Dallas, May 1-2

Beers 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
Breweries 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻
Games ⚾️ ⚾️
Meats 🐄 🐖 🦃
Sweets 🍩🍩🍦
Flights ✈️✈️

#beersbbqbaseball

For the first time in 453 days, I flew on a plane! With my first flight since the pandemic, life felt like it was finally returning to normal if, ya know, “normal” includes wearing a mask the entire time I was on the plane. But once I got to my final destination of Dallas, TX, it was a mask-free weekend. Freedom from the tyranny of masks! 🙄

I’ll admit to being incredibly nervous at times when it came to mask wearing. Now, there’s no mask mandate in Texas so it’s not like there’s any mask compliance to meet. But after spending the entire last 14 months in the northeast, to actually see how the other half is living, like the pandemic had ended (or worse, never happened) was jarring. Still, this is their turf so just gotta mask up and stay as safe as is possible and pray that J&J is effective. 🤞🏻

So why was I in Dallas? Well, they’ve got a brand spanking new ballpark that I haven’t been to yet and I had tons of Southwest Airlines voucher credit to burn through so Dallas it was! The last time I was in Dallas four years ago, I visited the Texas Rangers’ previous ballpark, Globe Life Park and after attending that early July game, I was convinced as to why a 20-something year-old ballpark already had to be replaced. Without a roof and climate control, it was unbearably hot in the stands until the sun set behind the stadium. I swore there were more fans in the concourse common seating areas than there were in the stands for the first three innings that night.

This new stadium, Globe Life Field? Heat is not a problem though the sun can still be since the roof is constructed with plenty of glass panels. Under direct sun light in the upper concourse, it can still get hot but that’s the cost of having an abundance of natural light, even for a roofed stadium. Of all the post-Camden ballparks I’ve been to, this is the first one that feels big, like it’s not trying to go after that hit of nostalgia every ballpark of the past 25 years seems to have chased.

But what about the barbecue!? The first time I was in Dallas, I made a point to try Pecan Lodge and I was not disappointed. Beyond that, though, I had been forewarned that Dallas proper didn’t have the great barbecue. Would I be disappointed!?

Dear reader, I was not. My first stop after dropping my bag at the hotel was to The Slow Bone, arriving there just as they were about to open and that was some damn good meats. We’re talking prime brisket, hickory sausage, and pork ribs, all of which I could have finished in one go if I didn’t have any shame. If that weren’t enough, they tossed in a free slice of turkey breast so I could have a try; I would have gladly gotten a portion of that if I hadn’t already gotten more than I could possibly eat.

The other standout barbecue was Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington which i am sad to say I have no photos of as I actually had to put in a large order to pick up on my way to the airport Sunday afternoon to ensure I got to try it as I had been shut out the previous day.