THIS IS HALLOWEEN!!!

Well my little gnomes, Halloween weekend is finally upon us. The weekend will be full of ghost and goblins and the skanky women in an "animal" costumes. For all of those who are looking for something fun to do this weekend in my happy stomping grounds of good ole Dallas Texas (and have been too lazy to read my blog till today) I have some fun little options for all of you to part take in. There's a lot, so the quips will be at a minimum.

First there's the Dallas Women's Chorus and their wonderful Masquerade (my mommy sings with them), it's a lovely evening with silent auctions, tastey wine, and a reason to wear formal wear with a haunting mask. All the money goes towards the Chorus! It's a great cause and a wonderful party for those looking for a classy event. http://www.thewomenschorusofdallas.com/Masquerade.html

Next is the Oak Lawn Block Party, for those of you NOT looking for a classy event to attend. The block party takes place on Cedar Springs in uptown Dallas and is a blast, from the five clubs all around blasting fist pumping jams, to the (what seems like) fifty vendors selling your favorite booze right there on the street, but the costumes are the real treat, the effort put into them is clear because you can't turn without seeing a jaw dropping masterpiece. http://www.caven.com/

If those don't suit your fancy then there's a few haunted tours for you to go check out like:

• The McKinney Ghost walk http://www.chestnutsquare.org/programs/mckinney-ghost-tour.asp
• The Grove in Jefferson Texas http://www.thegrove-jefferson.com/

Or there's always the famed Haunted Houses (theme park style)...

• Thrillvania http://thrillvania.com/
• Screams Theme Park http://www.screamspark.com/
• The Cutting Edge http://www.cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

Don't forget there's a whole mess of rumored haunted hotels all over the metroplex from the Adolphus, the Lawrence, to even Miss Molly's bed and Breakfast in Fort Worth, where ever you go this weekend, the chance of a good scare is right around the corner. There's bound to be something somewhere for all your Halloween needs and delights, even if you stay home checking out your favorite scary movie is taking part in the holiday fun. Just make sure you're having fun... You don't want to upset the spirit of Halloween.

From a Wide Eyed view... Part 2

Good morning and welcome back for the second entry into this series. Today is going to be a great blog because I'm writing about one of my personal favorite hotels and it's my birthday. Yep I'm now somewhere between eight-teen and a hundred. Moving on, today I will proceed with my alternate Halloween activities idea, but still on the same path as yesterday.


Next on the list, the Adolphus. Allow me to make some things clear about the Adolphus, it's one of my favorite hotels in the world. It to me is up there with my precious Augustine in Prague. It is a classic, gorgeous piece of Dallas history, that has stood the test of time and came out as the ultimate luxurious hotel in downtown Dallas. It's one of those places where you feel you should wear black tie to walk through the lobby, but the staff is so kind that they treat you like royalty even when you're slumming it in flip flops and cargo shorts (I was there to look for ghost so I dressed comfortably!). When I started doing research for this project I felt my heart skip a beat because it meant that I had a valid reason to go stay at one of my dream hotels (there may have been a moment where I squealed and did a little spin in my chair).

Onto the Halloween spooky stuff, we'll start with a brief history lesson. Once upon a time there was a girl getting married, so excited about her wedding she decided to have it on her birthday and not just anywhere, no it had to be the perfect place, so she planned her wedding at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas Texas. She waited for her husband to be, but sadly realized that he had left her jilted at the alter. Lost in her despair and her heart riddled with pain, the bride took her own life hanging herself in the ballroom where she was meant to marry the man she loved. The grand ballroom where the sad bride took her life is now a shell tucked away hidden on the 19th floor of the Adolphus, it's rumored that the bride is still there that she walks the hallways waiting for her groom to finally arrive, but never finding peace for her restless soul.

Of course after hearing about this Faustian story, I knew that I had to stay at the Adolphus on the 19th floor, I needed to see if a grief stricken girl did roam around looking for the man who clearly sucked because he bailed on her wedding day. There's a lot of documented creepiness that I was looking to see if I could encounter:

• Phantom big band music playing
• Bride walking around
• Sounds of a woman crying echoing through the hallways

Those were all the clues to look for, or so I thought. I found that the elevators on the 19th floor were also a draw for those who wish to see the proof of the bride. The videos I have seen were all the same, at a random point in the night (maybe day) the elevators on the 19th floor begin to randomly open and close at the same time over and over again while the phone in the waiting area rings. Should you pick up the phone it will either call down to the lobby, or you will hear the sobs of a mystery woman.

I unfortunately did not get a room on the 19th floor of the hotel, which is fine because the research wasn't meant to be done in my room, it was in the hallways of the floor, so it didn't matter where my decadent room was (on a side note, if I could have stolen my bed and taken it home with me, I would have, it was the best bed I have been on). My partner in crime came with me, and she was ready to shoot pictures but the moment she put fresh batteries in her camera (twice!) the power from them was drained, a classic tell tale sign that we were not alone.

We decided that we needed to go down to the gift shop and try our luck with some newer batteries, we went down the stairwell from our 20th floor room and came across the entrance to the now sealed off ballroom, the look of it made the hairs on my neck stand on end and then of course I tried to look into the open hole in it. All I saw was the blocking of the door keeping us out of the infamous ballroom. While my friend got her batteries in order, I spoke to one of the staff about the ballroom and the bride, I asked him to show me the ballroom and he declined so back to the 19th floor I went. We sat for a while, I jumped a little every time someone came up to the floor, but there was no dance of the elevators. However there was some sense of unease while we sat there, and the middle elevator did this odd thing. It would trigger the light indicating it was going to open and even heard it dock at the floor, but it didn't open. It did this several times and each time was just as hair raising as the first.

All in all my findings were, that this is a magnificent beauty of a hotel and if you're looking for ghost or not, it's the Adolphus. Few hotels in the world match up to it when it comes to elegance and luxury, as for the ghost hunt, it's fun there. You can hunt around all night, the staff is happy to talk to you about all the spooky legends. It's a wonderful stay, oh and if you plan on doing the elevator door stake out, make sure you bring a drink and snack.

Holy 'Mole!

Tomorrow is a very important national holiday for those of us in North America, something we all treasure (or should) is getting the acclaim it truly deserves. I think back to this beautiful concoction and think of all the times I shunned it in my childhood ignorantly, judging it on it's less than scrumptious appearance, letting my bigotry steal moments of pure delight from my life. Till I finally took a leap forward and opened my eyes to it's tantalizing deliciousness and fell in love with Guacamole.



 September 16th is the celebration of National Guacamole Day, our most precious creations, not as a country but as a continent. This mouth watering dip is one of the most simple of recipes, but I think it's the beauty of how the few yet powerful ingredients marry that makes it such a staple in southern dining. If you have not tried this dip, I encourage you to get brave and go devour some in respect of this glorious holiday this icon so righteously deserves.

If you live in the Dallas Metroplex, there's a fantastic restaurant we at my office love with all our hearts named Mextopia, it's a wonderful eatery on Lower Greenville. The appetizing menu is full of traditional Mexican cuisine, and of course they pride themselves on their fresh lime margaritas. The food is fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere is soothing and relaxing. While you're there, ask about a very cool trip they are hosting to a culinary treasure, Oaxaca, I promise you this is something you must see!

Another Wideeyed stamp of approval for those of you wanting to celebrate National Guacamole Day, after going to the bar, is Los Arcos. This hidden treasure is simple quiet and open 24 hours a day, and at 5 am they have a mariachi band come and perform, beware trumpets are loud after five jager bombs. This gem is located on the corner of Hall and Ross, I found that it (like Mextopia) features true Mexican cuisine. And as a personal heads up, I found their white queso dip mixed with Guacamole is the perfect prevention to a hangover.

Now how about some fun National Guacamole Facts.

• When Spaniards encountered the Aztec empire, the locals were making a sauce called Ahuac-mulli, which means "Avocado-mixture". This means this delightful dip is older than the United States of America!
• Schlotzky's is recognizing this holiday by giving away free Guac' on any sandwich ordered on September 16th with purchase of any sandwich meal.

I hope you all have a great weekend, visit your favorite Mexican restaurant (http://www.mextopia.com/)in honor of this great holiday. Go visit your favorite co-op or farmers market on Saturday to continue your fabulous farm to table dining I know you all have been doing so great at. In the coming weeks you're all going to see some really fascinating blogs coming to you; about a beautiful Oaxaca trip we're involved with and what I'm learning from it, a look into something pretty cool in jazzy little town we all know, and a challenge I set for myself and my bladder. Have a wonderful weekend my favorite gnomes.

P.S. I have one more interesting fact for you. The word Avocado descends linguistically from the ancient Nahuatl word ahuacatl, meaning "testicles". Some language experts think that conquistadors combined the Nahuatl with the Spanish "abogado" (lawyer) to make the present word for our favorite green fruit. So, when eating Guac', you're chewing on mashed lawyer balls... there's some food for thought! Enjoy!

Are mini buses the new location for clubbing?

I'm planning something fun and small here in the Dallas area. A bus tour of the city that takes it's guest on an eye opening tour of the Metroplex to it's finest wineries and breweries. It's going to be a nice pleasant day trip where everyone will just relax and enjoy some of this great cities hidden pleasures.

I had to locate a reasonable and polite bus service to use for our exciting adventure, but while finding some wonderful companies to work with I found something rather... interesting. Buses are being "tricked out" to suit a more party atmosphere than I ever expected. I never in my whole life thought I'd have to say "Um, no.. A stripper poll and purple neon will not be needed, but thank you." when finding out prices for a twenty-five person mini bus. I can't have a leisurely day visiting the refined wineries here in this wonderful city if I have to keep resisting the urge to dance to electronica and be a "woo" girl. I need something small and quiet where I can have an enlightening conversation about the venue we just left. When did I miss the mini buses debut into the world of hardcore clubbing and nightlife?! I feel so left behind!