The Great State Of Texas– Part Two

December 25, 2007 on 8:31 pm | In Worldview/Life, Travels, Sports/Fitness | 1 Comment

It’s game day! On my short list of life dreams, one of them was going to Texas Stadium for a live Dallas Cowboys game. With only one more season till the ‘Boys move into their new digs, this was a dream I wanted to make reality ASAP. I’d missed out on seeing my Canadiens in the old Montreal Forum so I didn’t want to do something similar with my football team!

Texas is beautiful. I’m not sure I’ve stressed that enough. While you see lots of open land and not the same kind of historic architecture you might see in somewhere like New York City, there’s something special about texture of it all. The way the houses line up against each other, the fields you just know are used for football by kids and the farms that hearken back to the whole cowboy image of Texas…it’s pretty awesome. While these pictures don’t tell the whole story, here are some images of the view from our hotel room.

Our hotel shuttle for the game didn’t leave till 1pm, so Nick and I had lots of time to relax before the game. Somehow we settled on watching Fellowship Of The Ring, the first Lord Of The Rings film, and took our time getting ready for the game. We did make it in time for the very impressive breakfast buffet and scarfed down some great eggs, fruit, pancakes, juice and more. All the pundits seemed to predict an easy win for the Cowboys over the Philadelphia Eagles, but I wasn’t quite buying into it, as the Cowboys seemed ripe for an embarrassing loss after some questionable recent performances.

I do wish I’d been able to stay in Texas for an extra couple of days, so I could’ve driven around the state more and really seen what it’s like during the week. I wouldn’t have become an expert, but I think it would be interesting to see everyday life and experience that instead of just being there for a busy football weekend.

At 1pm, we boarded the bus and headed for the stadium, the first thing I noticed is that the highways were packed. You couldn’t move an inch, cut in a lane or even see empty pavement—everyone was on their way to Texas Stadium.

Exiting the shuttle and walking towards our gate, it was impossible not to notice the passion of the Cowboys fans. From tailgating parties to face painting and a near one hour line-up at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, these are the most devoted fans I’ve seen outside of Canadians during the hockey playoff season. I also realized I love that damn Texas accent—maybe it just reminds me of old cowboy movies or it’s just different than that New York drawl, but it’s also awesome to me.

Thanks to our father, Nick and I had great seats but we spent an hour walking around the stadium, observing all the different concession stands—Cowboys Cheesesteaks, Cowboy Margaritas—and the numerous merchandise stands. Since it’s a cash-only stadium, every ATM had long lines, so much so that even an hour early for games you could find yourself getting to your seat late if you didn’t bring cash.

We eventually settled at our seats, which weren’t too far from singer Jessica Simpson (below in a pretty crappy photo) who got blamed for distracting quarterback Tony Romo that day.

The NFL is an awesome spectacle. The game opened with fireworks, tons of cheerleader routine and our Cowboys sideline, midfield seats gave us a great view of all the action. The entire stadium came alive…but soon we bore witness to one of the worst football games I’ve ever seen. Both team played horribly, with only one touchdown scored between both sides and the Eagles winning 10-6. Beyond some women rubbing my hair all game (they said it was “perfect”), not much eventful occurred- but it was great for my brother and I to spend time watching the game together. At the end of the day, we made the trip to Dallas, went to the historic stadium and watched our team, cheering at every opportunity.

Now I don’t know what happened, but our shuttle didn’t show up for 90 minutes after game, leaving dozens of us from the hotel stranded in the cold. I can’t in good conscience not warn others about using Marriot’s shuttle service, as Marriot customers from other hotels had the same problem and I wished I’d just driven to the stadium myself.

Arriving at the hotel so late, we decided to get a quick dinner and I downed a couple more Shiner Bock beers, as I doubt I’ll ever find it outside of Texas. After packing everything into our now bulging suitcases, we watching Return Of The King and soon went to sleep, as the weekend was pretty exhausting. I also have to note that our hotel room had the Book Of Mormon and the Bible in the bedside table—I’ve never seen that outside of Utah.

The next day we returned to New York and while the Cowboys didn’t win, it was a real special trip, as I can now say I’ve completed another life’s dream and did it with my brother. I look forward to seeing the Cowboys in 2009, when their new stadium opens up, but it’ll never compare to this first experience of discovering Texas, my first NFL game and seeing this team of Cowboys. Of course, maybe next time they’ll actually play well, eh?

I wish there was something more profound, more enlightening I could say about this trip, but it’s just a great family trip to see our favorite team play at a historic stadium. Nothing crazy, no drunken escapades and no debauchery. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, but we had a great time and we’ll definitely make a return trip.

Fuckin Dallas, eh?

The Great State Of Texas– Part One

December 23, 2007 on 5:09 pm | In Worldview/Life, Travels | No Comments

Fucking Dallas.

Those were the two words I once again quickly uttered at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport upon arriving last Saturday. I’d been to the airport twice previously (though just passing through) and with my previous experiences, I expected to encounter some problems. As I’d boarded the plane back in New York with my brother Nick earlier that morning, embarking on a trip to watch the Dallas Cowboy at Texas Stadium, I was thinking back to my previous Dallas visits.

The first occurred when I was about 16 or so, on a school field trip and at DFW Airport with one of my high school teachers and fellow students. While walking to my connecting gate, my teacher, a fellow student and I were all stopped for a “random drug check,” during which I was asked if I used drugs, how I dealt them and if I had any on my person. I was a bit mortified and probably a bit too facetious with the security guards—the accusations seemed ridiculous to me—but I never forget that incident. It was the first time I was ever hassled in an airport.

The second time I hit DFW was back in 2003, during a return trip from England, when I was repeatedly asked for identification and grilled by multiple security guards, ending in being stopped at the security gate, having my pants taken off and a hand down my underwear to check for “weapons”—all without removing me from plain site of everyone else. I always laugh that I’m happiest about the fact I wasn’t already aroused and didn’t get so during the, uh, search for “weapons.”

So what made me cuss now? I blame myself a bit. After arriving a half-hour early in Dallas (about 10:30 am), I figured things were looking up for me, a feeling buoyed by the fact that we exited at the gate right next to the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop. Quickly purchasing a hardcover booked called “Greatest Team Ever” and the Dallas Cowboys 2007 Media Guide. I knew I could find both at the game, but didn’t want to lug them around in an environment where there’s more chance of food & drink spilling on them. Nick & I quickly headed to the baggage pickup, where Nick & I were happy to see luggage from our place already on the carousel. Then 30 minutes passed and we both felt really frustrated by the lack of our luggage. Checking with Delta representatives, I learned that 37 or so bags simply weren’t loaded on a plane. Naturally those included my bags because I can’t visit Dallas without something going wrong! As I said, “Fucking Dallas.”

Frustrated and annoyed, we rented a car from Hertz—a nice Pontiac GT—and I experienced my only regret of the trip: not renting a Mustang. I was in such a rush that I didn’t select a cooler car. The first thing I noticed about Texas roads—beyond all the wide-open space—is the lack of good signage. Speed limits, clear direction to the freeway, street names—nothing seems well-placed or bountiful enough. First stop was our hotel—the Marriot Los Colinas—which was a bit out of the way of Downtown Dallas or any major shopping areas, but only a 7 mile drive from the airport. I made a few wrong turns before getting on the 121, but it allowed me to see lots of huge mega-churches (big buildings, big lights, big screens, etc) and some of the Fort Worth inner streets, which seemed absolutely abandoned on that chilly Saturday. Ever watch the show Friday Night Lights? Just look at that opening credits sequence and that’s what I saw Texas to be all weekend. I was only in the state for 48 hours, so I’m hardly an expect and I’m not meaning to state that things are the way I saw ‘em, but everything I saw in Texas was exactly what I expected based on pop culture.

That said, there’s something charming about Texas from the minute you lay eyes on it, different from the open roads of Utah, Nevada or Arizona. I’m not sure what gives it such character, but there’s something utterly familiar about the landscape that makes it seem uniquely American. This isn’t the same sight you’ll find in Saskatchewan, Canada or even anywhere else in the US—Texas is uniquely American.

Upon arriving at the hotel, at which point we checked in and got our room keys, Nick & I decided to just go shopping for essentials. Delta hoped we’d have our luggage tonight (though likely around 10PM) but given that they’d already not put our luggage on the plane and that I don’t have the best of luck in Dallas, it seemed prudent to stock up on supplies. The hotel staff gave me the location of some nearby malls and we headed off, hoping I wouldn’t get lost on the highway.

It’s amazing how much only eight months in New York have altered my views of the most basic things. I know that the highways were probably busy for Dallas, but compared to the highways in New York, it seemed positively desolate. While I’m still a fairly conservative driver, I found myself cutting in and out of lanes with ease after watching the possibly insane New York drivers navigate through much more deadly conditions. This got us to the Grapevine Mills Mall fairly quickly, where it seemed the entire team of Grapevine came out to shop. The mall was packed to the gills and I don’t blame ‘em—there were a lot of great outlet stores in addition to awesome specialty stores—including a Cowboys Pro Shop.

For Nick & I, the first order of business was getting food, so we hit the food court and found some kind of dancing show going on, which had drawn quite a crowd. This meant the long lines everywhere, but we found some Texas BBQ fast food joint that served fairly decent food at a great price. While I love New York, it’s always a pleasure to visit other places with reasonable food prices for similar meals. The rest of the mall was pretty good, with two objectives in mind—find some clothes to get us through the night and hit the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop. Yeah, we’d been to one in the airport, but the one in this mall was far larger and I was looking to add to my burgeoning Cowboys clothing collection. While Nick picked up an awesome, vintage looking Dallas t-shirt, I opted for a midweight jacket (much like you see the players wearing on the sidelines) along with a replica Cowboys football and shot glass. It’s probably a clear sign of my age that I still like collecting shot glasses. The store was packed, with people purchasing lots of merchandise at one time, routinely running up bills over $200! While the New York Yankees are one of the best merchandised—and most popular—sports teams in the world, they can’t hold a candle to the Cowboys. That’s part of the NFL being, in my opinion, the best managed and merchandised sport in the world. Sure, some players get arrested for horrible things (EG: Michael Vick’s dog fighting charges), but the NFL is conscious of putting out positive advertisements (such as their ads about fitness and helping community), as well as making sure each team has a plethora of awesome merchandise to purchase. It helps that the football season is so short and intense, making it hard to be a fan and not be completely caught up in the sport. As much as hockey is my first sport love, I’m ignoring it right now in favor of football (for the most part) because each NFL game matters more right now than any Canadiens game I might be watching.

“I’ve never seen you so into a team,” Nick told me and to a degree, he’s right. Come NHL playoff time—or at least post-All Star Game—I’ll be the same way about hockey, but for now I’m all about the Cowboys. That said, I did run into another Habs fan at a Foot Locker in the mall, when I overheard him ask an associate if they had any Canadiens gear and we began talking about Montreal’s poor season thus far.

A few trips around the busy mall—we were shopping around, looking for the best prices—and we ended up at the Nike outlet, where Nick purchased some new shoes and we both got great discounts on some workout clothes. Still, we both wanted to drive around and see more of the state, so we just got on the highway and drove around, finally deciding to hit the famous Galleria mall in Dallas. After driving through the relatively slow areas of Irving and Fort Worth, it was nice to enter the hustle & bustle of Dallas. The mall, while alive, wasn’t as packed as Grapevine Mills (where I could swear the whole town came out) and it made me wonder what it’d be like to explore the rest of downtown Dallas. Wandering through Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, it brought me back to my old days of working in retail during the holidays and I admit, sometimes I miss it. There was an odd unity that developed between employees during that time as we braved the crazed customers, but then again, that was about the only time of year that I felt that solidarity.

If I hadn’t been so exhausted from the day (early flight, 3-4 hours of mall walking, etc), I’d likely have indulged myself by skating in the mall’s indoor rink or doing some clothing shopping of my own—by this point it was Nick who was really looking for stuff and I was happy to play sidekick. With the night upon us, and my own unfamiliarity with the roads, we headed back to the hotel and I, naturally, missed my exit and had to jump on a few different interstates before I could get myself turned around in the right direction. Damn 635!

During the ride, I was reminded of why I used to love talk radio, as The Score 1310 blared in the car. The station has great football commentary and it was fun to listen to the intelligent, insightful commentary not only about the NFL, but also football in Texas. On that note, it was interesting that in both Galleria and Grapevine Mills, most people seemed to be wearing lots of football clothing and accessories, featuring everything from university teams to the Cowboys or the Texans. It’s amazing how much that passion reminds me of hockey in Canada, where every winter it seemed everyone wore hockey apparel on a near-daily basis.

Arriving back at the hotel, we unpacked our purchases and hit the gym—which isn’t great, but did the job—so we could get the blood flowing and feel alive. Thankfully our bags arrived once we got back to the room (around 8:30pm) so we had fresh clothes to wear as we got dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. I really wanted some of that messy, yummy authentic Texas barbeque, but didn’t feel like driving out to Dallas again and Nick was too tired to drive. We had a great dinner nonetheless and I discovered a great Texas beer—Shiner Bock. You can learn more about it right here and next time I’m in Texas, I intend to visit the brewery where it’s made.

With the events of the day, Nick and I both hit the sack pretty quickly, as I tried to finish reading a book (the excellent The Namesake) but could barely keep my eyes open. While Dallas had spurned me when I first entered, it treated me quite nicely and lost luggage aside, I had a great day. Hell, because of that lost luggage I was forced to rent a car and drive around…so maybe it all worked out for the best.

So ended Day One. Look for a Day Two report later this week, along with photos from the game and of the surrounding area.

Arune Smash?

December 23, 2007 on 3:31 pm | In Comic Books | No Comments

More updates coming soon, but here’s a couple of fun photos of me dressed as Hulk (by popular demand) and award-winning superstar writer Jeph Loeb (he’s written every major hero, along with shows such as Lost, Smallville and most recently Heroes). These are from Marvel’s winter Creative Retreat recently in New York. Marvel.Com has a report on it right here. You can find more photos of everyone– including more of me as the Hulk– right here.