[itinerary | lodging] Texas was an unknown to you. Too many references from TV shows and movies to take seriously. It’s all cowboys and leather and barbeque, right? You had to find out for yourself.

Meddlesome Moth

You set your sights on Dallas, coming in on a southern route by way of New Orleans and Austin — stories for another time. Summer in Texas is a dry heat and not what you’re accustomed to. The highways seem endless and lawless, surrounded on all sides by gated ranches, cattle farms, and Buc-ee’s travel stops. It’s a long road trip, so your time in Dallas will be limited. As you arrive to the Big D, the vast expanse of the state has made you hungry. Everything is bigger in Texas, and so is your appetite. Your first stop is a gastropub in the Design District called Meddlesome Moth.

Are you meddlesome tonight? Meddlesome Moth in Dallas

You arrive in that twilight hour between lunch and dinner service, so the place is empty. It’s a dark, swanky atmosphere lit mostly by a set of impressive pop-art stained-glass windows. Elvis makes an appearance on one, so you can enjoy a hunk-a hunk-a burnin’ love while you eat.

The server is a polite and charismatic young man who introduces you to the spirits and cocktail menu. It’s been a long drive and you need something to take the edge off. Plus, your hotel is right across the street. You order a gin drink garnished with a slice of lemon and take in the scene, as a few guests have started trickling in.

Hendrix over Hendricks

Admittedly you are having some trouble with the menu. There is a lot to choose from, and a lot of it is foreign to you. The server approaches as you point to the bone marrow item listed. “Bone marrow shot?” you ask. The server nods and asks if you’ve ever done one before. You admit you have not. He offers his assistance.

“I’ll set ’em up,” he says, gesturing above your head. “You knock ’em down.”

You decide on a whiskey, and the server rushes to prepare your order. Underneath the Jimi Hendrix stained-glass window, two dude-bros are caught staring from across the room. It seems you’ve ordered something exciting. Within a few minutes, the server returns with a thick marrow bone and the shot. “Ready?”

You close your eyes and open your mouth. Suddenly your throat fills with fiery, robust whiskey and bone marrow juices — packing a wallop of flavor — a sensation unlike anything you’ve experienced in a restaurant. You manage to pull it off, too. Not a single drop spilled. The server grins, impressed, and suggests a few entrees to complement the drinks. The remainder of the evening is a little foggy, but you check in at the hotel feeling warmly welcomed to Dallas.

Beef bone marrow goes down smoother with a shot

Fort Worth Stockyards

The next morning starts early, as you need to make a bit of a commute to reach your first real Texas experience: the Fort Worth Stockyards. You park easily and begin exploring the perimeter of East Exchange Avenue. There are certainly groups of tourists, of course, but also cowboys sporting ten-gallon hats and spurs — much to your delight. You shyly approach two men perched proudly atop their majestic but tame horses. They introduce themselves and welcome you to the Stockyards.

“Are you ready for the 11:30 drive?” one asks. You shake your head and ask where to go. You had researched the longhorn drives before coming, knowing you’d be kicking yourself if you didn’t see a real cattle drive during your time in Texas. “Stand in the middle of the road, right there –” the cowboy points yonder down the avenue, “and you’ll have the best view.” He winks and clicks his tongue, a command for his horse to perform an about-face. It’s time to wrangle the longhorn steers. They mosey off as you position yourself for the 11:30 drive.

Daily longhorn drive in Fort Worth

Maverick Fine Western Wear

Back at the entrance of the Stockyards, you recalled a few souvenir shops. As the drive disappears into a massive barn, you backtrack and duck into a spacious leather shop on the corner. There are accessories, clothes, gifts, hats, belts, buckles, boots, and all sorts of leather products. For someone who never wore leather in your life, you feel lost in a forest of cowhide.

An eager saleswoman, who introduces herself as Cece, approaches to assist, offering to bring you a bottle of beer. Is this how they do things in Texas? A beer while you shop for your leather? Why, yes, of course. You take a swig and set the bottle down on the counter next to a display of fringe jackets. You try one on and feel a little like Marty McFly in Back to the Future: Part III. Sure, you could look like Clint Eastwood from a spaghetti western. Or you could go for a more Henry Fonda-John Wayne aesthetic. The saleswoman hands you a classy, deep-brown leather jacket without the fringe. You decide to take the advice of a true Texan. With a final sip of beer, you thank Cece for her help and buy your first piece of authentic leather. You like how they do things in Texas.

When in Dallas…

Billy Bob’s Texas

All the shopping has once again worked up your appetite, so you follow a gaggle of tourists out and away from the main avenue of the Stockyards. Hungry people tend to travel in packs. The air is quieter just a block away, and you observe a handful of people looking confused about the entrance of seemingly innocuous white building. You wander through the entrance and find yourself paying admission for Billy Bob’s Texas, “the World’s Largest Honky Tonk,” a combination food, gaming, and events venue. Not a casino, no — but a large space boasting satellite bars, a barbeque stand, two stages, an arcade, and an outdoor patio. In the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, unfortunately, there are no musical acts at the moment. You make a beeline for the barbeque stand and order real Texas-style beef brisket with all the right sides. It’s no wonder Texas does brisket right — if the Stockyards are any indication of the quality and freshness of the product. Satisfied with your cowboy experience, you return to Dallas proper to experience a little more of the city life.

Scenes from the Fort Worth Stockyards

Downtown Dallas TX

Any good road trip to a city requires a walk-about in its Downtown. You start at Market Street, in the Historic District, and stroll down beautiful red cobblestone walkways lined with lush trees. Dallas feels like other large American cities, and this familiarity helps you to find more in common with Texas. You feel more confident as you peruse the quaint city squares, art galleries, and museums, before turning the corner into an open plaza that stops you cold.

Dealey Plaza

You are not a disaster tourist. There have been a few infamous episodes in American history of significant importance to you, and this is one of them. You respect the space and acknowledge it as more than a piece of hallowed ground, but a place where unthinkable tragedy unfolded in real-time before a national audience. A symptom of a new technological age. Nothing like it had ever happened before, and nobody knew what was going to happen next. You pay your respects to the victims of that day and retreat back to the everyday bustle of Market Street.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

You have tried to consume Dallas over the course of two days, and you think you’ve covered a lot of good ground. Cowboys, leather, barbeque: You can take the travel writer out of New York, but you can’t always take the New York out of the travel writer. Still, Dallas showed you another side of Texas. There is a cosmopolitan air about town — a diverse cultural center of the Lone Wolf Star state. You decide to look at Texas from another perspective and find yourself seated front row at a different sort of rodeo. Dinner and a medieval jousting match? Well, that’s… Dallas.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament – Dallas