A Sea Of Red

For the first time in nearly a quarter century, the Flames will be playing a football game in the Lone Star State on September 17th. Obviously some of us like SumItUp & I are jazzed to have a rare appearance in the Great Southwest portion of the country. Several folks have contacted me that they plan on flying into Dallas for the game, If some of you are considering the trip, this thread is for you.

Air Travel:

• Flying into Dallas is rather easy from just about anywhere in the US. Atrain can verify that flying into Love Field (DAL) is the most convenient airport in relation to Highland Park and the SMU campus.
  
  
  
  
  Southwest is the primary carrier flying into this recently remodeled but smaller airport. But several other carriers also have flights into this convenient option. Otherwise American primary hub DFW is also where the majority of United & Delta flights go as well. Flying from Lynchburg (LYH) you will likely fly into DFW via American/US Airways. But if you drive other regional airports like RDU you will hve multiple options to get into either airport at what is often reletvely inexpensive airfares. You will not want to use taxis if you fly into DFW because it will cost you a fortune to get to Hghland Park. Take a rentai car if you are in a group or use Uber or Lyft if flying solo. Feel free to chime in, Atrain.

Driving

• For those of us in Texas & Oklahoma, this is self-evident. For those coming from the East Coast just keep in mind that this is a major undertaking. Unless you have a significant amount of free time, I'd fly. It's much cheaper.

Lodging/Light Rail

• There are two primary thoughts on where we be a great place to stay if you are including a hotel stay in your trip. You can either stay in Downtown Houston/West End or you can hit the suburban corridor just to the north of campus. Frankly it comes down to price and whether or not you have a rental car. If you don't have a rental car, you can actually utilize DART almost excludively. The yellow line runs from Love Field into Downtown Dallas and that keeps going right up to Mockingbird Station that is just 2 or so blocks from Ford Stadium. There is a shuttle from DFW that goes down to the CentrePort station where you can ridethe Trinity Railway Express over to the Victory station near Atrain's old neighborhood by American Airlines Arena. There you can take the DART to either downtown or Ford Stadium.

Food

• If you are expecting great options of Texas staples BBQ & TexMex you may be a bit disappointed. Dallas is far too pretentious for such pedestrian fare and the vast majority of 'cue or Mexican options in Big D are nothing to garner excitement. There are some exceptions and Atrain can offer some of his favorite choices. But the restaurant scene in Dallas is actually pretty strong as whole. Whatever your budget, you'll find something worth enjoying. Yesterday, I stopped at the In-N-Out Burger just about a mile north of SMU on Highway 75 and there was a Freebirds a block or so away. There are chain options aplenty. I do recommend the Pappadeaux halfway between SMU & Downtown Dallas if you enjoy Cajun.

Gameday

• I'll get into greater detail about what you can do in Dallas on your visit. But I wanted to give you all a heads up about a great tradition they have on gamedays at SMU. The Boulevard is a massive tailgating/college fun atmosphere that is quite the experience. Sadly much of the huge crowd that comes out onto the Boulevard doesn't bother to go inside the stadium. But it is quite the spectacle in the middle of the campus:
  
  

Thanks for the info. May have questions as we get closer to the date

Dallas is 500 miles closer to Jacksonville than it is to Los Angeles, so I object to it being lumped in the "southwest."

It certainly shares more kinship with Arizona & New Mexico than it does with the Deep South. Or are you suggesting whoever named the Southwest Conference was simply geographically confused?

Kickoff is set for 6pm Central Time for those still considering meeting up with us in Big D. Hoping to hear soon what plans LU Alumni has for the weekend.

This will likely be the cheapest tickets you'll ever buy to see our Flames play an FBS opponent:

Stubhub

Makes me want to take the trip to Dallas, haha.

Fights are ridiculously cheap as well from DC. If you fly Southwest into Love Field, it is very close to SMU campus. DFW tacks on a bit of time & costs but it is still a really cheap road trip.

For fun, I looked at what airfare, hotel and ticket would cost just for me.

AIRFARE: $425
Roundtrip on Southwest to Love Field out of BWI.

HOTEL: $85
Sat-Sun at Springhill Suites Dallas NW (comp airport shuttle)

UBER: $35
Airport to stadium, stadium to hotel.

MEALS: $40
Lunch and Dinner on Saturday. I can always find ways to eat on the cheap.

TICKET: $10
Stubhub

TOTAL: $595
Not bad, but still too rich for my blood.

Looks like VT game is only one I'll see love this year.

Yeah I did a quick check on total costs just for the fun of it and still too rich for my blood as well.

I'll be in Lynchburg for homecoming barring some last minute work related schedule conflict which tends to be way too common these days.

thepostman wrote:Yeah I did a quick check on total costs just for the fun of it and still too rich for my blood as well.

I'll be in Lynchburg for homecoming barring some last minute work related schedule conflict which tends to be way too common these days.

Let me know if that happens. That way I'll know if I'm going or not. Ha

99% it is happening. I have extra motivation now. Haha

thepostman wrote:99% it is happening. I have extra motivation now. Haha

I'll be snacking at home than. I can now plan ahead!

I'll find you. We are always watching

thepostman wrote:I'll find you. We are always watching

I do hear a buzzing over my house from time to time

If you stuck around I'd buy you dinner at 5th and Federal. Some ribs BBQ and bourbon would make your life better

That sounds delicious and very tempting.

thepostman wrote:That sounds delicious and very tempting.

I'm not the Potentate for nothing!

$319 flying Virgin America out of Reagan National on Saturday morning with a Sunday evening flight home. Just trying to further tempt you. And if you are willing to fly out of Dulles on Friday evening, you can get it down to $253 on United.

Yeah, unfortunately I'll be on a work trip.

Once upon a time work was going to take me out that way during that time frame but that is not in the cards as I was just put on a different trip.

If I were within relatively easy driving distance of DC I would take that cheap United flight and rent an economy car at the airport in Dallas Grab whatever sleep I could get in the car overnight and fly back on Saturday after the game Under 350 for the whole deal I used to do stuff like that all the time

I get that most folks on here aren't old enough to remember the Pony Express before the Death Penalty, but a victory in Dallas would be arguably the biggest brand name victory in our program's history. Hopefully they get bruised and beaten by the "Baptists" in Waco on Sunday before we arrive in town.

I was an infant during the last year of Dickerson and Craig James mowing over defenses with that option offense

Purple Haize wrote:

thepostman wrote:I'll find you. We are always watching

I do hear a buzzing over my house from time to time

If you stuck around I'd buy you dinner at 5th and Federal. Some ribs BBQ and bourbon would make your life better

count me in!

flamerbob wrote:

Purple Haize wrote:

thepostman wrote:I'll find you. We are always watching

I do hear a buzzing over my house from time to time

If you stuck around I'd buy you dinner at 5th and Federal. Some ribs BBQ and bourbon would make your life better

count me in!

Do you have a drone that can attack my house? Buy your own!! Ha!!
When the place opens we may have to have a FlameFans.....errr....SeaofRed gathering

I'll be making the trip to Dallas by vehicle from Lynchburg. Long drive but definitely looking forward to this game.