Deep in the Heart of Texas

Being the travel junkies we are, David and I love the adventurous reality show The Amazing Race.  When my parents were in town last spring to pick Elizabeth up from UT, we watched the Season 26 finale together.  The final episode took place in Dallas, and as we were watching, my mom remarked, ‘I’ve never been to Dallas before.’  WHAT?!  How could she have lived in Texas for 15 years and never been to Dallas?  We vowed then and there that we would take a road trip to Dallas together.  And what better time to go than during the great Texas State Fair?!

Texas has the largest state fair in the country, with Minnesota coming in at a close second.  Of course my parents have been to the Minnesota fair many times, so this year it was time to try out Texas’s.  More than 3 million people visit the fair in Dallas every year and in 2015, Dad, Mom, Elizabeth, David, and I were going to be five of them.

David and I used to visit the fair every year during the Red River Rivalry football game between Texas and Oklahoma.  It was always on my birthday weekend, so every bday I celebrated while attending UT was spent in Dallas at the fairgrounds.  This year, we decided to avoid the craziness around Texas / OU weekend and visit during opening weekend instead.

My parents flew into Austin earlier in the week, and on Friday evening, we piled into my car for the short road trip to Dallas.  We stopped at the famous Czech bakery, Czech Stop, on the way there to pick up kolaches and other goodies for a midnight snack. 

This was just the start of eating So. Much. Food.

The Texas state fair is known for its food… its fried food.  Vendors will literally fry anything, and of course we had to try it all!  The only disappointment was that every stand was out of fried Coca-Cola.  I was really looking forward to trying a fried liquid, but it wasn’t meant to be.

We arrived right as the gates opened at 10:00 the next morning.  We had avoided the crowds and were able to get on a lot of the rides in the midway without waiting in line.  Texas has a great system in place that requires fairgoers to purchase tickets instead of using cash to go on rides or buy food, so even late into the night, when the fair was at its most crowded, the lines were short and sweet.

We rode a couple of terrifying rides, and then it was on to our first culinary pick, fried butter!

I was not looking forward to fried butter at all, but I knew I had to try it.  We ordered one serving and split it between the five of us.  It’s essential that you pop the entire ball of butter into your mouth and eat it all at once, as the butter will ooze out if you try to just take one bite at a time.  So Dad and David went for it.  And then it was the girl’s turn. 

The fried ball of butter exploded in my mouth, and scalding hot melted butter poured down my throat.  Pure melted butter.  We basically drank melted butter.  Even though I love butter, it was disgusting.

After the fried butter debacle, we ordered a fried Reese’s peanut butter cup with soft serve ice cream.  It was delicious, and the creamy ice cream got that nasty butter taste out of my mouth.

It was still too early for lunch, so we walked to the livestock arena to check out the horses, pigs, goats, and longhorns.

On the way there, we saw a toothbrush station where state fair goers were literally standing around brushing their teeth, with the toothbrushes and toothpaste provided by one of the fair’s sponsors.  It sounds strange, but when the main attraction at your state fair is the crazy variety of food, it’s nice to cleanse your palate (literally!).

After saying hi to all of the friendly farm animals, we grabbed a few beers and summery ciders in the wine and beer garden, and watched the dog show.  

Then... it was time for lunch!

We shared… a chili cheese dog, two corn dogs, lemonade, root beer, fried Frito pie bites, death-by-chocolate fudge, jerky, corn on the cob, and award-winning cowboy crunch (fried creamed corn with bacon, jalapeno, and cheese).  Elizabeth ordered a giant virgin pina colada in a pineapple, and I washed it all down with a smoky bacon margarita.

Only Elizabeth could pull off a crop top at the state fair, 

eating copious amounts of food and not gaining a pound! 

Next, Dad wanted to check out the car show.  When I heard ‘car show,’ I thought old-timey cars.  The car show at the TX State Fair, though, is two huge exposition centers filled with Fords, Nissans, Toyotas, etc.  Dad wanted to shop for Mom’s next Toyota.  This was perfect timing.  I literally locked myself in one of the sedans, stretched out on the backseat, and took a nap (or food coma … let’s be honest, I fell into a food coma).

Elizabeth later fell into a food coma at the relaxation room.  We found this hidden gem in the center building.  The room was filled with comfy couches, computers, charging stations, TVs, and free bottled water.  We took a quick break from the heat to enjoy the A/C and watch a bit of the UT football game, when next thing we knew, Elizabeth was sound asleep. 

We woke her up to explore the rest of the building, which included a music expo featuring Texas musicians. 

We had fun onstage pretending to be rock stars 

Dad and David wanted to finish watching the Longhorn game, so they headed to a bar while Mom, Elizabeth, and I checked out more expositions.  We got some free ice cream cones at the dairy, and then made our way to the bar.  

Then... it was time for our second lunch!

We ordered spicy jalapeno cheese sticks (too spicy for everyone except David), fried stuffed olives, a loaded barbeque baked potato, and an apple strudel and a chocolate-covered banana for dessert. 

After a terrible, terrible loss to Oklahoma State, we decided to drown our sorrows in the screams of frightened children back at the midway.

We rode ride after ride.  I wasn’t feeling so hot after all of that food, so I skipped out on the upside rides.  Mom and David were with me, but Dad wasn’t about to make Elizabeth go by herself.  So those two had the time of their lives, while we recorded the fun.

One of the scarier rides, that I wasn’t really expecting to be that scary, was the Hang-Glider.  David, Elizabeth, and I basically lied down, side-by-side, on our stomachs on a stretcher, had a bar placed over our backs, and were lifted up into the air to fly around in circles above the crowd.  The scary thing was, we were facing down the entire time and not strapped into anything at all.  If the stretcher material tore open, we’d fall face-first onto the pavement 20 feet below.  I tried not to think about it.

Dad was obsessed with finding a haunted house attraction.  He has fond memories of the haunted house ride at the Minnesota State Fair and wanted to experience the Texas equivalent.  We finally did find it, but it was a huge disappointment!  It cost way too many tickets, only lasted about 30 seconds, and wasn’t scary or even exciting.  At all.

The final ride of the evening more than made up for the haunted house.  It was a terrifying, giant pendulum that swung riders all the way around, and hung them upside down from the highest point.  I did not want to go upside down, but David needed a partner to ride with and Mom sure as hell wasn’t getting on that thing.  (Dad and Elizabeth were already in line, of course, ready to be strapped in.)

There were no safety seat belts on the ride, just a shoulder harness.  The harness was so loose on me, that once we got upside down, I was literally suspended in the air.  The only thing holding me in was the harness on my shoulders.  It was petrifying. 

From there, we left the midway, skipped the parade, and headed back to the main entrance to watch the water / dance show and fireworks.  

Then… it was time for dinner! 

I was so full at this point that I was feeling nauseous.  But I was so excited to try the fried spaghetti and meatball dinner, and the Thanksgiving dinner.  Both won awards for originality and taste, and both were so delicious that I forgot how stuffed I was and chowed down!

The parsley on top of the fried spaghetti and meatballs 

was the only green I saw all day     

Many people have asked about the fried Thanksgiving dinner, which was the unanimous favorite of the day.  To fry a Thanksgiving dinner, take turkey, stuffing, and creamed corn, and mix together before rolling in cornmeal and deep-frying.  The giant balls of fried goodness are served with gravy and cranberry dipping sauces to complete the meal.

After all of that, we still had a few tickets left, so Elizabeth ordered a plate of fried pickles, and Dad bought a fair oldie-but-goodie, taffy.  Mom and I were done.

It was a great day at the fair, but our trip to Dallas wasn’t over yet!  We had a couple of stops to make on Sunday on our way home.

First, we visited Dealey Plaza, the site of the JFK assassination.  We took in the history by walking across the grassy knoll and driving over the two X’s where the president was shot. 

About halfway to Austin, we stopped for gas and snacks at Buc-ee’s.  Buc-ee’s is the largest gas station I’ve ever been to.  It’s known throughout Texas for having clean bathrooms, cheap gas, and an array of food and home goods. 

David with his new best friend, Buc-ee the Beaver

Our trip to the state fair was a huge success.  Now David and I need to make a trip up to Minnesota in the summer to experience the second-largest fair in the country… and watch farm animals give birth?!

California Dreamin'

Exactly one month after visiting California for the Robinson / Liu wedding, David and I were back in the Golden State.  David was attending Dreamforce in San Francisco, so I flew in on Thursday after work to meet him for the weekend.

The entire city was over-run with Dreamforce participants.  More than 100,000 people came into San Fran for the massive Salesforce conference.  It was so large this year that most hotels were completely sold out or had quadrupled their nightly rates to cash in on the crowds.  To combat the lodging issues, Salesforce partnered with Celebrity Cruises to dock a cruise ship at Pier 27 for conference attendees’ accommodations. 

It was insanely crowded everywhere we went.  I love San Francisco, and have fond memories of visiting with David shortly after we got married.  Aside from our honeymoon, it was our first vacation together as a married couple.  That being said, I will never visit during Dreamforce again.  David will be on his own.

We stayed in the heart of the city, at the Westin St Francis in Union Square.  The St Francis is a historic hotel that’s hosted presidents, actors and actresses, and even Queen Elizabeth.  After I arrived on Thursday night, David and I met up with one of his colleagues at the hotel’s Clock Bar.  I ordered the fruity Shirley cocktail, named after Shirley Temple, who stayed at the St Francis in the 1930s.  After just that one drink, it was off to bed as I needed to be up at 5:00 on Friday morning to prep for a meeting.

While David attended the last day of Dreamforce, I worked from the hotel.  We met up for lunch at Marlowe to commemorate National Cheeseburger Day with one of the city’s best cheeseburgers.  The Marlowe burger is topped with cheddar, caramelized onions, bacon, and horseradish aioli.  The flavors were very good, and very rich.  So rich, in fact, that we didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day. 

After finishing up our work, we walked down to the Embarcadero via Market Street.  We strolled through the Ferry Building, perusing the various shops and restaurants, before heading to Pier 39 to see the famous sea lions.  We watched them swim around the pier, and were entertained by their constant arguing over prime sleeping spots on the docks.  I could’ve watched them all day, but the smell eventually drove us away!

On Saturday we visited Muir Woods.  Last time we were in San Francisco, we took a couple of day trips to wine country and Yosemite, so we didn’t have time to do Alcatraz or Muir Woods.  On this vacation, we made time to do both.

We arrived early Saturday morning to avoid the crowds, and be able to hike comfortably before the day got too warm.  The woods were beautiful, and the trees provided so much shade from the sun, that we stayed cool the entire time.  

Muir Woods is a vast redwood forest purchased in the early 1900s by William and Elizabeth Kent, and later donated to the government to protect it from destruction.  The Kents named the woods after their friend and conservationist, John Muir.

Coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world.  The tallest recorded tree to-date was discovered just within the last decade and measures 379 feet … the same height as a 37 story building.

David and I hiked along the paved pathways for a couple of hours, admiring the stunning scenery.

Before we headed back to the city, we had lunch at the Muir Woods Trading Company.  This small gift shop and café were recently featured on the Food Network’s ‘The Best Thing I Ever Ate.’  Chef Tyler Florence claims the rustic grilled cheese and organic tomato soup at the Trading Co. is the best grilled cheese / tomato soup combo anywhere in the world.  So of course, we tried it for ourselves.   Under the canopy of trees, with the weather a bit chilly, this was the perfect lunch to warm us up.  The sandwich, made with triple-cream Brie cheese was melty, crunchy, and chewy all at the same time.  The soup was the perfect accompaniment.

Once we crossed back over the Golden Gate Bridge, we met up with my cousin, Jenelle.  She’s lived in San Francisco for years, and loves it.  We were able to spend a couple of hours with her, seeing her place and then heading to a nearby bar to watch the UT vs California football game (David and I were definitely the only Longhorn fans in the bar).

Comparing this photo to our blog profile picture, we haven't aged a day! ;)

Later that evening, we met up with Connor Jay and Kenia.  Connor Jay and David have known each other since high school, and the couple visited us in London a few years ago.  We had dinner at Stone’s Throw, near crooked Lombard Street, an American restaurant featuring sharing plates like Puffed Potato and Egg with cauliflower mousse, chives, and crispy chicken skin.  We all shared the Summer Squash and Heirloom Tomato Salad to start, as well as the Puffed Potato, and then Connor and I both ordered the Brentwood Corn Ravioli with ricotta, mushrooms, and truffles.  For dessert, the four of us split the Peanut Butter and Jelly donuts. 

Before we met up with Jenelle and then Connor Jay and Kenia for dinner, we had to stop by Ghirardelli for a couple of famous hot fudge sundaes!

We still had a lot of catching up to do, and David and I wanted to give Connor Jay and Kenia more advice for their upcoming trip to Tanzania, so we headed back to the Union Square area to Hotel Zelos and their rooftop bar, Dirty Habit.

Sunday morning, we boarded a ferry and headed out to Alcatraz Island to tour the infamous prison.  We spent enough time on the Rock to learn about the daily lives of the criminals locked up, the many attempted escapes, and only two successful ones.

Alcatraz was also home to the West Coast’s first fort and lighthouse, was occupied by Indians of All Tribes for a year and a half, and hosts many protected seabirds.  It was nesting season while we were there, so there were a ton of ‘off-limit’ signs to protect the island’s habitat.

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was visiting the isolation wing of the penitentiary.  A guide explained to us that extremely dangerous prisoners were kept in this cell block, and the vilest were confined to the cells at the end.  Those cells had double-doors, meaning no light or sound could get into the empty, concrete chamber.  The prisoners were stripped and because of this, could not lie down to sleep on the floors.  If they did, they risked catching hypothermia from the cold, bare floor.  So they learned how to sleep standing up.  The guide locked David and me inside a pitch-black cell for all of one minute, so we could try and experience what it would have been like for those prisoners confined to the worst isolation.  It was unnerving, but we reminded ourselves that only the worst of the worst were sent to Alcatraz, prisoners that could not function at other federal penitentiaries.  And the worst of the worst of those were the ones that ended up in isolation.

After escaping The Rock, we met up with Connor Jay and Kenia again for lunch in the Marina.  We picked up a few gigantic Italian sandwiches from Lucca Deli on Chestnut, a neighbourhood favourite since 1929.  Then we walked to the Palace of Fine Arts for a picnic on the picturesque grounds.  Once we were finished chowing down, we headed to the airport to fly back home. 

David is traveling so much this Fall for work, that this was just the first of many trips I will be tagging along on.  San Francisco was so fun that it made me look forward to our other weekends away even more!