#20 of 31: AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas

October 21, 2014

GAMEDAY: DALLAS COWBOYS VS INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

An unexpected polar vortex in early November sent us scurrying south. No month of tailgating in temperatures reaching into the low teens for us. Scratch Detroit and Chicago for 2014. Seeking warmth and sunshine, we decided to head for Dallas and enter Jerry World to tailgate with the Dallas Cowboys fans.

We were pretty excited to actually see the highly touted AT&T stadium. And so, since we call this section of the website 31 Stadiums, it seemed like the time had come for us to actually go inside a stadium and take a tour. Having read a great deal about the Jones' personal art collection being used to decorate the complex, we chose to take The Art Tour.

The Tour was enjoyable… especially the 21 foot by 131 foot mural showing the yellow rose of Texas as the center of the Solar System and sitting in the owner's box. Ahhh, Texas, no conceit here.The huge paintings were made more interesting by their juxtaposition around and between girders, pipes and support buttresses.

Over the actual playing field, the two center-hung TV screens are 160 feet wide and 72 feet tall. They stretch from one 20-yard line to the other. Big! Everything is BIG.

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After the tour and playing on the field we were able to purchase the last parking ticket available for the RV Lot. $150.00, but it allowed us to stay overnight in the lot from Saturday through Monday afternoon.

PHOTO GALLERY one

We arrived mid-morning on Saturday, and the lot was full of huge RVs (not elaborate fan vans, but million dollar Prevosts and the like. Many of them were there for the State Football Championship being played in the stadium that day. First thing, we hung our Christmas lights and put the photo posters we had made for all the stadiums we have visited into the windows.

Such a nice place to camp, it inspired us to make our own pre-game cheeseburgers in the camper which we happily ate Saturday evening with the last of our Urban Chestnut  beer from St. Louis.

Outside, the dogs were a big hit the whole weekend. Harry perfected his sad-eyed-begging and mooching skills with our neighbors while Sully lay outside the camper awaiting his expected fan adulation. (not so much since he's been bald).

PHOTO GALLERY Two

Turned out we had selected our spot very wisely, the gang from Sage Meatheads was right across from us. Eric, their grill master, cooked up heaven all afternoon and night long. Ribs, brisket, chicken… be still my nose. They kept urging us to sample and eat more. Yes, we broke all our rules and feasted with them off and on right up until game time the next day.

Because the stadium loomed over us filling the horizon, the lot seemed closer to the stadium than it actually was. We walked about two and a half miles along AT&T Way on game day. Most of the tailgating took place on the wide grass strips between the edge of the parking lot and the roadway to the stadium.

For Dallas it was a cold snap. Temperatures in the high 40s had many revelers wrapped in colorful blankets and wearing heavy jackets. Of course, some manly men were in shorts and flip flops.

Music was everywhere - much more latin pop and salsa than country western… and more than once, there was Freddie Mercury in the mix. Duh, We are the Champions and We Will Rock You. Lots and lots of kids running around, corn hole games on the sidewalk. Beautiful blue and gray leather jackets that needed only a single star to proclaim their wearer a Cowboys fan.

PHOTO GALLERY Three

The air was thick with the rich smells of barbecuing meat, fresh cilantro and fennel, cumin, big pots of paella cooking, pineapples roasting… You could almost grab the scents in your hands and press them to your nose.

At times walking along the road towards the monolithic stadium seemed almost otherworldly, what with different music, our tastebuds tingling, the laughing people of many colors… It was hard to leave the ecstatic sensory zone and try to focus our minds on taking pictures for the fans. It was like walking in Times Square, only it smelled much better.

At some point a lively group waylaid us and convinced us to take a sip of their Special Pomegranate Vodka drink. "It' s pomegranate, it's good for you!" "Here, just a little sip…" Little sip? No. They handed us a big Red Solo Cup (Toby Keith Video is R Rated) full of a magic soft, magenta drink. One sip and our eyes lit up - instantly we felt healthier as those pesky, free radicals were discreetly expunged from our bodies by the antitoxins in the drink… Or, maybe it was the vodka just making us all warm and happy inside. ( We will be working in our test kitchen to perfect this drink after the first of the year. Results will be posted)

Thank you Cowboys Fans and Congratulations on being in the Playoffs. Jerry, the whole complex was a well oiled machine and BTW, $30 Party Pass Tickets, SRO in the end-zone are a great idea, as are the giant screen TVs everywhere.

FINAL: DALLAS 42, INDIANAPOLIS 7

Note: All photos in the story are available to the fans for free in the galleries. Just click on enlargement and download.