I’ll probably never get tired of going to sporting events. I love a good weekend filled with all the good food, friends, and cheering on whoever is playing, whether that’s on TV or live in person. Last weekend I went to Dallas for a super weekend. All three teams were playing at home. That’s right! The Stars, Mavericks and Cowboys were all playing and of course I had to be there. Here is the run down on the game day experiences and what I did in the down time. Everything in this post is in Victory Park/Uptown except for AT&T Stadium. The majority of places are in walking distance of W Dallas and American Airlines Center **Please note that none of this is sponsored. This whole weekend was sponsored by me!**
Hotel: W Dallas Victory
If you are going to spend your weekend doing the basketball/hockey thing, then I highly suggest you stay at W Dallas Victory. Why there? Well, it’s right across the street from the arena. Literally. We walked to the Stars and Mavs games. No need to deal with parking, Uber – nothing.
Satdium/Arena: American Airlines Arena & AT&T Stadium
Events: San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars, Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
Friday: Dallas Stars; 7 PM
I arrived in Dallas around 8 in the morning. I flew in from Houston and used the day to meet up with friends and get ready for the game. I opted to get my hair done and went to Dry Bar Uptown. If you are in need of a quick fix, do yourself a favor and head to Dry Bar in Uptown. I say the Uptown location because it is very close to the W and I Ubered there (you could probably walk if you are a walker, but I wasn’t going to cause of course it was raining off and on). I was in and out in an hour and my hair is not easy. Oh PS, I got to have a mimosa during my appointment – never mind the fact that my appointment was at 11 AM on a Friday. It’s never too early for mimosas.
Before the game, we had dinner at CH Kitchen in the W. I have to recommend the double stack cheese burger and the fried chicken sandwich. Hannah and I couldn’t decide on which one so we ended up cutting them down the middle and having both! It’s always good to travel with someone who eats the same food as you…
I used Inwego for my tickets again. Y’all I can’t tell ya how cool it is. Check out my post from a little while back on how Inwego works. The tickets come right on your phone and for $39.99 a month you can go to unlimited events. Want to take a guest that’s not an Inwego subscriber? You can purchase a guest pass as well.
Saturday: Dallas Mavericks; 5:00 Tip-off
Saturday was an adventure. With an early evening tip off, we were able to fit in a movie after the game.
Café Victoria was the stop of choice for coffee and a chocolate croissant. This cute coffee shop has breakfast tacos and all the muffins and scones. The banana nut loaf is delicious as is the chocolate croissant. I had a gingerbread latte with added vanilla – perfect way to start the day.
Mesero Craving something good for lunch that also has good cocktails?
It’s Sugar
I just love candy. I don’t have a sweet tooth, I have sweet teeth. If you’re like me and like to sneak in some candy to the movie theater, make a stop here. Of course it’s a candy store, but you can pack a container for $14.99ish and you and a friend can share. Or just eat it all by yourself…whichever works for you..I don’t judge…
Cinepolis is a cool luxury cinema in Victory Park. Think iPic but less expensive. Tickets are 16.50 a person (with booking fee). To compare, iPic ranges from $16 to $28 if you are doing VIP seating. I love the concept of dine-in theaters, especially if they have recliners. I will say I liked the set-up of the seating better at Cinepolis versus iPic – it can be a struggle to get out of the pods at iPic. We did a late showing of Creed II after the Mavs game and I really liked it – mainly I liked looking at Michael B. Jordan. As sequels go, it was a good movie – and Cinepolis allowed for a fun evening activity.
Sunday: Dallas Cowboys; 3:25 Kickoff
Okay, we were spoiled with the ability to walk everywhere for the first 48 hours. Our venture out to Arlington started early as we wanted to get the best parking for the best price and of course allow for time to stake out our spots at the game. This was the first time I have ever done a standing room only ticket – but more on that later.
We got to Texas Live! around 11:10 AM. Considering we weren’t sure of what to expect, we got there early because this would probably be the best place to park without breaking the bank – a cool $40. Since parking can go up to $65 dollars and you’re nowhere near the stadium, this seemed to be the best option. Plus we were going to pregame there since there is a bevy or eateries and bar tables. Texas Live is like a food court for sports fans in Arlington. That’s the best way for me to put it. If you have a midday ball game, and you want some place to hang before or after the game, this is the place to be. There are massive screens everywhere. I walked in and said to Hannah, “this is the mecca of sports bars”. Honestly, if I didn’t have game tickets, I would go here just to be with friends, eat and watch on TV. We stayed about an hour at Texas Live and made the walk to the stadium. It maybe took five minutes to get there by foot; 10 minutes if you stop to get pictures with the stadium in the background.
If you are using Inwego, here’s something you need to know. Your tickets will not be available until two hours before the game – it’s always going to be two hours. Even if the gates open three hours before, your tickets won’t be ready. Which means there’s an hour between everyone else getting in and you. This also means, if you have standing room only tickets, you probably won’t get a very good spot. So if you’re trying to actually watch the game or see the DCC, SRO is not the way to go. I won’t lie this is the first and last I do SRO at AT&T only because it wasn’t that enjoyable for me. Take away the fact that I took a little tumble (if you watched my story you know what I am talking about), it still would not have been my preferred game day experience. I will definitely choose regular seats at AT&T. But if you are just trying to be at the game and in the stadium, then SRO is for you.
Overall the Dallas weekend was one for the books. It was a blast hitting up the three home teams that were in season. I’m considering taking this SuperSports Weekend to another city in 2019. Let me know if you are interested in seeing this happen in a city near you!
Until next time, xoxo,
Dani