Texas. The name connotes Stetsons, cattle, Rick Perry and George Bush. But most people in LA don't think of Texas first when planning an exotic vacation.
Those are the same people who've never been to the Riverwalk in San Antonio, swum at Padre Island or devoured a What-a-Burger after watching a meteor shower on a cloudless night.
It doesn't matter where you go in Texas, actually. The state is so unique that even the notoriously hard-to-please Brits have a fascination with the Lone Star State. The cowboy, epitomized by the John Wayne Western, carries the type of mystique over there that Pippa Middleton has over here (at least as of this writing).
An advantage for planning a Texas vacation over, say, a trip to the Bahamas or Paris, is it's cheap. From LA to San Antonio - if you left October 15 and returned two weeks later, you'd spend only $218 if you booked on Expedia.
So here's the top ten list of things to do in Texas, assuming you've got two weeks to tour the land of armadillos, tumbleweeds and Matthew McConaughey (who was born in a small town called Uvalde):
- Head to the aforementioned Riverwalk. Shop, dine, marvel at the romantic ambience and take a little cruise with your honey. Oct. 29 even features coffins on parade.
- Visit or, heck, buy a cattle ranch. Not for the squeamish, the vegans or the slow runners.
- Jewelry shop in Santa Fe, poring over the ubuiquitous tourquoise as well as more rare tribal finds, such as gems from the Tarahumara Indians and Mestizo farming families.
- Search for shells along Padre Island National Seashore. Watch out if you're an ocean swimmer, though. The Gulf is deliciously clement, but an occasional Portuguese Man-o-war (Physalia physalis) may have your number. Seriously, they look like jelly fish. Watch the bruskies before you beach comb.
- Remember the Alamo. Not the car rental place, but where a 13-day seige took place between the Texian and Mexican armies.
- Eat a What-a-burger. This burger is to Texas what the In-n-Out is to a late night date in LA. Delicious, chockfull of flavor and slathered in mustard.
- Visit the LBJ family cemetery at Johnson, Texas. For anyone weak on history, Johnson became president when JFK was assasinated; then was elected in his own right.
- Stroll around the University of Texas campus at Austin. Check out the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Museum while you're there, then head out into the town for a drink at one of the city's best bars, such as Dirty Bill's.
- Watch the fireflies flit about the yard. Fireflies are native to tropical climates, and varieties number in the hundreds. If you've never seen one, turn off the porch lights, pour yourself some sweet tea and enjoy.
- Audition to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Ok, you must relocate to the Dallas area, but think of the prestige, the pom poms, the dalliances with NFL stars. If this isn't your thing, at least head to a game in Big D.
Comments