Getting to Know Texas

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You hear a lot about Texans being larger than life. How they think they are better than the rest of America. In other parts of the world when I’ve met them they have been big characters. Generally they mean well but I didn’t know where all this whole larger than life, patriotic character came from - Enter San Antonio and The Alamo.



A lot of big things have happened to this state like the discovery of oil, which can be seen on the state highways. Scattered around are small oilrigs pumping away. Also JFK’s death in Dallas, the massive stadium home to the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington and the biggest honky tonk in the world at Billy Bobs in Fort Worth and much, much more.



Dallas I was expecting bigger. It is only a small city with small pockets for nightlife but to be truthful I wouldn’t bother staying here. I would head to Fort Worth instead.



Whilst passing through head to Elm Street where JFK was shot twice. Two ‘X’s’ mark the spot where he was shot. When we arrived I was slightly confused because I only remember a straight line when he was shot and the car driving away. But once here, clarification hits and there was a turn along S Houston Street turning left onto Elm and down Delany Plaza.



As the car drove on it goes down a hill toward the bridge of Hwy 35E. This is where he gets shot. A line of trees are in front of the 6^th Floor Museum building where Lee Harvey Oswald took the shot. The window where he shot from is 6 flights up.



The second shot was from the grassy knoll. Again I was expecting something different, a bigger bump or further distance but it’s a stones throw away. I looked from across the street and the tree line obscures the shot now from the 6^th floor. How a shot came from the grassy knoll and nobody caught the guy is beyond me.



You have to pay to get into the building of Oswald’s shot so we didn’t do it. Instead you can walk behind the wooden fence where the grassy knoll shot would have been taken. Words have been written on the back of the fence like, “U.S GOV.=J.F.K DEATH CORRUPTION AT ITS FINEST” or a South Park piss take “Oh my God they killed JFK. You bastards!!!”



There are 3 major cities within less than an hour away. Dallas to the east, Fort Worth to the west and in between is Arlington, Interestingly no Dallas team in the national competition plays in Dallas they play either in Arlington or Fort Worth where the Mavericks play. In Arlington they have two teams whose stadiums are opposite each other. The Cowboys and the Texas Rangers baseball field. If a football game is on go to a Cowboys game, the stadium looks immense.



In Arlington they also have a special restaurant called Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill, which is ranked, 2^nd in the exploitation of the female body bars. Here they sell pub grub by waitresses wearing bright coloured bikini tops, full breasted with short denim skirts - A must for male travellers in the area. If the women don’t impress you than the coldest beer you’ll ever have is here too. Glass is pure white with the contents slightly iced up once the beer hits the glass from the tap. Can’t remember which is more memorable the beer or the cleavage? There was a Latina version in Fort Worth I was told but we didn’t go to it because of time, ask around and you may find it.



In Fort Worth we had our first and only rest day. We still managed to go out for a few drinks but Parish did nothing but sleep all day. I managed to get my arse up and walk around the town. 25 miles west Fort Worth is what that Texas cowboy theme is renowned for.



One of the must do things here is to try out the Texan meat. Meat generally is too expensive outside the supermarket so the only meat we were getting were beef patties on hamburgers. But in Texas meat is as cheap as.



We went to Angelo’s BBQ (www.angelosbbq.com) in Fort Worth accessible if you have a car. It was the most tender ribs I have ever had. Basically melted in the mouth. The restaurant is not suited to animal right activists because every possible big game animal’s head is up for display, including the buffalo.



There are two parts to Fort Worth the modern downtown and Stockyards, which has kept to its wild-west type theme. Everyday around 11am they have a steer stampede through the centre. We didn’t arise to see that.



Stockyards is about 3 miles north of downtown and plaques commemorate famous actions that took place like one where a famous standoff was held. It explains how one guy shot the other and it was found that the loser’s gun was jammed.



It is also home to Billy Bobs Honky Tonk. We went there and it is more so a Friday, Saturday thing. Thursday there was still some people but not much. Everyone knew how to dance here no matter what age. It was college night as was the whole city of Fort Worth so even the college students got in on the act.



We pre gamed and I had a shocking Barefoot Blues merlot red wine. In a cross promotion with one of my more hated country songs. “Barefoot Bluejean night” (go back to my Nashville song list for links) it affected my head a bit and I got frustrated a bit too much especially playing pool.



We headed into the downtown area by sharing a cab with some drunk elderly couple. Toward the end of the night we found a place called The Library. There they have $1 Bud’s all night. So we could have got hammered at a popular bar all night. Still we got an idea of the Honky Tonk.



I’d later see Texas people when in Nevada. I asked them about their suggestion of Texas country. When they gave me a few names I asked weather it was Tex-Mex (like the food, get it) But they said there isn’t such a genre - I think that the world can work on this.



It’s hard to really capture the history of Texas apart from the Stockyards. Everywhere else is pretty modern around the Dallas area. So we made a short stopover in San Antonio to capture what The Alamo is all about. Commemorating the 175^th anniversary by the end of the visit I could understand why some Texans feel they need a separate identity.



In December 1835 Texan and Tejano volunteers fought against Mexican troops. What is forgotten is that Mexico was larger than what it is right now. It covered many parts of southern USA - Texas being one of them. The Mexican President at the time changed a rule where at the time white Europeans could purchase land and have freedom to vote. That changed to them having no rights.



After 5 days of house-to-house fighting, the Mexicans were forced to surrender. By February 23 1836 the Mexicans came back. What ensued was a 13-day hold out of a group of close to 200 defenders. A letter was sent out to as many American states as possible but only one reinforcement came to bolster up to the 200-approx figure.



Legend has it that Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over, all except one did. With the red flag raised by the Mexicans meaning no one will be spared. The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6. 1836. Predawn the Mexicans attacked and broke through the north wall after a 3^rd attempt to break through. The last men to perish is where they show a 15 minute video briefing the history of the events.



The battle has become a symbol of heroic struggle against the odds. A place where men sacrificed for freedom. It is seen as a shrine to Texan Liberty. Despite the loss it was the inspiration for future battles when soon after in San Jacinto where after hearing of defeat at the Alamo Sam Houston went on a month mission to reinforce and by April 21 1836 independence was won.



What is left now is in pretty good nick. The church which was attacked and where the women and children waited until the fighting was over is still there. The gardens are well kept. The Alamo sounds big but its actually only one block in size.



A bit tacky across the street with all the Ripley Believe it or not and Guinness Book of Records shops and that type of trash but there is a back entrance that helps keep respect for the site. This wasn’t my only Texan experience but it is up there with my favourite states in America.

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