english) up a ladder between tables trying to turn on fans. A good meal and quite entertaining.  Then off to The Stockyards Rodeo for our first real rodeo show.

Lone rider for the playing of the Anthem.

Bull riding.

At the Rodeo.

About 10pm we head over to Billy Bob's to meet Charmaine and catch the concert which starts at 10.30pm.  We watch more bull riding there, see the show which they really got into and then some dancing - the Americans really know how to dance.

At Billy Bobs, Arron Lewis concert.

Aaron Lewis.

Charnaine & Brenda @ Billy Bobs

The big game on Sunday was @ 7.20pm, we arrived at 5pm to get a park (which cost $60 since we didn't have a ticket (not sure if lost it or not....).  There are tailgate parties for blocks and the atmosphere is humming.  The beers cost $8.50 each, the food about the same - will never complain about the cost of seeing a game in NZ again!

On the way to the big game

A warm night, the roof opened for the game.

The entertainment is amazing starting with the hand on the heart national anthem, overhead flight demonstrations, cheerleaders, band playing and all the hype, this whole thing is more about entertainment than the game.  They give away huge prizes all night including a new pick up.....  whole seating sections received gift cards etc.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in Action,

Once you work out how Gird Iron is played and what the basic rules are, it is quite good and again, they really get into it.  We had a guy sitting next us (on the Dallas side) who was supporting the opposition, so it was really entertaining watching him as Dallas Cowboys won.  A great evening with the huge crowd, the roof open and the atmosphere was one of those things you will always remember.

The Dallas Cowboys running onto the field.