Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Sundance Square is a lot of fun and someone who was born and bred in NY can really get a taste of country music and such. Lot of bars down there and good restaurants. Unfortunately in my experience it was about all downtown Fort Worth had to offer.

In terms of living around or near Fort Worth...Coppell is a great option, not exactly around the corner, but for years now the development has happened northwest of Dallas, as the "Metroplex" expands even more. Colleyville is supposed to be nice...I haven't heard much negative about Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and North Richland Hills is close by and very economically priced.

I went to school in Irving, which is a ways from Fort Worth, but some of the smaller cities in between are nice and ridiculously affordable when compared to the northeast.

NT

Originally Posted by philcski

Not at all! I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts about the area. I'm not here for show, if I get this job I'm moving here (with another person who posts on here).

We need to know these things so I'm all ears! I want the real opinions not what they tell me in the interview.

So far, I can say DFW is the nicest airport in the US, and I've been to pretty much every large airport. It's massive, though. La Guardia would fit in a tenth of it.

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

One of my best friends lives in Irving... Las Colinas. :)

Originally Posted by Swap Fliparoo

Hey, i like to think of myself as more of a lurker!! :o

Got a recommendation for Billy Bob's Honky Tonk today, too... i still can't quite envision you line dancing in such an operation... :D

Originally Posted by philcski

Well post more then, dang it! :D

I checked out the Emerald City band schedule, nothing this weekend. But REO Speedwagon is playing at Billy Bob's!

Originally Posted by philcski

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Had a great time down there, Texas rocks and Lone Star is an A+ facility. Seems awfully small for a Breeders Cup but we were shocked by the popularity and diversity of the crowd.

Racing in other states could learn a lot from them, seems to me running in the evening works a lot better than during the day when people have things like their job to attend to...

Originally Posted by Swap Fliparoo

Agree... this was the first time outside of Keeneland i have seen so many women and children at a track! Everyone has a blast and stays till the last race. No endless carrols of aging degenerates making up the majority of track-goers at Lone Star, that is for sure. :D

Too bad we didn't have time for Billy Bob's! :(

Originally Posted by philcski

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Had a great time down there, Texas rocks and Lone Star is an A+ facility. Seems awfully small for a Breeders Cup but we were shocked by the popularity and diversity of the crowd.

Racing in other states could learn a lot from them, seems to me running in the evening works a lot better than during the day when people have things like their job to attend to...

Originally Posted by unassailable08

Lone Star needs more dates but also needs a purse increase b/c they are losing business to New Mexico, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

The Texas Legislature needs to get off there butts and accept that Texas will have VLT's Casinos and Slot Machines.

Originally Posted by jpops757

To think that video and or slots are the answer is folish thinkinbg and just what Magna wants you to think. LS is driven by its simocast pavilion. To increase the number live races just dilutes the quality. Making the meet shorter and increasing the quality is the way to go. There is a nice minor league facility just west of FT worth that could be the base for the lesser quality races. Its not a nice facility but one that fits the bill for most of the minor league races that LS cards. Assmusen tried to purchase the old Trinity meadows property a few years ago as s training facility but he wanted a quarante of some racing dates but no coperation from the state and the other already established tracks. Too many look for the slots as a cure all, Its time for the horsemen and tracks to be a little more creative. Lets promote horseracing and not casinos with horseracing.

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Trinity Meadows is finished as a racing facility. The building has been sitting there rotting for over ten years now and the Texas Racing Commission has denied racing dates to that track multiple times. The "minor league" races that you refer to are always going to be a staple in Texas because of the caliber of racing. We're always going to have 5k claimers, 10k maiden claimers, a slew of Texas-bred races, and many minor stakes races.

Lone Star was very well run at its inception. A great deal of money was accumulated while having the Simulcast Pavilion open prior to the track's grand opening. When the track finally did open the purses were three times larger than that of Retama or Sam Houston. In 1997 Lone Star's maiden special weight average purse was just a tick lower than Oaklawn. In the ten years since the purses at Louisiana Downs have risen and a large amount of horses have been lost to that meet since it was expanded. Magna would thrive and the horseracing would remain status quo. Acrumb would be handed to the horsemen every now and then. I dont think you can show a place where slots were approved where it did much more than throw an occasional crumb to the horsemen in exchange for the right to take away some of there parimurual money to keep the slots running. So many looking for the slots quick fix and not concerned about the racing product. Im sure there are figures out there and if you would look LS is probably one of the highest handle of any as far as simo handle.

The racetracks in Texas either need to drastically slash all of their dates and try to run better mini-meets or continue toiling in mediocrity and red numbers. Take a jaunt up to WinStar or out to Shreveport and take a look at the license plates of all the cars in the parking lot. Billions of dollars from Texans are lost yearly to Oklahoma and Louisiana. Take a look next time, then try to tell me if Lone Star had slot machines the place wouldn't thrive.

NT

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Trinity Meadows is finished as a racing facility. The building has been sitting there rotting for over ten years now and the Texas Racing Commission has denied racing dates to that track multiple times. The "minor league" races that you refer to are always going to be a staple in Texas because of the caliber of racing. We're always going to have 5k claimers, 10k maiden claimers, a slew of Texas-bred races, and many minor stakes races.

Lone Star was very well run at its inception. A great deal of money was accumulated while having the Simulcast Pavilion open prior to the track's grand opening. When the track finally did open the purses were three times larger than that of Retama or Sam Houston. In 1997 Lone Star's maiden special weight average purse was just a tick lower than Oaklawn. In the ten years since the purses at Louisiana Downs have risen and a large amount of horses have been lost to that meet since it was expanded.

The racetracks in Texas either need to drastically slash all of their dates and try to run better mini-meets or continue toiling in mediocrity and red numbers. Take a jaunt up to WinStar or out to Shreveport and take a look at the license plates of all the cars in the parking lot. Billions of dollars from Texans are lost yearly to Oklahoma and Louisiana. Take a look next time, then try to tell me if Lone Star had slot machines the place wouldn't thrive.NT

Originally Posted by Theatrical

We live about 70 miles N. from Louisiana Downs and this past year, made a couple of trips to the track. I hadn't been in years and thought since one of the days we went was for the Super Derby, the place would be packed. I could remember from years past how crowded it could be on a day like the Super Derby. You're right about the license plates, but although the parking lot was nearly full, I discovered quickly the casino was drawing a huge number of patrons. I was surprised to find we could move about freely to the betting windows, concession stands, etc. This day is the biggest day of racing at LaD and I have to say the estimates of how many people were there for the races no where compared to how it was years ago. We also went for LA Champions Day and I was also surprised at the light turnout. The casino, though, appeared to be operating at the max.

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

I haven't been to Louisiana Downs in quite some time but I'm going next weekend and plan to walk around quite a bit. It will be my first trip to a track that also has slots.

NT

Originally Posted by unassailable08

Texas needs VLT's. just like I was trying to say Texas is losing its business to Louisiana and Oklahoma. and both OK and LA have Slot machines at there racetracks, "coincidence, I think not." Well if VLT's, and table games are not the answer how can Lone Star improve their purses in order to give trainers a reason to stay around.

I agree they need to re open Trinity Meadows, As being only 21 I havent had the opportunity to go to it.