Wes & Erica's vacation photo album - Dallas, TX - December 2021

As mentioned in last week's blog post, we did more than just eat & shop on our vacation. Since it was a trip for my birthday, I got to choose all the activities ... and I chose art museums!!! We went to two very different ones - Rainbow Vomit is a new & trendy art installation and The Meadows Museum is your classic traditional art museum.

Getting to Rainbow Vomit was a harrowing feat. We started the day early and made good time driving in from Oklahoma. We stopped in Buc-ee's to buy lunch and ended up staying way longer than expected. Part of it was because I wanted to examine every snack option & food offering before settling on what I wanted for lunch, and part of it was because it was extremely busy and the lines took forever. I bought tickets for 2pm at Rainbow Vomit. It was about 1:15pm when we left Buc-ee's... 45 minutes is plenty of time, right? Absolutely wrong. 😖 Dallas traffic is terrible with construction everywhere. 🙅😠 Once we realized there was no way we'd make it on time, I called (via Bluetooth in my car... another harrowing feat #ihatetechnology) to ask if we could reschedule our visit. The employee was super nice and said, of course, and moved us to 3pm. We FINALLY made it to the warehouse and ate our lunch in the car before heading in.

Rainbow Vomit is a 2-story art installation. The employee described it as walking into a large comic book. It was pretty big but not as large as our Factory Obscura installation. It was actually quite a bit smaller than I imagined it to be. I knew it was completely black lit from pictures off its website, so I dressed appropriately in neon. I was very bright. 😆 I asked the employee where the public restroom was before we went in. She said to go through the ribbons and there would be a door to my left. The walls were painted to look like a black & white optical illusion so finding the door was confusing. LOL The rest of the installation was very similar in theme. The employee encouraged us to interact with the art and touch/open everything. All the art pieces had a door or window that led elsewhere.

She also told us that the warehouse held a secret, and it was our job to find it. Spoiler alert -- there are several paintings upstairs. If you open one, it connects to a window that opens into another room on the opposite side of the warehouse. Go back downstairs, into the ribbon entrance, push the walls a bit and open the door, then ta-da!! Another room!! ☁🦄☁ The room was awesome. The walls were covered in clouds. The entire room had lights that flashed along to music. This was Wes's favorite room (he said he liked Rainbow Vomit more than other art installations we've been to) and his only comment for improvement is to paint the ceiling with clouds or a scene from outer space. I think it was just painted white. Anyway, we walked around the secret cloud room, and I continued to open everything. At the far corner in a box on top of a pillar were a stack of magnets that signaled that I found the secret! On our way out, the employee asked if we found it. I told her yes and she said we were the first of find the magnet that day! 

I really enjoyed our time at Rainbow Vomit. I liked all the art and I especially liked that it was interactive. My only complaint - their website claims that it is the premier destination for selfies and a majority of the other tourists were there solely for photo opportunities. It was sort of weird because they'd pose in front of something that was clearly supposed to be opened but they would just take their picture and move on. Hardly anyone cared to find the secret. One woman and her friends even asked me to just tell them there it was (presumably so they can run to it and post a silly Tik Tok). The social media/selfie age is quite sad. 😬 Rant over. LOL My favorite part of the installation was the ribbons and streamers we walked through to enter the exhibit. There was glitter all over the walls and floor, which was also rad. Wes and I both liked the balloon wall and picked out our favorite balloon. 

The next day, we went to The Meadows Museum. It's a small art museum on the Southern Nazarene University campus, similar in size to the art museum at The University of Oklahoma campus. I wanted to go because they had a temporary exhibition of historical Spanish fashion. The exhibit had pieces on loan from the Madrid Museum of Fashion. I was VERY disappointed that I didn't know about this museum when I studied abroad. I feel like I went to every other museum in Madrid... how did I miss the fashion museum??? Anyway, the temporary collection at the Meadows was a bit lackluster. I was expecting several pieces and gorgeous gowns. Besides what I photographed, there were 2 or 3 ladies' dresses, 2 children's outfits and some matador capes. They were very nice and well preserved, but I wanted more! LOL My favorite pieces were the shoes. 👠 They were TINY!! Everything was tiny! I guess humans were much smaller back then, but I never expected they'd be that small. Some of the garments would have been short on me and I'm barely 5'3".

Even though the fashion exhibit wasn't extensive, I am still so so so glad we went because the remainder of the museum was amazing. 😍 The Meadows Museum houses the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain and all of the Spanish masters were represented. It was like a miniature Prado. Back in the early 2000s, the Prado had a monthly free-admission day for students. I studied abroad in Spain for a semester, so you better believe that I went to each and every student day. I taught myself a lot about Spanish art history from my numerous trips and I am happy to report that I can still recognize elements in certain artists' work. We walked into the room that housed the Meadows's Greco painting (center right in the photo collage below) and I told Wes, "Hey, I bet that's a Greco. Look at the saint's elongated fingers." Damn, he sure married a nerd. LOL

The museum had a handful of oil paintings downstairs, but the main attraction was upstairs. There were several galleries with religious art and oil paintings. I am not religious, but I was raised Catholic so I can appreciate the storytelling represented by the pieces. Plus, my favorite medium is oil on canvas so of course I'd love everything there. And the attention to detail!! 💓💓💓💓 I stood in front of the painting of the woman in the blue dress holding her shawl (large top left in photo collage below) and stared at it forever. Her clothes looked so real, and the sky is gorgeous. *drool* There was so much to marvel at. The Meadows had a couple of pieces by Goya, Valezquez, and El Greco. There was 1 DalÍ and a few Picassos and Mirós. It was seriously like a mini-Prado!

I'm the type of nerdy museum goer who reads all the informational plaques and enjoys facts & history behind the art. Unfortunately, it has been so long that I've forgotten almost all that I learned from our visit in December. So I don't have any fun facts to regale. It was super amazing nevertheless. Wes enjoyed himself, too. Our only complaint is the lighting. The paintings were hung extremely high on the wall, almost directly under the lights. It was a little difficult to look at the paintings without seeing a glare (and hurting your neck!). 

It was so great to go to Rainbow Vomit and The Meadows Museum. They were both spectacular but so different. I love how art can express so many things and make you feel so much wonder. It was a wonderful birthday trip. I'm crossing my fingers that we can do more travelling in 2022. 🤞

Wes & Erica go see LP in concert

I was super excited when I saw the wrist bands because it matched my sweater. Cheetah print for life! 🐱

So here it is, guys, the first travel blog post of the year. It only took until March for Wes & I to find a reason to leave town for a weekend. I found out that LP was coming to Dallas and decided that we had to go. An added plus - Wes likes her music, too! You might not recognize her name but I'm sure you are familiar with her music. Apparently, her songs have been in a several tv shows (I don't know which ones because I don't watch tv) and a few years ago, one of her songs Night Like This was the featured weekly download for iTunes (I think it was also on an Apple commercial but I'm not for certain). We also ventured to Dallas to revisit Malai Thai Kitchen. We went for dinner when we stopped at Ikea last December and saw that they have a really delicious brunch menu. Since the concert was on a Sunday evening, we thought that would be the perfect opportunity to also get brunch. 

The forecast showed winter weather (light snow & some icy spots) for the day we drove down to Texas so we left home super early. By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I was cold and sleepy. The big bowl of congee that I ordered off the brunch menu was just what I needed. Congee, or Chinese rice porridge, is one of my favorite foods. Sadly, the only place where I can find it in OKC is at dim sum. We don't go out for dim sum much so I rarely ever get it. My mom isn't a fan so she doesn't cook it, either. I was SO DAMN EXCITED when the waiter brought out my steaming bowl of chicken, broth, egg, bread, scallions and rice. It was warm and hearty and tasted like everything that was right in the world. Wes ordered the Thai omelette. He liked it but said it was a little too sweet. Oh, and there was zero snow/ice on the roads. Our weather forecasters suck. LOL

I only took pictures of the lobby because the rest of the hotel did not look this nice.

I didn't plan anything else for the day so after brunch, we just checked into the hotel and lounged around all afternoon and into the early evening. Wes booked us a room at the Highland. The lobby looked super swank and upscale but the rest of the hotel wasn't all that great. All other parts of the hotel were Wild West-themed to the extreme. Every piece of decor in our room was cowboy-related and it looked sooooo tacky. And our room had zero amenities. No microwave, no coffee maker, nothing that could be used to make food. They did have room service menus lying around everywhere... hint hint. 😏 I wasn't a fan of our room but what made me give the Highland a bad rating was the valet service. Parking was valet only. And there was only one valet attendant. And he was not very attentive. If you require all of your guests to use valet, then you should probably hire more than one grumpy guy. The valet attendant was never visible when we pulled up and he didn't answer when we called for the car from our room (we just kind of stood around outside for several minutes hoping my car would eventually get parked or pulled around). Maybe I'm too middle class to fully appreciate valet parking.

For dinner we ate at Aw Shucks, which was the second restaurant of the day where I absolutely loved my food (fried oysters and coleslaw) but Wes did not enjoy what he ordered (fried catfish and fries). We usually share the same culinary tastes so this was weird. The place was known for its take on shrimp cocktail. The shrimp was mixed in an avocado, lime, cilantro and tomato relish and poured into a beer mug, which was very Instagrammable but not easy to actually eat. The restaurant was basically an open kitchen surrounded by patio seating. The patio was enclosed in a tent-like structure but it was still ridiculously cold. The staff was super friendly and the security guard complimented Wes's hair (which happens way more often than you'd think).

After dinner we walked across the street to the Granada theater for the concert. I was not a fan of the Granada's aesthetic. I think it has potential to be a really nice event space but it chose to keep its old and dirty look. I guess it mostly hosts indie artists so the building's vibe was very grunge. What bothered me the most was the unfinished paintings on the walls. It seemed as if the artist had original intent for a sprawling mural but then said, "Oh f*ck this", and went home. LP's opening band was a husband and wife duo named Sam & Jim. Wes and I agreed that they were awful. Think of the most annoying, sugar coated, married couple you know. Now think of them on a stage singing. That was Sam & Jim. I think they only played for 45-minutes but their cutesy anecdotes and songs about their life together seemed to last a hellish eternity. 

All tickets were general admission and we didn't get there super early to be in the front so my pictures aren't that great. Sorry.

LP finally took the stage and she was everything I ever wanted in an artist, and more. Her performance was sooooooo good. Her vocal range is amazing. She is the only person I know who can rock out on a ukulele and make whistling sound sexy. This was one of the few concerts where I felt, wholly and genuinely, the intent of the music. I actually felt sad when she sung a sad song. I felt truly joyful when she performed a happy song. She performed mostly from her latest album Heart to Mouth and barely any from Forever For Now, which is my favorite and the album where I discovered her. I thought she sounded better live than on the albums but Wes disagreed. His favorite song she performed was Recovery, which she did acoustic. I liked every song she performed and I got a kick out of her cover of Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire. She didn't talk to the audience much but she did interact a ton with the front row. People were handing her cell phones so she could take selfies and record herself singing. Fans also handed her letters and signs. At the beginning of the show, someone threw a bouquet of white roses at her. They didn't throw the roses to her but at her. Another concert goer threw their phone at her. Who does that? So rude! She took it all in stride and kept on performing. 

This is usually where I end day #1 of the trip and save the second day for another blog post but we didn't do much on day #2 of our trip so I will just keep the two days together for one journal entry. We had lunch at the Original Market Diner. It had good reviews online but neither of us enjoyed our meals. I think the restaurant survives off its regular customer base who have been eating there for so long that they don't realize that the food is not good and over priced. Wes got the raisin bread French toast, which he said tasted like bargain brand bread you get on sale at the grocery store. I got their blue plate special, which was meatloaf on Mondays. I love meatloaf and have never had one that I didn't like... until now. The "meatloaf" had the texture of SPAM and it tasted like fast food hamburger patties. It was all filler and preservatives. Instead of ketchup or barbecue sauce, they poured this runny tomato broth (with soggy vegetables) on top of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It tasted fine over the meatloaf but it completely ruined the mashed potatoes. 

Our last stop was Buc-ee's. There's a new location in Denton now!!! So we will for sure be stopping in every time we go to Dallas. LOL Buc-ee's is the best convenience store in existence. We always meander around for  way too long and buy too many snacks but its a good thing. I always want Buc-ee's merchandise but we're trying to keep our house minimalistic. But, man it was hard to resist that stuffed animal! Besides the hotel and lunch, I thoroughly enjoyed our first mini-vacation of 2019. I am really glad that I saw LP live. She is one bad ass rocker chick!

Erica discovers the Dallas Fabric District.

A couple of months ago, I found out that Hancock's was planning on closing. It is the largest fabric and sewing supply store in Oklahoma City. It can't close!! Where will I get fabric? In a panic, I got on Google and searched for fabric stores and learned that Dallas has a FABRIC DISTRICT. An entire part of town that has nothing but fabric stores??!?! OMG, I must go!!

I love Project Runway so when I walked into Golden D'or Fabrics, I was like, "OMG, it's happening...I feel like I'm in Mood. Make it work!"

As I mentioned last week, The Darkness concert was on a week night so Wes & I took some vacation time off work and stayed in Dallas for two days. (Any excuse to take time off work, am I right?) On the second day, we went to the Fabric District (which is really a subsection of the Warehouse District but we didn't go into any of the other surplus stores). We drove out to a pretty sketchy part of Dallas and parked at the first warehouse-- Golden D'or Fabrics. It was a huge fabric outlet and a sewing machine store. It ended up being my favorite store in the distinct. (^_^) April was serger month so they had all the models out and they were all on sale and I wanted one but I refrained. I walked around in awe and picked out a couple of fun fabrics and patterns. I wanted everything but I knew we'd have many more stores to visit so I only bought my favorites.

We left my car at Golden D'or and walked to the other stores. It was all on one side of the street but in between the fabric stores were strip clubs and road construction so it made for an interesting morning walk. The other fabric warehouses were much cheaper in price but their selection of fabric wasn't that great. And the stores were much less organized.
       We went into an extremely cheap warehouse that had a good selection of material but it was all stacked on top of each other on large tables. It was a nightmare to look through. There was also a lady there aggressively haggling and making a scene so it was super awkward.
       There was one store (Fabrictopia) that sold nothing but spandex. I saw mermaid tail patterned spandex and wished I knew how to sew yoga pants.
       After getting a bunch of stuff for RagsReborn, I decided to start getting materials for the decorations I am commissioned to make for my mom's wedding. I ended up getting some red suede and almond fringe. Almond is a very difficult color to find and match, by the way.
       I bought some faux chiffon that I plan on using to make an infinity skirt. And a really cute mint and white floral fabric I'm hoping to make a pencil skirt out of.

After dragging poor Wes into all the fabric outlets, I decided it was time to go to lunch. (He held my bags for me and helped me find almond colored trim. Yay for a supportive husband!!) We went across the street to a really yummy and authentic Mexican restaurant, La Paisa. Their lunch special was 75 cent tacos! We got three tacos a piece, some chips & queso and Mexican soda. The tripe taco was soooo good. After lunch, we drove home with happy and full bellies. The Darkness in concert and a day exploring fabric warehouses... what an amazing way to spend our first wedding anniversary!

It's the Year of the Monkey...Dallas road trip! (pt.2)

February 14, 2016: it was Valentine's Day and I wanted to go to the Farmers Market. Our conversation the night before-

       Me: "I thought you liked vegetables."

       Wes: "I do but I don't care about them in their natural habitat."

Hahahahahaha! Luckily for Wes, there was more than just vegetables at the Dallas Farmers Market. The market had an indoor shed (or maybe they called it the barn) that was mostly restaurants. I think if it wasn't early on a Sunday morning, there would be some craft vendors there, too. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking because I love craft vendors. 

There was also a really neat community garden. If I lived in downtown Dallas, I would totally be a part of this. I don't actually know how you become a part of this. *sad face* The garden had various herbs and leafy greens growing in troughs. I suspect that by springtime, all the gardeners have a pretty bountiful harvest. This is perfect for healthy eating while apartment living since you don't really have a yard to grow your own organic veggies. 

The market had a lot of farmers selling fresh eggs (which I wanted but there is no way they would have survived the day so I passed), soaps, dog treats (I bought some cheddar apple treats and Sadie & Athena loved them), honey and a lot of food vendors--baked goods & coffee, Cajun food, grilled corn on the cob, Mexican food, seafood, etc. 

       We bought some flavored honey sticks (pictured above). They are little straws filled with honey that you can dissolve into your tea. We got an orange, cinnamon, mint and natural honey stick. The farmer selling them looked a lot like my old neighbor, Dustin. We wanted to have lunch at the market but we gorged ourselves at breakfast in the hotel so we needed to kill some time. I wanted to explore Downtown Dallas but since it was early on a Sunday morning nothing was open. My mom had asked us to get her some Chinese New Year cards on our trip but the festival didn't have any so we made a trip to one of the Chinese grocery stores. 

We missed the dragon dance at the finale the night before but we saw our fill at the Hong Kong Marketplace! We arrived just as the dancers were finishing up their performance in the parking lot. We followed them into the grocery store, up and down all the aisles and then next door to the shopping center. I think the performers at this school were better than the ones that performed at the festival. They also needed ample space to perform but they didn't ask... they just barreled through the crowd. If you didn't move, you were getting a kung fu kick in the face! 

We searched all throughout the store and the shopping center but there were no greeting cards. I always want to get groceries but I never think they'll make it home during the drive so I have to pass. One of these days, we're going to stay a week and I'm going to shop my little heart out and cook us a feast! 

Aisle 3: flour, seasonings, dragon dancers.

After an hour or so at the grocery store, we headed back to the farmers market for lunch. Wes got tamales and I got a grilled corn on the cob. Both were delicious. I wanted to visit the Fabric District (yes, this does exist and there is a fabric warehouse!) but all the shops were closed on Sunday. I think we had our fill of adventures for the weekend anyway so we headed home. Driving around Dallas is crazy & stressful but we made it! I only almost got in an accident once! (and it wasn't really my fault; I was trying to merge onto the highway and this asshole wouldn't let me merge.)
       It was a fun Chinese New Year + Valentine's experience. I'm glad Wes and I share the same interests (and ideas on how to celebrate holidays!) and that we travel well together. More adventures to come!!!

It's the Year of the Monkey...Dallas road trip! (pt.1)

This artist does the trippiest collages. I normally don't like stuff like this but I loved his art.

It's the middle of spring and craft shows are in full swing. RagsReborn is doing well; if you want updates on shows & new pillows, please check on my Instagram and Facebook pages. I've already blogged plenty about craft shows but I haven't posted a travel blog in a while.
       Today is my father's birthday so I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Growing up, we were very Chinese (to the point where when I was at home, I only spoke Cantonese & ate Chinese cuisine and I've been listening to Canto Pop since before I can remember). I learned a lot about my culture & heritage and I'm pretty darn proud to be Chinese. That being said, I thought tonight would be a good time to post about Wes & my Chinese New Year trip earlier this year.

On Valentine's weekend, we drove to Dallas for the Crow Collection's Chinese New Year Festival (#crowcny). Wes was born in the Year of the Monkey so I wanted to do something special for the Lunar New Year this year. I came across this event online that boasted live performances each hour (which ended up being my favorite part of the entire weekend), numerous food trucks and shopping. I was sold!

The event was hosted by the Crow Collection of Asian Art. When we arrived, we walked through the museum first before venturing outside for the activities. Museum entry was free that day so it was super crowded. Surprisingly, we were still able to walk through the entire place and see all the exhibits. The museum had a nice array of art media from various Asian countries. I think my favorite was the jade and ivory sculptures. 

The Seven Lucky Gods.  

A beautiful gold and turquoise piece.  

We spent the rest of the day outdoors (thank goodness the weather was nice!). There were live performances all day long on the main stage. We first saw a Chen Style Tai Chi demonstration by Master Shang Wei Kui. He is pretty well known and Wes has actually heard of him before. My mom used to practice Tai Chi but nothing like this guy!

We also saw the Chinese Yo-Yo Club (not pictured), an opera singer, the Jasmine Chinese Dance Troupe and a fashion show put on by the Chinese Cultural Center and some students at UT Dallas. 

       The students were all really shy so they awkwardly walked out on stage in their unfamiliar costumes, sort of smiled and posed momentarily at the center of the stage and then rushed off as quickly as possible. The last student to come on stage was dressed in a bright yellow costume and he ate up the attention. He strolled onto the stage, posed, invited the audience to applaud, smiled, bowed and asked for more applause. What a ham! I think he saved the show for the rest of the students.

The Jasmine Dance Troupe performed various traditional dances from different Asian countries. They did a few Chinese dances, a Mongolian dance and Korean dance. I'm sure there were more but that's all I can remember at the moment. They had a few guest dancers but most of the dances were performed by the same women. They were such good sports rushing on and off stage in their various costumes with little time in between each dance. I enjoyed all of the dances and the dresses were beautiful! 

The dance troupe was my second favorite performance of the day. My absolute favorite was the Hau Yun Chinese Orchestra. Sadly, we missed the beginning of the performance. The orchestra used string instruments, as you would expect, but they also had a member who played the erhu (Chinese violin) and one who played the dizi (bamboo flute). They palyed a few musical pieces and then performed some with singer Sophia Liu. I didn't think I would enjoy the traditional folk songs (because I usually don't) but Sophia is an amazingly talented singer and I enjoyed her voice immensely. 

Besides the performances, there were a few tents with shopping (the shopping was actually pretty disappointing and we didn't get any souvenirs) and food trucks. Oh boy, were there food trucks! There were probably 10 trucks parked out there. I wanted to eat from all of them! LOL I knew I wanted a boba drink from Bobaddiction. For food, I was torn between a sushi truck and a banh mi truck. I decided on banh mi and got the lemongrass chicken.  I usually get banh mi with Vietnamese cold cuts or barbecue pork but never lemongrass chicken. OMG, it was so good! ...probably the best Vietnamese sandwich I have ever had.

After a full day, it was time for the grand finale. I didn't get to see any of the finale (because being short is a pain, ugh) but there was supposedly a martial arts demonstration, lion dance, dragon dance and fireworks. The entire event was MC'd by a young museum worker. She worked all day, did a great job and barely got any intermission time to rest. Bless her heart. 

       There were thousands of people gathered by the time the finale rolled around. A lot of the crowd was pressed up against the stage. In order for the J.K. Wong Kung Fu Tai Chi Academy to put on their finale performances, there needed to be at least 10-12 feet of space between the stage and the crowd. The MC did her best but the crowd would not move. She first asked politely, no one moved. She then asked a little more sternly, still no one budged. Then she threatened that there would be no finale unless people made space, still no one heeded her warning. She finally begged and pleaded for the crowd to please just move a tiny smidgen. After much grovelling, the crowd finally moved the minimum amount necessary. 

       The performance finally started but as soon as it did, the crowded made their way back toward the stage. Every few minutes, the show had to stop and the MC pleaded again for everyone to leave space for the performers. There was absolutely no respect for the MC or the performers. Everyone rushed toward the performers to capture the best video to post on social media. I almost expected for the MC, who was probably at her wit's end, to cancel the rest of the show. And, parents were losing their children left and right. The finale was interrupted several times by announcements of lost children. Normally, the size of the crowd and children are blamed for these occurrences. But the MC (who quickly gained my sympathy) flat out blamed the parents for their bad parenting. Right on! She announced, "We have another lost child. Parents, parents, please keep a hold of your children!" 

       There were so many people in attendance that hardly anyone could actually view the performances. I stood next to another woman my height. As people walked out of the crowd, we had a silent agreement to keep a space in front free for us so we could sort of see the stage. Either one of us could move forward to take the empty space but we kept it open so we could squint and peak in between other people's shoulders. It worked pretty well until a very tall guy and his girlfriend stepped directly in front of us. Wes said the martial arts demonstration was very sloppy (probably because the performers couldn't concentrate due to all the interruptions) and probably wasn't worth watching anyway. We skipped out on the fireworks finale and just left early.

Next on the agenda was dinner with my Uncle Hoa. I've tried to meet up with him on several other Dallas trips but he's always been busy. I told him weeks before that we'd be in town and he & his girlfriend (who ended up not feeling well last minute so Jenny wasn't there after all) would be free so dinner plans were made! 

       We met up at Jin Korean Barbecue. I don't like Korean food in general but I am starting to warm up to their barbecue. My uncle got a Korean beer so I followed suit. It wasn't very good by itself but it paired really well with the meat. We got the usual fare and it was all really good. The best was this thinly sliced pork belly. It was basically uncured bacon. I probably ate an entire plate! After dinner and catching up, we rolled our fat bellies out of  the restaurant and headed to the hotel. Day two details to come next week!