SpaceCity Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Waco on her mindWhat's in a name? In the city of Waco, not much, thought one weekend sojourner -until she found the night life and a few other surprises.By KRISTIN FINANCopyright 2004 Houston ChronicleSay "Waco" and I think of three things. First, the town's reputation as a hotbed for religious fanatics, highlighted by the Branch Davidians. Second, my boyfriend, who spent his freshman year at Baylor before transferring to the University of Texas and shivers each time someone mentions the place. And third, a memory from fourth grade when a classmate announced he was moving to Waco. A group of pint-size hell-raisers immediately started taunting: "WACKO Waco! WACKO Waco!" I may have been in pigtails and having a little trouble with long division, but it was obvious to me even then that Waco was no place I wanted to be. So when Lisa, a good friend of mine from high school, moved to Waco a few years ago, I smiled and waved a heartfelt goodbye, certain that nothing short of a $10 million bequest from a long-lost Waco relative would get me to set foot in that town. But then Lisa got engaged. And threw an engagement party. As ugly as my thoughts were toward the city, I wanted all the best for her and her fiance. So after much thought and with an otherwise blank social calendar, I made a decision. On Friday night (OK, it was actually Saturday morning -- I never said I fully embraced this weekend road trip) I set out for Waco. I MapQuested the route straight to her house and was getting close when I remembered I had left her card at home. Deviating from my direct course, I toured the busy streets, searching for a drug or grocery store where I could buy a new one. As I looked around I was surprised by the wide variety of shops and restaurants in the area, something I should have expected from a city of more than 100,000. I stopped at a mall, where I encountered what appeared to be the world's worst entrepreneurial venture -- a kiosk selling "I love WACO" T-shirts. Suddenly I remembered that Waco was the closest city to President Bush's Crawford ranch and contemplated this until the man next to me, who was eyeing a patriotic "the ribbon says it all" T-shirt, looked at me and glared. I moved along. After buying a card, I headed to Lisa's house, where the engagement party/barbecue was well under way, and surveyed my surroundings. Lisa and her fiance had just purchased a pretty house with a huge back yard. She drives a like-new Corvette. He drives a Mustang. Considering that she's a journalist and he's a student, life in Waco has been good to them. Once the party thinned, Lisa and I hopped in the 'vette and headed to Cameron Park, which offers 416 sprawling acres of bike trails, horseshoe pits and Frisbee golf courses. At one point we watched canoodling couples at Lovers' Leap, a gorgeous lookout point across the Hill Country. I was amazed. Who knew Waco was scenic? Eventually we changed for dinner, and five of us headed to the Elite Circle Grill, which Lisa said was one of the nicest restaurants in Waco. On the way we passed a crowd of teenagers gathered in the Fuddrucker's parking lot to watch street races on Valley Mills Road. I questioned whether this was their best entertainment option for a Saturday night, until I remembered, of course, where I was. For the same reason, although I trusted Lisa's opinion, I still partially expected everything on our dinner menu to be served on a bun or deep-fried. Instead, I was impressed by the refurbished diner's trendy light fixtures, hip music and spare but tempting menu, with dishes such as a 20-ounce bone-in rib-eye, chicken portobello pasta and bacon-wrapped grilled shrimp. Still recovering from the afternoon barbecue and having snacked on the restaurant's free jalape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 oh god they had to put the part about Bush in there...Stupid liberals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 oh god they had to put the part about Bush in there...Stupid liberals.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you must make that sort of comment, save it for Way Off Topic, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.