As a previous Coloradan and current New Mexican, I have met my fair share of Texans—mainly because they all come to mountains of Colorado and deserts of New Mexico to vacation. Most of them swear Texas is the best place to live. In college, my best friend talked endlessly about her hometown of Houston until I eventually visited. Right away I saw the appeal. Everything really is bigger in Texas. Big malls, big lakes, and big trucks. Since moving back to New Mexico, I gained a Texas-native roommate and was once again hearing about the glory of Texas—only this time, it was stories about the magnificent Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. So Jake and I decided it may be time to take a trip to the Big D of Texas—Dallas that is.

Day 1: Explore the Dallas Farmers Market & Deep Ellum

No matter which city we’re visiting, if it’s Saturday you’ll find me at the local farmers market. Most farmers markets display a collection of cute farm stands; Dallas is a little different. The city’s farmers market features a variety of food offerings—from Cajun cuisine to ice cream shops—and locally made goods—from bourbon barrel-aged honey, organic vegetables, and locally raised meat to tropical drinks poured into coconuts. Thankfully, the Dallas Farmers Market is open all day so you can spend hours strolling around and sampling the tasty offerings.

After sampling several dishes at the farmers market, we made our way to Deep Ellum—the most recommended Dallas neighborhood to explore (by Lyft drivers). We jammed out to local band Danni & Kris at Deep Ellum Brewing Co., drank a refreshing beer (or two) at BrainDead Brewing, and gorged ourselves on delicious pizza at Stonedeck Pizza Pub (after a couple shots of moonshine).

Jake, being a history buff, dragged us to the Dealey Plaza, the location of JFK’s assassination, where he proceeded to recite every known fact about the assassination and the novel 11/22/63. (Sadly the Sixth Floor Museum was closed so we couldn’t take the tour.) Post history lesson, we scootered to the base of Reunion Tower. An elevator took us up 561 feet where we had an only slightly obstructed 360-degree view of all of Dallas.

Day 2: Enjoy a Sunday Brunch & Scooter Through Uptown Dallas

Sunday brunch is tradition in Dallas; and I am not one to question a city’s tradition. Surprised that the barbecue capitol of probably the world had any sort of vegan offering, we were intrigued by and ultimately enjoyed V-eats Modern Vegan.

At this point, the Dallas heat was getting to us. Not used to the humidity, we needed a reprieve in the form of a quick dip in the hotel pool. After a leisurely swim we Lyfted uptown where we demolished a stack of tacos at Velvet Taco before scootering around Uptown Dallas. As the heat began to overwhelm us once again, we found MUTTS Canine Cantina—a dog park for the dogs and a watering hole for the owners. We sipped on frozen Texas mules as we dog and people watched. As the sun lessened its assault, we made our way to The Rustic for our first VIP concert experience thanks to D Magazine.

 

Day 3: Sip Margaritas Before You Go

Since our flight back home wasn’t till late in the day, we had one more opportunity to dine in Dallas. We decided on Beto & Son for our last meal in Dallas and boy did we hit the jackpot: margaritas made with liquid nitrogen and modern Mexican cuisine which included several vegan options. All in all, I’d say the Big D was a big weekend-win.

Until next time,

Leah Pinkus