Carrollton, Texas!!!

I work in Carrollton, Texas...actually, I work in Farmers Branch, but it's part of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district. I love the location of where I work, but I had yet to find the local flavor, so to speak, that makes a city more personable. My favorite coffee house is in Addison, which is close. Dunn Brothers Coffee Co. is one of those coffee houses that still serves coffee in actual mugs and the owner's wife works at a middle school in my district. But still, it wasn't in Carrollton.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I went with some colleagues to Babe's Restaurant (off of Beltline and 35) after work. Wow. I think that if we eat in heaven (and I hope we do), Babe's would serve the food. They have homestyle cooking served family style at big tables. You pay for the meat -- I prefer the hickory roasted chicken -- and the sides all come with it. They have by far the best mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans (very flavorful, but no onions!), corn, and biscuits that just melt in your mouth. I love it! I've been there again already and if anyone is up for it and in the Dallas area, let me know and we'll go to Babe's Chicken.

Anyone have a favorite "local" restaurant? No chains, please -- Chili's and the like don't count.

Another jewel in Carrollton is the Exposure Indoor Rock Climbing gym on Midway and near Keller Springs Road. Last summer, Jenny and I went on a cruise to Alaska with our grandparents. One of the excursions we took was to go rock climbing in Scagway, Alaska while our grandparents went on a train tour (that's me to the right).

Because we went with such a small group of folks, we were able to climb several different routes and get over the initial fear of climbing and heights. I loved it so much that when I looked into things to do when I relocated to Dallas, I looked to see where some climbing gyms were. Well, nothing came of it until almost a year later...

Yesterday afternoon, a group of friends and I went to Exposure to climb around. We had been talking about it for weeks because we all had wanted to try it. We had a blast! We began by watching a video on how to belay and then we took a test so we could do it all by ourselves. Kami was my climbing buddy, which was good because I completely trust her. I completely trust everyone that went, don't get me wrong; I'm just saying that she was a good belayer. :)

The above photo is a shot of where we climbed. The inverted wall at the top of the picture was one of the most challenging routes. Brad came late and tried to begin on that route and had to stop. Adam, because he was a bit more warmed up, made it to the top! (yay!) However, his arms were shaking for the remainder of the afternoon...

Overall, we had a great time. I think Emily, Jenise, Kami, and I want to come back on a more regular basis. Any other takers?

So, what have you found where you live that keeps you going? What restaurants are jewels in your town? Where do you like to go with people who are visiting you for the weekend?