Stupid Things to Do in Dallas

Happen to be in Dallas and don’t want to do the usual fun stuff?? C’mon, concerts and cool restaurants are overrated! The Big D has plenty to offer if you are new to the area. All you need is a little imagination, appreciation for the small things, and a dash of craziness (or a gallon, in our case).

Here is a list of some fun, stupid things to do while visiting the city. Some of these things might get you in trouble, so always keep an eye out for authorities. And remember to keep your happy adventure pants on... these things aren’t for the grumpy hearted!


1. Eating Challenge #1: Buffalo Wild Wings Hot Wing Challenge... Eat a dozen of their hottest wings in six minutes. Beware... these babies are pure fire!! Jason couldn’t even last the full six minutes. (For a video of Jason's Eating Challenge, refer to my Facebook)

2. Dance with a saxophone player outside the the Dallas Aquarium, as if nobody’s watching. We happened to find one here on our first Sunday in the Big D.

3. I don’t know what this building is called, but you can find it Downtown. There are beautiful fountains surrounding its ground floor, which light up at night. Go inside (watch out for security!), and travel to the highest floor the elevator will take you to. Peer out the slanted windows into the amazing view of Downtown.

4. Riding the DART bus or train is relatively cheap. Hop on the train for a ride through Downtown, West End, and Deep Ellum (or even further, if you so desire). Get off wherever you like and walk around to take silly pictures.

5. Give some love to robots and birds in Deep Ellum.

6. Hang off of the giant, red, wonky cross sculpture in front of the Dallas Museum of Art. Watch out for security guards... you’re actually not allowed to touch this thing.

7. Find one of the many outdoor water features in Downtown. They will be tucked between skyscrapers or adjacent to outdoor sculpture gardens. Take off your shoes and socks and stand in the water, even if it’s cold outside.

8. Go to the outdoor sculpture garden and lay out on these rocks. (We got in trouble for this one. Apparently these rocks are sacred.)

9. Make friends with the locals.

10. Go to “The Square” in Denton... The Courthouse and all the little restaurants and shops surrounding it. Especially enjoyable on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when people are picnicking and live musicians are playing outside the courthouse.

 

11. Find the fancy shopping center of Stanley Korshak and walk around. I know you can’t afford anything, but just walk around and take in this little marvel. The courtyard is a lovely example of classic symmetry.

 

12. Watch TV on the multiple, gy-hugeant screens in the courtyard area just outside of the American Airlines center.

 13. Go skateboarding downtown.... DO NOT attempt to skateboard down a busy street in 5 o’clock traffic.
 

Happy Explorations!!

Why We Can Never Return to B's Buffet

This post is dedicated to all my friends and family that are or ever have been in the military, including my Air Force/Army/Marine wife friends that I know.

Yesterday afternoon, Jason came through the door with one of those awkward looks on his face, like a child who just got in trouble. You know something is wrong, but they don't want to admit it. He handed me a tall coffee that he had promised, and when I inquired about what was going on, he said everything was fine. Hmmm... I didn’t think so, but I knew it would come out eventually. He apologized for not bringing me lunch... Was that the reason for his guilt-stricken face?? I explained that was fine because I wasn’t expecting any lunch and wasn’t hungry... Finally it started to spill from his mouth.

“I got kicked out of B’s Buffet.”

“Whaaat?? Why??”  I couldn’t imagine what in the world he would have been doing to get kicked out of a dinky Chinese restaurant. Did he eat too many eggrolls? Complain about their poor decorating skills? Weeeellll.... apparently he got into an argument with one of the other patrons. Jason is not one of those people that start fights or arguments with just anybody, so I was very surprised and ready to hear his explanation.

Jason went to the Chinese buffet around the corner from us, intending to eat and bring a box of food for me. However, his lunch got cut short when the large man at the booth next to his started badmouthing the United States military. I don’t know the details of what was said, but he did not have anything good to say about our nation’s men and women that are fighting for us overseas. Jason is not hardcore into politics or anything, but he believes you should support those who are in our military. We may not agree with why the President sends them to dangerous places to fight for various reasons, but those brave men and women are risking their lives for our country!  Apparently, the man at the buffet did not see it this way, so Jason stood up and said something to him. And dropped the F bomb. Therefore, he is now banished from B’s Buffet.

Jason apologized for his behavior and what it had resulted in, but after giving it some thought, I decided it was perfectly okay. While he did something that I would never have the guts to do, I was proud of him for standing up for something that he believed in, and something I believe in as well. I made light of the subject and even drew a little cartoon (Please excuse all the eraser marks, I only had a crappy pencil on me).

My Draftsmanship Talents

I know that there is a lot of turmoil and bad stuff going on with our country that people don’t agree with. I’m not here to talk about the politics about it. I just want to say THANK YOU to all of those who are in the military, defending our country. They are doing a job. A dangerous and controversial one that they must do whether they agree with it or not. And we should all be supportive and thankful.  

I have lots of friends whose husbands are on active duty, and I know that being a military wife is a difficult job in itself. So cheers to you all and THANK YOU!!

Much Love, 

Bianca Faye

We Heart Addison Circle Park!

As I was hanging up clothes one day at Anthropologie, a fellow co-worker asked, “Did you watch the Grammys last night?”
To which I responded, “No, I don’t have a TV.”
Another girl chimed in, “You don’t have a TV?? That’s so refreshing! What do you do?”
“Well, I read, we watch movies sometimes... we go to the park a lot and just hang out.”
“That’s so inspiring! It makes me want to throw out all my televisons!”

People are always surprised when ***GASP!!*** We don’t have a television. No, we don’t live in a cave. The truth is, we gave up nearly everything to move to Dallas. However, back in OKC, we weren’t big TV watchers then. Jason had one with cable, but we rarely ever watched it. We are much more active people... we like to explore and go places and do things. One of our favorite pastimes in OKC was to sit on the floor and just hang out... talking, taking turns picking out music, looking out the windows at the craziness of Western Avenue and the bar across the street, Cock o’ the Walk.

In our new Dallas apartment, we don’t have a view into Cock O’the Walk, so we’ve had to discover new sources of entertainment... which leads to the introduction of Addison Circle Park. 

Tree hugging in Addison Circle

Addison Circle is a medium size community of apartments, retail, and restaurants that makes you feel as if you’re in the middle of downtown, but without all the traffic and noise and bums because Addison itself is more suburban. Brick paved sidewalks, loft apartments with bay windows, little fountains and gardens tucked in corners or apartment atriums, trees, dog parks... and everybody outside, enjoying every bit of it. It’s a cozy little community that we have dreamed of living in.

Fountain and Theater Seating

On the edge of this wonderful little place is a huge park called Addison Circle Park. To get to it, you drive in a roundabout that centers on a monstrous, cobalt blue sculpture. The metal fixture consists of different grid sections with different shapes and line configurations that represent different parts of Addison’s history.  Then you pull up to the park.

Addison Circle Sculpture

Addison Circle Park is a huge expanse of grass and winding trails, dotted with trees. The upper level, adjacent to the street, has multiple fountains and mini waterfalls that flow into rectangular pools of water. It’s hard to describe the simple beauty and sense of calm that permeates your mind when you enter this outdoor environment. It is one of those places you can only truly appreciate in person. 

View towards apartments

This is our favorite spot to go to... whether its for alone time, a picnic, or just walking around. Over our past few months in Dallas, we’ve trekked all over this park and every corner of Addison Circle. We have yet to see the inside of any of the apartments (they’re guarded with special keys), but the park is always our retreat... morning, noon, or night.

Addison Sunset! <3

 
I’m sure we won’t always be celibate from television. We are human, and every once in awhile I just feel like laying down and doing something mindless. But in the meantime, it’s fun to live life instead of watching others live theirs in a box.