Dallas, Texas
Alex’s quest to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums has taken us to some interesting places around the country. This time it took us to Texas in the middle of summer, haha. We visited Dallas, which is home to the Texas Rangers in nearby Arlington, and Houston, home of the Astros.
We stayed in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, which had lots of interesting shops and restaurants within walking distance.
We were in Texas during pride month in June, and it was nice to see some signs of pride despite recent events and the fact that the Rangers are the only team in the entire league that doesn’t have a pride night.
Our airbnb was very conveniently located, but also very strange in that it had no bathroom door. Probably wouldn’t do again.
Local record shop! I ended up buying this Dvorak Symphony No. 4 recording by my hometown Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Very fun bookstore / bar / cafe, with a live music space in the back yard.
Dinner at Restaurant Beatrice
The Dallas skyline.
Dallas Farmers Market
There was an indoor portion with different shop stalls, and then there was the outdoor shed which was more like what I think of as a farmers market.
We bought some Texas peaches and got to enjoy them for the rest of our time in Dallas.
Next, we hopped over to Deep Ellum for some Texas BBQ at Terry Black’s.
Smoky!
Walking around the shops in Deep Ellum
Warstic is a bat company owned by Jack White of the White Stripes, apparently.
Came all the way to Dallas to buy these San Francisco socks, haha.
Came all the way to Dallas to buy this San Francisco Tony Bennett record! It was only $3.
Then a cool-off break at The Katy Trail Ice House. Icehouses were historically centralized locations where ice was stored, usually along rail lines, and they remained watering holes and gathering spots long after refrigeration negated the need for an actual ice house.
This ice house is located along the Katy Trail, which is a long walk/bike path converted from a defunct rail line.
For dinner, we went to one of Alex’s favorites from Austin: Uchi. Everything was perfect, and we also lucked out by dodging a huge rain and hail storm while we were inside dining.
The next morning, back in Bishop Arts District.
Then it was time for baseball! The Texas Rangers have the newest stadium in the league, having opened Globe Life Field in 2020, just in time to greet the pandemic. They built it right next door to their old stadium, Globe Life Park, which still stands there and is now called Choctaw Stadium. That stadium was the site of the SF Giants’ 2012 win of the World Series over the Rangers. People still seem to like the old stadium, except it does not have air conditioning, which is pretty important in Texas during baseball season. So they built a whole new thing to be able to have a dome and AC.
They also built a whole entertainment center next door, which looks like Las Vegas with its multiple giant tv screens.
Going in!
Pretty cool when you walk into a stadium and can immediately see through to the field. Reminded me of the Kings’ basketball arena in Sacramento.
Being able to see into the broadcast booth was also pretty fun. They had a couple little display cases with bobbleheads and paraphernalia, but unfortunately this team has never won any championships — the Giants dashed their one hope in the World Series.
Mariachi Mondays! They have their own resident mariachi band. Also, I tried to get brisket nachos but the brisket place was out of nachos so I got brisket elote, and nachos from elsewhere, and I assembled it myself. Unfortunately in the process I missed Shohei Ohtani hitting a home run.
But not to worry, because Shohei hit a second home run just a little while later to tie the game, and the Angels beat the Rangers in overtime 9-6.
That’s the way baseball go. An all-purpose phrase from their former manager Ron Washington. The new manager is Bruce Bochy, who helmed the Giants that beat this team back in the day.
All in all, I thought this stadium had nice air conditioning, but that was the best thing going for it. It lacked character and felt like any generic, corporate stadium. They didn’t have a many fun elements that seemed specific to Texas, and their sound system was also terrible, which is surprising for such a new stadium. It was impossible to understand anything the announcer was saying. Can’t win them all though!
Final day in Dallas! Began with breakfast at Xaman Cafe.
Lunch at bbbop Seoul Kitchen, and a wander around the Oak Cliff shops nearby.
Bought some new sunglasses.
Dinner at Written by the Seasons.
And finally, we drove out to Paul Quinn College, an HBCU, for a Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert… in the gym, haha. It was supposed to be outside on the lawn, but there were thunderstorms basically every day we were in Dallas, so they moved it indoors. Funny to see a professional symphony play on a basketball court, but I love that this was free for the community.
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
