6.19.2005

The Texas I-35 Party tour

Should you ever find yourself in Texas, you might wonder what there is to see and do after 10 pm. I was in Texas a week ago and I wondered the same thing. I did extensive research and the following post is a summary of my findings. Houston was not included to save time and gas, the other three major cities in Texas are all accessible from I-35. Houston is a side trip I'll save for another time.
I'll start with Dallas. The night life in Dallas doesn't start until Tuesday, although I suppose one could find a cozy little meet-market in Addison off the Dallas North Tollway Monday night. Tuesday nights are beach volleyball league night at Jack's Pub on Hall St. off I-75 in the Uptown neighborhood. I would go to ogle the pretty girls in beach volleyball wear and drink beer. Girls could come to scope out the shirtless men in board shorts. The volleyball is just an excuse.
Wednesday night means Carson's Live in Addison at Trinity Mills and the Tollway in Addison or Cowboy's in Arlington at 360 and Abrams. Carson's has a weekly beauty pageant involving women in bikinis and evening wear. Cowboy's has a raucous college night and various contests involving half-dressed college age contestants.
Thursday and Friday nights were a crapshoot for me. The second week I was in town, I partied in Austin and San Antonio on those nights. I hear Deep Ellum (take 75 south into downtown and take the Live Oak exit west) isn't bad on Friday. The first Thursday I went to this place called Uropa in Deep Ellum. My experience there got off on the wrong foot when an underage hottie tried to seduce me into buying her and a girlfriend rum and coke. Moral dilemmas do not a good evening make. The wet t-shirt contest helped a little though.
Saturday nights, social climbers should make their way to a place called the Obar. Supposedly, that is where DFW's social elite go to see and be seen. I went with some new friends I made and drank myself under the bar. I did notice that the crowd there is of the fashion model look-a-like variety. I saw a lot of exceeding tall people in expensive clothing.
Once party-goers tire of Dallas night life they should jump in their rental car (but only after an appropriate interval to allow their hangover to subside) and make their way to Austin. On the way, I recommend a pit stop in Hillsboro, TX and the Lone Star Cafe. Lone Star Cafe is a chain restaurant in Texas with an open bar and down home cooking. I especially recommend the cheese cake chimichangas. Once in Austin, astute party people should stay in the Super-Eight motel nearly directly across I-35 from Sixth Street. The motel is not only within walking distance of the "Live Music Capital" of the nation; it's cheap too. I have to admit that I don't frequent Austin's live music venues when I visit. I am more interested in the fact that Austin residents supposedly consume more alcohol in public then any other city in the country. (I got that tidbit from a popular men's magazine, my limited personal experience does support the fact that Austin drinks more than any town I've seen) I go to Austin to hit on the drunken college girls.
The only reason San Antonio isn't the best place to party in Texas is that Austin is an hour and half north. The River Walk is lined with pubs and clubs with enough variety to please the youthful population of military personnel and college students. The local industry is "hospitality". My favorite place to go in town is Polly Esther's.
Sunday night party people should perhaps try to sleep off their hangovers. Or one could see if Club Babalu (McKinney Ave in Dallas's Uptown neighborhood) is still the best place to salsa in DFW. I leave the choice up to you.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time.Karen