"Everythings Bigger in Texas", one of the many sayings you hear when it comes to the state. Well as they say, " I was fixin' to find out.
With roughly 21 hours in Dallas, I had a small list of things to do on my first visit. I flew in at 9:00 am and had somewhere to be at 1:00 pm, so, I packed my adventures into that time slot.
The first stop was right in the airport, Einstein Bros. Bagels. I had looked up places to eat at DFW and this place kept coming up. I wanted to try the Texas Brisket Egg Sandwich but opted for the Farmhouse instead.
The Farmhouse is stacked with cage-free eggs, thick cuts of bacon, smoked ham, and cheddar cheese on a cheesy hashbrown gourmet bagel smothered with pepper smear. (cream cheese) I washed it all down with a bottle of water.
Refueled and ready to go, I exited Terminal C and made my way to the rental cars. To get to the cars, a bus picks you up and takes you to the rental car area. From there I picked up my vehicle and was on the road.
My second stop was about 8 minutes away, the C.R. Smith Museum.
The C.R. Smith Museum describes itself as a journey behind the largest airline in the world. (American Airlines). The museum is named after Cyrus Rowlett Smith, an aviation pioneer and the first president of American Airlines.
You enter the museum and purchase tickets from the gift shop to the right.
Admission is $9. (I was told admission was pay as you like but $9 is the unofficial fee) Upon leaving the gift shop, I stopped at the American Airlines Global exhibit. This is a globe that rotates showing all the flights American Airlines has in the air at that particular time.
Next up was the theatre. I saw a few films of airline employees from around the world stating what drove them to join American and how they fell in love with flying. I then visited an MD 80 Cockpit, a command center, and then to my favorite exhibition, boarding a DC-3 Airplane. This particular plane was given to American airlines in 1936 and is still kept in pristine condition today. It was my first time being aboard one of these planes, I had to soak up the moment. I then visited the gift shop to stack up on a few items before leaving.
The final stop before my meeting was Cattleack BBQ. I had heard about this BBQ on an episode of Munchies and added it to my to-do list immediately. What they don't tell you is the wait to get in is over an hour but they provided free beers while waiting on the line as well as select seats so it wasn't too bad. Once inside, I proceeded to purchase one item each.
The Texas trio was amazing. A juicy slice of brisket, a pork rib, and a spicy sausage. (Can substitute with cheese sausage) I also had a pound of the pulled pork. My favorite side had to be the macaroni, a good thing I got two. I wasn't able to try the burnt ends or potato salad as they were sold out of both. Now I have a reason to go back.
I ate the BBQ in the car on the way to my meeting which lasted till roughly 8:00 pm and then checked into the Westin DFW. I had dinner at the hotel's restaurant before calling it a night. The next day I hit the road at 6:00 am for my new adventure.
Next time when I visit and someone asks is this my first visit to Texas, better believe my answer will be, " This ain't my first rodeo"
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