Austin, TX

It would seem that the Dallas Cowboys might be moving to Arlington. I’m sure there are purely financial reasons for this, as Arlington is still in the Metroplex area, less than 10 miles away from where they are right now. There is a pre-occupation among local sports commentators as to whether they should change their name to, say, the Texas Cowboys. To my mind, this is somewhat moot, since they’re currently not in Dallas anyway – they’re in Irving, which is where I’m staying. I can understand that the “Irving Cowboys” conjures up more of an image of a sub-standard building outfit than of a world-class football team, but I would have thought that, if the association with Dallas is good enough for Irving, it should be good enough for Arlington. But then Arlington is no stranger to controversy: when Ameriquest (a Californian finance company) provided major funding for “The Ballpark in Arlington” (home of the Texas Rangers since 1994), they insisted on changing the name to the “Ameriquest Field”. Not a popular idea with the locals. Of course, apart from Iraq, the troubles in Sudan (genocide, ebola outbreak, …) and the cockle-picker crisis in Morecambe Bay, there’s not a whole lot going on, so that what constitutes “news” is relative.

Not exactly subtle ...

Poor Nellie ...

On an entirely different topic, you may think that 200 miles is rather a long way to go for lunch. But then you wouldn’t know the whole story. Last time I tried to go to Austin, I got side-tracked at Waco to visit Crawford, the home of one George W. Bush, who could well have done more to sully the credibility of his office than his predecessor. This time I headed straight through Waco, across the Brazos River, and on to Austin. I have to take back some of the more disparaging remarks I’ve made about Texas – Austin is certainly a city I’d want to re-visit. I followed the signs to the Visitor Center, and completely missed it. The second time around, I stopped outside a hot sauce shop (I know … only in America) and asked for directions. I not only found the Visitor Center (where I only wanted to pick up a map anyway) but also found out the area to go where I could pursue my favourite pastime – walking around and people-watching. The area I was in (Sixth Street) boasts “over 100 music venues, historic sites, restaurants, trendy stores, and exciting night clubs, all within 5 city blocks”. It comes alive at night, and I’d love to go there again in the evening, but not alone, simply because it’s an experience to be shared.

So I crossed the Colorado River to an area that’s hip and hippie. On the way, I saw a road sign that preceded the Texas School for the Deaf, saying simply “Deaf Peds”. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed a little blunt. I suppose, before the Texas School for the Handicapped, they probably have a sign that says “Cripples Crossing”. Texans are probably not best known for their subtlety.Oh, and if you want to visit Nellie, you can't ...

I had lunch at Guero’s (http://www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com/review/gueros/). There was a 20-minute wait, but, as I was alone, they could seat me immediately at the taco counter. Picadillo tacos – nothing like tacos as we know them. They were served in soft shells, with a beef and potato filling, salsa, rice and the inevitable pinto beans on the side. Quite delicious, and washed down with a Corona.

I would have loved to have spent longer walking around, but a minor, errrm, “traffic incident”, persuaded me that it might be better to leave. Quickly.

On the way back, a freight train ran alongside the highway, and it took me so long to get past it that, as soon as I was ahead of it, I pulled off at the next off-ramp, and sat waiting for it to come by (I know … but these are the kind of things I find interesting). It had 5 engines up front, towing 135 wagons, and took 4 minutes to pass me. That may not sound long, but it seems to take forever. As I approached Dallas, I could see the skyscrapers of downtown from 12 miles away – that’s how flat this part of Texas is.

San Antonio is only another 100 miles further on, so I could probably do that in a day if I can get up early enough.