Longview, Texas

This weekend I went to Longview, Texas which is about 5 hours North/Northwest of Houston. I went because of the recommendation in Texas Highways Magazine. I invited my Aunt B along and we had a real good time. I was worried with my restaurant recommendations as Nana Bev and Dad already ignore me. But I'm surprised to say that we loved both our meals here. So, I still have one dedicated travel partner. :)

Jucy's Hamburgers was recommended by Texas Highways website. It was great! Nothing like fast food...

This was the reason we came to Longview. The Black Dog Gallery is a gallery and gift shop. The artist/owner of the place talked to us the whole time. She offered us some free cake, showed us some furniture projects she's working on, and much more. What a hospitable person!

The shop and workshop...

The inside was really fun. I ended up getting some Italian spices and some globe earrings for my travelling-obsessed self. ;)

After enjoying the gallery we decided to keep shopping. We looked for a few antique shops but couldn't find too much. We ended up going to downtown but it looked sort of dead. We went into this Craft Mall and it was really neat. I limited myself to one mailbox cover for school but could have done worse.

We walked downtown and I took pictures...

Then we went into the Gregg County Historical Museum. We met a really nice woman who showed us around even though we walked in 15 minutes before they were supposed to close.

The museum was really about 10 nice artifacts set up in tiny room-looking things. This was FDR's speech on an old radio after Pearl Harbor. Behind was a hot air balloon basket, life size. I wanna ride in one!!

These were the original, beautiful ceilings...

After downtown we saw a billboard for Daquiri's to-go so, of course, we had to check it out! Instead of drinking and driving we decided to go in. It was a cute little bar. I watched the A&M basketball game and some of the Olympics and talked with Aunt B. Pretty fun... The strawberry colada daquiri was good too...but not too strong, thankfully!

Finally, as the sun set, we enjoyed some great pizza at Pizza King. It was recommended by my (new) Aunt Neeley. They come here from Tyler pretty often. It was fresh, tasty and a fun atmosphere. Overall, had a great time!!

Looking forward to next weekend at the National BBQ Championship in Houston and then off to Marshall, Texas about 5 hours in the Northwest corner of Texas!

Dallas Weekend

This past weekend I went to Dallas more for my new obsession with Texas Highways Magazine, moreso than my Wcities job. I read an article about the Bishop Art District in North Oak Cliff. Now, I've only been in Oak Cliff once in my life. It was definitely something I'll never forget, as I learned a very valuable life lesson. So, I thought it was time for a return to this sketchy area to see if I could find the hidden gem known as the Bishop Art District.

This was the fun Soda Gallery. It was fun to see soda bottles that have stood the test of time. They have a "six pack special" so I got some root beer, cherry soda, etc, etc. It was fun.

All over the buildings they have these beautifully colored murals. They were really neat.

I stopped here for some coffee because it was pretty cold. Got some lunch. It was very mellow. I was the only one in there so it was cool. I just journaled and looked at my travel guide.

Quite a few art galleries with some fun stuff. I wish I had more money to blow. :)

Ok, there's history to this picture. It really is a beautiful view. There's a picture of this exact shot at sundown in the magazine. It's pretty. So I had to get one too. :) Such a copycat...

Haha funny stuff. This place was recommended in TH. This place is in Fort Worth so I drove an hour and a half total to eat here. I researched some reviews and knew everyone spoke Spanish here. But I was kind of excited about the cultural differences and to use my Spanish. It was kind of fun. Kind of ackward....no doubt. But, kind of ackwardly fun. I took my grandma Bev with me and wow, she hated it. In front of everyone there she said Taco Bell would have tasted better. Now, this is not a Tex-Mex place. This is a tortilleria so tacos only and it's Mexican food. Tex-Mex and Mexican are two different kinds of food! The meat was tasty but definitely different. It annoyed me when my grandma asked what animal I thought the meat was from. Not really good with narrow-mindedness. But, maybe I'm overreacting...

One of the reviews said the place looks like an old laundromat. Again, I thought it was fun. Would I eat there again? Probably not. But I'd definitely pick up some chips and tortillas to go.

This weekend??? Galveston for Mardi Gras :)