I have been a huge Dallas Cowboys fan my entire life. My father
has been one since the 60’s and since we didn’t have the best relationship my whole
life, this was how we bonded when I was a kid. So this team means more to me
than it may to many other fans. Growing up in enemy territory (the DC area) I have always been amazed at how many Cowboys fans there are here and in every other city. Either way, journeying to Dallas has been a lifelong
dream and goal of mine. A pilgrimage of some sort. This year I finally got to make it come true. And it
was the most epic 4 days of my life.
Initially I was wondering how this trip would go as I
boarded a plane full of Redskins fans headed to Dallas with me. I wondered if I
would even make it to the game before getting arrested for fighting. However I
wouldn’t let anything stop me from getting to the Holy Land or ruin the amazing
trip I had been waiting for my entire life. Not even some sucker ass Redskin
fans.
Upon arriving in
Dallas, I picked up my rental car and then met up with my friend Autumn, who
was meeting me there from Miami. She a lifelong and extremely loyal Cowboys fan
originally from the DC area because of her father, exactly like me. It was
perfect to experience this with someone who shares my same extreme love for this
team. Our first stop was the famous Whataburger fast food joint. I
have heard about this place and always wanted to try it. And man it was
everything they said it was! Just delicious. I only wish we had these in DC.
Our next stop was the Walmart across from the Cowboys
stadium in Arlington since everyone had told us they have tons of Cowboys stuff
for cheap. First of all, I almost crashed the car when I saw the stadium on the
way there. I literally hopped a curb. I was in awe at how huge it was and how futuristic
it looked. It was amazing because the first time I laid eyes on the stadium, it
was cloudy and raining but the sun came out and shined down on it, a magical
moment I will never forget. Anyway the Walmart was crazy packed. They had an
overwhelming section of Cowboys merchandise where I picked up some things for
my folks back home and for myself. I wanted to go here first to see what I
could get for cheap before even venturing to the Cowboys Pro shops.
After this we checked into our hotel, which lucky for us, had
been freshly painted that day so we were inadvertently getting high off of the
fumes the entire time. Hey, our room was 10 minutes from the stadium, so
whatever. We changed and got ready and went out to meet our #CowboysNation fam
also in town for the game at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was awesome to meet them
and we had some good laughs. We headed to a local club and had a great night.
The next day was game day. The excitement we felt was indescribable.
We were so pumped up to see our team play our biggest rival in our beautiful stadium
for the first time. We actually went to the mall for a few hours to buy more
Cowboys stuff and have lunch with a #CowboysNation friend. Then we picked up
some drinks and headed to the stadium to tailgate with more #CowboysNation fam to
tailgate. Good times. Except for all the burgundy of gold. Skins fans are like
roaches. They travel in hoards, are dirty and impossible to get rid of. They
just disrespect the hell out of your home. Ugh. The funniest part to me was how they toured our stadium and even purchased our merchandise in our shops. They never cease to amaze me. Anyway.
When we finally entered AT&T stadium, it was just
glorious. The magnitude and splendor of this place is unimaginable until you’re
actually there. Felt so good to be home. We got some Cowboyritas ($16 but very
strong) and some tacos and hung out until the game started. We actually got to
see a picture of us up on the big screen, which was unreal. Then my friend got
a hookup from one of our #CowboysNation friends to get us “Landry Room” passes.
This is a private room where the family members and guests of players wait for
them after games with food and all. I was literally in tears of excitement.
The game itself was a fantastic experience and lots of fun.
I damn near lost my voice from screaming. Our boys never once lost the lead to
the bum ass Redskins. I couldn’t be happier at how they played. Beating your
biggest rival is always a great feeling, especially when you know you can go
back to work and talk a bunch of crap to everyone who said you’d lose. We ended
up getting to sit pretty close and even got about 15 feet away from the players
when they were coming off the field so we could take pics and scream our heads
off some more.
Then we got to the Landry room and we saw most of our boys, which
was surreal. Getting to meet head coach Jason Garrett exceeded my wildest
expectation. I told him I came all the way from DC to watch him beat the Skins.
He smiled, thanked me and shook my hand. I died. He was super nice and I was
surprised that he was happy to take a pic with me. I also got to take a pic
with Dwayne Harris, who had a phenomenal game with a major punt return
touchdown. We saw countless other players and even saw Draya waiting for her
boo Orlando Scandrick with his twin daughters and her son. It was overwhelming honestly.
But extremely exciting. An incredible way to end the most perfect day ever. I
am still kind of in shock days later. We were supposed to go out to a club that
night but after the amazingness that took place in the Landry Room, it was too
late. So we chilled at the hotel room for the night, still high off that big W.
The next day we got to tour the stadium, another unreal
experience. That place is truly a world wonder. The cleanliness, luxury and attention
to detail (even the drains in the floor had stars on them) is what really
impressed me. Jerry Jones really outdid himself. I was tickled to learn that
they hosted all kinds of events at the stadium, including weddings (light
bulb!), to pay off the $1.2 billion price tag. Our tour guide, Mike, was great. The
history of our team just amazes me. Going into the locker rooms and onto the very nice
field were highlights for me. I still couldn’t get over that screen (the
largest TV screen in the entire world). We had a blast.
After a final trip to the stadium Pro Shop, my friend and I
had a delicious lunch at Papadeaux and took a nap before heading up to Plano,
TX to see the Drew Pearson show. For those who don’t know, this man is known as
one of the greatest wide receivers and football players of all time. He played
in the good old days with other legends Roger Staubach, Randy White and Tony
Dorsett. Drew was known as Mr. Clutch for one of the most famous “Hail Mary”
plays in all football history. Two other receivers went on to wear his number (88)
in honor of his legacy on the team. We were beyond excited to watch his show
and actually meet him. He was super nice and down to earth. We got to shoot the
breeze with him for quite a while, talking about everything from his remarkable
career, the long-term effects of brain injuries for NFL players, our stadium, breast
cancer and the great city of Dallas. He even put his Super Bowl ring on our
fingers to our amazement. There are no words to describe how I felt. NONE.
The next day we couldn't depart Dallas without getting some famous Rudy’s
fried chicken so we rushed over to get some before our flights. It was hood as hell, served with sliced bread and
all. My friend wasn’t impressed but I actually thought it was delicious and I liked
their hot sauce. It was hard to fit all my new cowboys stuff in my luggage to get
home because I sure did load up. But I made it home Tuesday night just fine.
My dad said he was jealous of what an epic trip I had. It
was cool to be able to send him all the pics of the stadium, the game and even
me with our coach. He was in awe, but no way nearly as much as me. It was
definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. Keep in mind I had to
leave out the juiciest parts though LOL. I am hoping to be able to make it out
to Dallas once a year for a game. It was an awesome city that I totally fell in
love with, even aside to being home to the greatest sports franchise in history.
One of the things that impressed me the most is how nice people are down there. Guess it's true that everything is better in Texas. To be honest, I miss it already!
