Don't Mess With Texas
As I complete my training class in Dallas, I must say it was not what I expected.
What I expected: 95% of the population wearing cowboy boots, large belt buckles, and/or ten-gallon hats.
What I found: Only about 5% of the population wearing tacky westernwear, but many many many stores selling it.
What I expected: Horrible accents.
What I found: A few "howdy"'s and "y'all"'s, but not nearly as much as in Atlanta.
What I expected: tumbleweeds and sagebrush.
What I found: Traffic, office buildings, and many many many billboards for strip clubs. Like you can't go a mile down the highway without seeing 2 or 3 ads for them. It's surreal.
Overall the only thing that differentiates Dallas from every other large city in the country is the Texas attitude. I can't think of another state where everyone has state flag stickers on their cars, wears state flag shirts, and even wears sunglasses shaped like the state! Bumper stickers like "I'm from Texas, what country are you from?" are prevalent. And I'm not totally sure what it is they're so proud of, besides maybe the sheer number of sleazy strip clubs.
Comments
I'm about to go there tomorrow for my high school reunion. Dallas has changed a lot since I grew up there. So much traffic, so much going on.
People there are proud and openly show their love of Texas. I think there's a lot to like about Dallas. I didn't plan to live there, and so far I've managed not to live there, but I always enjoy visiting there. It's sad though that where I used to ride my bike (with my friend Bill, and we had maps drawn of the area, and parts of the area claimed on behalf of UT and Texas A&M) there was all woods and now it's all developed.
The other sad thing is the chnage in my parents' view about the safety of walking outside at night or wandering around. They tell me it's not like it was when I grew up. I think it is, but the news at night is enough to spook anybody.
Posted by: rkc at June 22, 2006 10:08 PM
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