Some thoughts on a Texas "rivalry"

Ok, there's probably not really a rivalry between Austin (where I live) and Dallas (The Big D!), because most Texans are really focused on talking trash about Oklahoma. Most of this is college football-related of course (Longhorns vs Sooners), but can quickly turn into a general discussion of why Texas is superior to Oklahoma (haha, sorry couldn't resist).

In return, I feel fairly confident that most folks in Oklahoma feel superior to us Texans. They have certainly been kicking our asses on the gridiron in recent years - I can't deny that.

However, I am pretty sure that you didn't show up here for a discussion like that. You probably came for some photos. So I have generously sprinkled a TON of Dallas photos into this post today. Dallas? Isn't that just a holding place for a big airport? Not so much. Well, yes, but not entirely. I will explain. Sort of.

So, back to the Austin vs Dallas thing.

Just about anyone you ask will say they prefer Austin to Dallas. I'm not knocking Dallas, it's just that Austin has a cooler vibe and is certainly a more progressive and entertaining city. (Of course I am biased because I live in Austin - though it is very liberal, or hippie, and is well-known for it's music scene, for example).

I have always considered Dallas to be one of those places that is ok to travel to (and I do pass through the airport a LOT), but I would never want to live there. It feels like a big concrete mess that is spread out over miles and miles of flat prairie land. It's a massive amount of "towns" all connected by highways running this way and that. And as if it wasn't big enough, you have Ft Worth sort of next door, so the entire metroplex area is MASSIVE. That's all caps.

In fact, on many of my trips there, I have left the camera gear at home. My thinking was that there was nothing really interesting to shoot, so why bother? It couldn't be further from what Austin is. It's just a big concrete mess, right? And in that line of thinking, I have also always assumed that it's not a particularly great city for photography.

I was wrong.

There's actually quite a bit to shoot there, and some cool spots to explore. Going back through my photo archives recently (actually looking for something else), I have developed a new appreciation for Dallas, and am now thinking it would be great to get back up there sometime and fire away. In fact, I'm just going to go ahead and say it: there's a lot to shoot there, and some of it is pretty damn cool.

So there, Dallas - that's my form of an apology.

You see, these pics were all accumulated over the last few years on several trips there. I generally just wandered and shot a little in my free time, but never published them or even gave them much thought. But coming across them in my library recently was an eye-opener. There's some really cool stuff there! I guess I didn't realize it at the time, or more likely I was distracted by other shiny objects in the old photo library. It happens (a lot).

These aren't stunning landscapes - or even stunning cityscapes - but they are photos that I like enough to share with you, and that I like enough to decide that maybe Dallas isn't so bad after all. Maybe there are some interesting parts of town with a lot of character and a funky vibe. Maybe it's not just a big concrete jungle. Maybe my tastes have changed a bit. Maybe I should be a little more open-minded about the place.

There really is beauty everywhere, even in places you don't expect it. So my apologies to the city of Dallas for considering you a bigger but less exciting city than Austin. I still don't plan to live there, but I can say the next time I find myself there, I will gladly bring the camera and find a LOT to aim it at!