November 2018 Work Trip to Amarillo, TX – Part One

The drive to Park Air Express (Off-airport parking that I always use) was uneventful. The employees were all as friendly as always, however, the 10 minute wait for the shuttle was much longer than normal. It’s usually just a couple minutes.

Southwest flight 2139 to Dallas was at gate 34. Just an FYI, Southwest gates 34 & 35 are in the middle section of their gates. There are no amenities at these two gates. So, you will need to take the fairly long hike down to gate 37 which begins the main Southwest section. There are many food/restroom/drink options in this area. However, it is always crowded and there are frequently lines for everything.

Had more time than normal to kill so I walked down to the main section to grab a beer. Stopped at Jose Cuervo’s Tequilaria to grab a quick Stella, however, they were out. I did not want to walk all the way to the end of the SW section for a Stella at the bar so I decided on a Goose Island IPA instead. This place has some terrible reviews. Only grabbed a beer and did not eat here. I did eat here while we were stuck for several hours due to delays about a year and a half ago though. I don’t remember the food being that bad, nor was it that good. Honestly don’t remember much of anything about it.

The flight to Dallas was a little bumpy but not bad. The landing was smooth and we were on time getting to Dallas. Since this was a Southwest fight I was at Love Field, not DFW. Love is a decent sized airport and there are several food options. Personally, I like Cool River which is right in the middle of the terminal. I’ve tried a few of the other places but always wind up back there.

Made it to Amarillo

The layover was brief and the flight was on time to Amarillo. This was my first trip to Amarillo and the first time in their airport. This may have been the smallest airport that I’ve been in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s in good shape and it’s clean and well lit. It’s just that there are only 7 gates.

Rented a car through National as I always do. I was very concerned as to how limited the selection might be in a small airport. Was also kind of confused in that there was no Emerald Isle to choose a car. You have to go to the rental desk at this airport. It’s no big deal and it’s not out of the way but beware that there may be a small line. There happened to be a line of about 6 people when I got there. It only took about 5 minutes to get to the front. They had several options to choose from such as a Sentra, a Silverado, a Camaro and a couple others. I grabbed the Camaro. This is the second time recently I’ve rented a Camaro and they are fun to drive.

Hotel and Dinner

Took the Camaro across Amarillo to the Hilton Garden Inn on the west side of town just off of I-40. This was a decent hotel but it used to be something else. I couldn’t quite place it, but something here was a little different from most Hilton Garden Inns. The room was OK. The bathroom lighting was good, nice towels and the room was clean. My only knocks on the room were that the large bathroom door opens into the bathroom almost to the toilet. It is a real pain when taking a shower. The other knock was that the water pressure in the shower was pretty weak. There is a small bar and a decent sized eating area. I only grabbed a quick drink at the bar while waiting for a colleague. The selection is limited at this bar, a few beers and your normal selection of alcohol.

At the suggestion of the lady at the front desk we headed out to eat at El Braceros on Bell. Our request for her was a local Tex/Mex or Mexican restaurant, anything but a large chain restaurant. We were a little nervous when we pulled into the parking lot. This place was small. We went in and found a table and our server was over pretty quickly with a menu.

They do have a couple beers on the menu and a margarita. Yes, you have one margarita to choose from. You cannot request an upgrade with different tequila or anything else. The one margarita is what you get. It was $3.00 and better than what you would expect for $3.00. Probably closer to what you would expect for 5 or 6 dollars. Not a great margarita by any means, but I’ve definitely had worse. I had the Sonora Plate, one enchilada, one taco and one chalupa. The portions were huge, it came on two separate plates. I could not eat it all but it tasted great.

I’m not sure if I would go back if I found myself in Amarillo, but if you’re in town and nearby it’s definitely worth checking out.