Travis has instituted My Town Mondays with a link to all who participate. I am late in the day, but it is still Monday. Man, try and mix e-filing your taxes with My Town Mondays.
San Angelo is in West Texas. The land is flat and the wind is fast. To those who don't know me and to those who do, I will talk of this love in my bones every chance I am given. To those on the outside, San Angelo is an acquired taste, like crawfish or dark green corduroy pants. But once you taste and decide it's for you it will be a lifelong desire to return and be one with the cicada hum and the dust that lingers on your boots.
San Angelo is small by most town's measurements. We fluctuate between 100,000 and 100,004. The school systems record losses in net students most years and the one's that stay will ask the newbies Why San Angelo? You are either on your way out or on your way back. The young are leaving and the wise are returning...or pining about returning.
Most folks outside of West Texas think they know a great steakhouse when they smell it. Most would be mistaken. Twin Mountain Steak House or Western Skies. Those are your choices for a real live West Texas experience. Once you eat at either joint, their steaks are your new benchmarks. It's a hard cold fact once you leave, to get great steak the way steak was intended to be eaten, you have to return.
There isn't much to do in San Angelo other than eating or seeing friends or eating some more, and that's why the restaurants are stellar. And while I do love me some Fuentes Downtown (Mexican) or fine steaks (see above), San Angelo was where I was introduced to one of my greatest enduring loves: Sonic Drive In.
Sonic is still around and I visit at least once a week...in a bad week. Their onion rings are to die for, as is pretty much everything on the menu.
Back in the day they had roller skating carhops and the drinks came with plastic monkey and mermaids attached to the rim of your drink. As kids we thought we were so grown up when we pulled in on a Friday night and ordered a Coke to keep our bourbon in, that we conveniently stored under our front seat unbeknownst to our parents.
This was back in my redneck days, my days of stupidity cubed, my days of drinking and driving and what the hell was a seatbelt?! Forgive me.
We used to be known as the Mohair Capitol of the WORLD! THE WORLD People! Thankfully, I never, ever, not once, wore anything that had an inkling of being made of mohair. Dang, that stuff is itchy and smelly when wettish.
Today we have a festival in which we let sheep run through our downtown streets. The strays and stragglers get roped by strategically placed Boy Scouts. Come on, who wouldn't love that action?!
Next week, I will be more prepared for My Town Monday and will regale you with water sports or Rodeo Week, or perhaps our past that's filled with prostitutes and gamblers!
I can see you all a'quiver....
18 comments:
Prostitutes and gamblers, I can't wait.
Thanks for joining in.
And I loved those plastic Sonic animals.
Lucky Patti! I've aways wanted a Sonic Cherry Lime drink and we don't have Sonics.
OTOH, I *love* mohair sweaters -- almost impossible to find anymore -- with a shirt worn underneath them. The mohair is warm but light and you'd understand if you were here where the high tomorrow will be 19 degrees.
Prostitutes, gamblers and steak...lots o material!
We have Sonic here. Larramie, I'll think of you next time I go! :)
Carleen I was thinking the same thing! Patti I know a very sweet lady from West Texas who calls cement "see-ment" and everything. She's one of my favorite people anywhere. Gad how can you take that dry wind, though?! Must be those sheep-lassoing Boy Scouts that make it all worthwhile. K.
Well, I seriously had never considered visiting San Angelo, but I just might have to just go for the steak. : )
(btw, I love your profile picture!)
OK, I'm officially hungry now :)
Prostitutes, gamblers, and steak, oh my!!!!
No sonics here, we hid our vodka in watermelon slices in the summer and ate white castle, but only when we were really wasted and nothing else was open.
Great piece, can't wait to read your next entry.
It sounds like a fun place to live! Boston has no sheep to set loose in our streets We try to make up for it with the Boston Marathon, but until they install boys scouts with lassos to pull off the stragglers, it just won't be the same.
My favorite Sonic treat: the corn dog wacky pack with tater tots and a diet coke. Yes, it's a kids meal, but I think they operate with a don't-ask/don't-tell age policy.
That's great! And a running of the sheep? How cool is that! This is a hoot! I can't wait for next week's!
Great steaks, gamblers and prostitutes. Sounds like a delicious place, full of fun stories.
Sonic... now you've given me a subject for a future post! We just got our first last year... Tsk. However, mom is from the dreaded OK, so whenever I think of good food, I think Ryan's, Cattleman's, Meer's, Braum's,and whatever that place is out by grandma that served 9" burgers...
And I have to admit, Sonic is the only place that I voluntarily order grilled chicken sandwhiches. I don't know what sauce they use, but it's goooood.
Road trip!!!
Very interesting post. Thanks for sharing!
"San Angelo is an acquired taste, like crawfish or dark green corduroy pants." *LOL* In our area crawfish is an ingrained part of the culture rather than an "acquired taste." Down here them's fightin' words! *L*
First off, Sonic flat out rocks!
It is so cool that you love your town. It is a part of you and that is awesome. Last night, I was sitting on the curb in front of my church. I closed my eyes and could feel spring just starting. I heard the chirping of sand pippers and the song of a few frogs. I could smell the plant life just getting readdy to bloom.
I have lived in this area for 41 years and I am in tune with it.
Don't ever let anyone talk bad about your town. It is part of who you are.
Peace out.
I've finally made it to your site!
I love how you describe your town!
I am near Larramie--in chilly NE Ohio where the wind chill factor is a fact or life and lake effect snow abounds.
We don't have much sunshine this time of year and I crave my vitamin D fix.
I was in West Texas once a ling time ago with a guy I used to know.......
I miss tater tots from Sonic!
Looking forward to hearing more next Monday. :)
And I'm trying to think of a fun name for you on my blogroll (since you used yummy for me).
AND I sent your book off yesterday!! Which fulfills New Year's Resolution #5 (Go to the post office in a timely fashion) Okay, I wasn't that timely, but, believe me, I've been way worse!
Happy Friday!
Sonic onion rings??? Yuck! You've never had a really good onion ring, have you? And everybody who's ever eaten a steak in San Angelo knows that Zentner's Daughter is the place to go. That's only if you don't feel like driving to Lowake.
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