5 Reasons to Visit Plano, TX

For most people, a vacation in Texas will usually focus on a small handful of cities - with Dallas, Austin, and Houston perhaps the most well-known of all. However, if you’re looking for a vacation that is a little more unusual - but still capable of delivering a fantastic overall experience - then Plano, which is around 30 minutes north of Dallas, could well be the perfect choice. Here’s five reasons to include Plano in your future travel plans.

#1 - The downtown area

Downtown Plano has developed an incredible reputation, and there’s so much to see, do, and enjoy if you choose to visit. The entire downtown area was destroyed in a fire during the 19th century, but has since risen to provide unique shops, incredible attractions, and historic buildings and sites of note that will keep you entertained for days on end. 

#2 - The food 

Like many cities, Plano has a number of nicknames - but if incorporating fantastic dining experiences into a vacation is a crucial consideration for you, then there’s one nickname that will stand out: “Foodie City”. You’ll have your pick of all kinds of options, so whether you’re looking for a fine dining experience or want to sample the best street tacos in Plano, TX, there will always be something exciting - and of course delicious! - for you to try. 

#3 - The special events

Via

Visiting Plano at a specific time of year can provide the opportunity to enjoy one of the many special events the city can provide. There’s usually something going on all year round, but perhaps the most notable of all is the Plano Balloon Festival; you can admire the hot air balloons, marvel over the stunts of the sky diving teams, enjoy performances from local bands and much more over the course of a weekend in September each year. Alternatively, visiting in May provides the chance to attend ASIAFEST (which is dedicated to celebrating Asian culture and heritage), or choose October so you can visit the Plano International Festival.

#4 - The arts and culture scene

The arts and culture scene in Plano is something to behold, covering a wide array of options that should suit every taste. You could catch a performance of the Plano Symphony Orchestra, tour an exhibition at the Art Centre of Plano, visit the celebrate Heritage Farm Museum, and much more besides during your time in the city. 

#5 - The parks and natural beauty

There are over 70 different parks in Plano, so if you want to retreat and immerse yourself in natural beauty, then you’ll never be short of options while visiting the city. Haggard Park is a particular highlight; in addition to the lush green spaces, you’ll also be able to explore the fascinating Interurban Railway Museum during your visit. Alternatively, the Arbor Hills Nature Reserve offers fantastic trails, picnic areas, a playground for kids, and plenty of trees that both enhance the look of the park and provide much-needed shade on hot days.

In conclusion

As the above points demonstrate, the wonders that Plano offers to its visitors ensures that any vacation spent in the city will be a fantastic experience from beginning to end! 

************

This post was written for the Life According to Steph audience

Thursday Thoughts - Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley

1. Happy second birthday, Bruce Springsteen The Dog. You are funny and super sensitive, you believe you belong everywhere and all seats are yours (including the front seat in the car), you still get into everything, you are happiest tearing ass around the beach, you love coffee, you make the weirdest noises, you are a hilarious sleeper, you love to give kisses, and you jump higher than any dog I have ever seen.

2. When you walk into the Suburban Station Post Office and there are zero people in line: hashtag blessed.

3. I had a Peppermint Patty this week. They always make me think of my grandmom. When I'd go over to her house for dinner, she'd say "we'll have just a little dessert" and give us each a peppermint patty.

4. Feeling very smug adult by upping my face mask usage to twice a week like everyone in the world recommends.

5. Most of this week has been spent on the couch, reading, and taking blurry pics of dogs. I did cook a few nights and picked up around the house. How can there be so much shit to pick up with only two people here?

6. I’m playing chicken with my laundry. How long can I go without doing it? Stupid.

7. I'm feeling like I need a format change on Thursday Thoughts but after eight years and a few different incantations, this requires more thought. August 4 was the official eighth birthday for this blog.

8. The news continues to beat on my soul daily, and yours too if you have one, I imagine...the man getting deported to Iraq who has never even been in Iraq and then dying there; the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration services says the inscription on the Statue of Liberty is for people coming from Europe (read: mostly white); republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa in favor of rape and incest because that's how the world population has always been done; and the White House Occupant significantly weakened the Endangered Species Act. Whatever I'm tired of everything. And that is the point. It's easier for me to vent this shit out in Instagram stories, so if you like commentary, find it there. I don't have the words to expound on it in long blog posts anymore - how many times can I write about the inhumanity of people in charge, and the oceans between regular citizens who care and those who don't?

9. Reminder:

10. Ecards:

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Roundabout by Yes, who I don't even like, but the rules are the song that's on is the song that's in the lyrics

Yesterday from A to Z

All about yesterday using the alphabet as a crutch

Attempted to clear the dining room table and failed

Black and white striped shirt

Calendar updating

Dogs, duh

Empty office all day

Feeling like I'm waiting on something, but I don't know what that is

Got in bed before 9

Had a full list of pet peeves triggered by 8:47 a.m.

Irritable

Juggled projects

Kindle reading - The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, an ARC from Netgalley

Lolled around on the couch reading an ARC of The Water Dancer

Manspreader on the morning shuttle bus. No, you can't take up 1.5 seats so I must squish into half of one

No afternoon coffee

Overnight resurfacing peel, the newest addition to my skin care ritual every other night. I think I like it bit I hate the smell

Put reusable bags in trunk of car

Quick list of what I need from the grocery store

Rain

Show Us Your Books - check out those posts

Tuesday. Do I need to expound?

Used dry shampoo

VRBO inquiry, now I only have one rentable weekend left for fall at the shore. Plenty of weekdays if you know anyone interested.

Washed dishes because I hate going to bed with dishes in the sink

eXited work promptly at 5

Years wasted thinking of a Y

Zoned out on the train

Thanks to Caitlin, who no longer blogs, for this idea. It’s been in draft since February 2017. 

Show Us Your Books: August 2019

I rarely spend over 24 hours between finishing a book and picking up another, but I have a few times this month. My brain needs a break. 

Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup.

Buy it links are affiliate links and buying through them supports this link up.

Engrossing Reads

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal - Gah this book. My heart was in my throat the last 20% and quite a few spots throughout. So good. So beautifully written. So emotional. So many hard things. I want the world to read it and if you don't like it I don't want to know about it. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review  |   buy it

Shamed (Kate Burkholder #11) by Linda Castillo - I swear I wait for the next book in this series to come out for like 11 months and read it in five minutes. This did not disappoint, but then Kate novels never do for me. OCNJ library hard cover   |  buy it

Crash & Burn (Tessa Leoni #3) by Lisa Gardner - This was more about Wyatt than Tessa for me, but enjoyable all the same. I'll read more. OCNJ library hard cover  |   buy it

Buried (Agent Sayer Altair #2) by Ellison Cooper - If you're looking for a new series, you need to check this one out. The follow up to the first novel was fast paced and a great story - I liked it more than the first. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review |  buy it

Mean Streak by Sandra Brown - This one was long but good. I read without trying to figure anything out but I can see this as one of those books where people are like "I knew what was happening early on." Solid vacation read for me. Paperback, bought used from library book sale  |  buy it

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Six Gifts: Part 1: Secrets by Christie K. Kelly - This was recommended to me by cousin Crystal as it was written by her friend's mom. I wasn't sure what to expect, and going into it it didn't seem like my kind of book, but I found myself pretty into it and read it in less than 24 hours. It started out one type of book and finished in another genre entirely. It's pretty unique to me in that way. Anyway I'll read the second part when it comes out and there are quite a lot of you on this link up who wold probably like this book. Amazon kindle book, own | buy it

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand - I loved the bones of this book. I would have altered the execution slightly. Good summer read and tie ins to pop culture and iconic events of the actual Summer of '69. OCNJ library hard cover    |     buy it

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - Solid effort from Lisa Jewell - not as loved as her previous ones, but still an intriguing premise and an okay book. Do not pick this one up thinking you're getting Then She Was Gone or Watching You. You're not. But if you adjust your expectations, you might enjoy it.  Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out November 5, 2019

A Murder on Jane Street by Cathy Cash Spellman - I thought this would be a sweet cozy little mystery. While the characters and some of the writing lend themselves to that, it is much more. Smart and very involved. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal - This reminded me a little of a Fannie Flagg novel. I liked the characters and how they all connected. I liked the food talk and recipes too. OCNJ library hard cover

A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden - This could very well be in the not worth it category, but something about it pulled at me. Maybe it was the solitary existence of a year by the sea that ended up not so solitary. Maybe it was a 49 year old woman finding the power to be who she is despite societal pressures to marry. I don't know. It's been on my kindle for an eternity. Amazon kindle book

Close to Home (Tracey Crosswhite #5) by Robert Dugoni - Fast paced and thoughtful. A solid four reading experience. OCNJ library paperback 

A Steep Price (Tracy Crosswhite #6) by Robert Dugoni - Good, but not my favorite, as far as the Tracy novels go. As an aside, it's interesting to see Dugoni inject some more of the conservative POVs into books over the past few years. Amazon kindle unlimited book

Before He Kills (Mackenzie White Mysteries #1) by Blake Pierce - The first in a series by the same author of the Avery Black series, which I enjoy. I liked this one. It seemed super short though. I'll read the next. Paperback, own

The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis - I read this on vacation and less than a month later I had to go back and jog my memory of what it was about. That's not unusual for me - I read a lot of books and I don't have endless brain space to store details of them all - but this one was a little hard to swallow. Lots of very fucking fantastical stuff, James Patterson and co-author David Ellis. Hard cover, own, bought used at library sale 

Not Worth It

 Her by Britney King - Maybe I just don't get Britney King...I started a book of hers on vacation and never picked it up when my niece took it from me. This one was just bizarre, and not in a way where I was like wow so weirdly good after. OCNJ library paperback

Beach Rental (Emerald Isle, NC #1) by Grace Greene - I think this has been on my kindle since the last time I went to Emerald Isle before this time, which was in 2017 I think. I read it on my last day there in July. This book was...not good. I read it in under two hours. I think other people might like it but I am not those people. Amazon kindle book

Normal People by Sally Rooney - Every time I've mentioned this book people have been like YES, NO, ONLY AT THE END, etc. There were opinions on this book. I liked the writing but I am solidly in the no category. Hard cover, own, bought at library book fair

Did Not Finish

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison - I'm shocked that I didn't like this or didn't finish it. I've liked her books so far, usually at the end I'm like oh that was okay but the whole reading experience has been can't put down. This one felt super off and I couldn't do it. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out December 31, 2019

The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger - This was way too detailed for the type of read I was wanting at the time. I don't find swiss banks and shit associated with them or women who willingly give up their identities for men super interesting either. OCNJ library hard cover 

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal - I was looking forward to this after Kitchens/Midwest. I tried. It was a super slow build and with very little movement for over 50 pages, I was out. 

What have you been reading? 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is September 10, 2019 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 
2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TWTW - the one with the girls at the lake

Friday if I was any more relaxed, I would have been dead. Mom and I got to Lori's lake house around 8:30 on Thursday night and settled into relaxation station. Lolling around just being and enjoying the silence for most of the day, painting nails (Lori gave me the blue color and I'm super jazzed), snacking, playing with the dogs in the yard, reading. Melissa arrived early afternoon and Debbie early evening and we did more sitting around and talking before hitting the hay.

Saturday we headed into Montrose to do some strolling and shopping early with the Bs. There's the cutest store there that looks like it's just a flower shop and while it is it also sings to my tie dye loving heart. I got a dress and headbands there thanks to Lori!

We came back and chowed down, did a little floating and relaxing, talked talked talked, went for ice cream, and rounded the day out with CAH and hair mane games.

Sunday I woke up to let the dogs out at 5:30 and Bruce had an accident then had super hurt feelings about it and was shaking for an hour. Loon. I finished a book over coffee and we sat out on the porch together before Mom and I hit the road around 10:30. I love this weekend. It is super relaxing, we are all so easy together, it's beautiful up there, my dogs can be there, Jack pops in, and Lori is a wonderful hostess. Love my ladies! I stopped at a farmers market off the turnpike on the way home, dropped Mom off, got home and changed our sheets and washed towels, and took a little snooze. MFD got home from the shore and we went for sushi at Sakura. 

Carol's birthday was Sunday. Happy birthday Carol! We love you! Thanks for everything you do for us. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is breakfast burritos. Lunch is zucchini pie. Snacks are grape tomatoes, blueberries, peaches. Dinners are tomato sandwiches and corn on the cob and pasta with lemon and broccoli. I didn't need anything for today so the zucchini pie will get made tonight. 

Show Us Your Books tomorrow! See you here for that.