After picking up my rental car I went straight south down to my hotel. I was going to be working in this area and there was a glut of hotel options. This area has 6 Flags, the Rangers old park, the new Globe Life Field, and ATT stadium where the Cowboys play. It also has a bunch of pretty crappy food options. I usually pick a Hilton hotel these days, mostly because of the app experience, but the Hilton Garden Inn was really expensive and the Hilton looked pretty old.
I ended up choosing the Aloft. I’ve stayed at a few of these and they are mostly the same. It tries to be pretty trendy, like a True by Hilton or Hotel Indigo. This week the Giants were in town playing a series with the Rangers so the area was pretty well booked and busy. Sadly I’m here to work so nothing fun for me.
In This Trip
1: Working again, Arlington Texas: Delta 717 Main Cabin and Delta A321 Comfort Plus Review.
2 :Working again, Arlington Texas: Aloft Dallas Arlington Entertainment District Review
2.1: The Hotel
2.2: Nearby Area
2.3: Hurtado Barbecue
2.4: Final Thoughts
3: Working again, Arlington Texas: Delta A321 Economy and Delta 737-800 Exit Row Review
The Hotel
Little dark when I walked off the elevator and into the hallway. I think this hotel is somewhat new but not within the last 1-2 years. I’m just guessing though.
The inside of the room is nice and bright. This room is set up exactly the same way as an Aloft I stayed at in Tallahassee Fl and in Beachwood Oh. Does still have the induvial AC unit that wasn’t particularly quiet.
The bed isn’t along a side wall, it’s against the back wall with the outside wall containing the TV, luggage rack, and mini-fridge. I did use all of these things, even the luggage rack.
I opted for a king size bed, this one was pretty comfortable but I didn’t much care for the pillows, not sure why. There were plenty of outlets near the bed, on both sides too. A noticeably missing item was an alarm clock, not that I like the alarm function, but I like to have a bed side clock to look at.
No desk area, but this seating area was good enough. I ate some takeout meals here and also did some work. I’d rather just have a desk, but I understand in this area, there’s probably not many people that would.
Right by the entrance was the “closet.” or at least the piece of furniture that functions as one. After I ate my 4th meal I hung up my shirts for the week.
The bathroom was divided so that the toilet and shower were in a separate room partitioned by a pocket door. As a single person this is just fine, but as I’ve said in the past, it’s a little annoying to have the sink in the “bedroom” when you have more than one person. Someone uses the bathroom in the night and then has to turn on the lights to see the sink.
I like the stall shower way more than a tub so good stuff here. I don’t like the combination shampoo and body wash. I also just don’t like body wash so I bring the bar soap from the sink into here and also travel with my own shampoo. No I don’t bitch and moan on Flyertalk about such things.
Old school simple thermostat. I like such items.
The view was of a near by parking lot. Not exciting, but this area is all about chain restaurants and other such things that accompany an “entertainment” district.
There was a small pool and over the next few days I did see a few families enjoying themselves. It was hot out and would be a nice way to relax after going to a ball game.
Of course there was some art. I know I’ve talked about this before, yet this one fascinates me even more. It’s integral to the design of the room, it matches the wall colors and everything. So maybe it’s not as simple as a graphic artist making a piece for a wall. Who knows how high this goes, clearly the room designer and maybe even the architect is in on this whole thing.
Nearby Area
While out getting some lunch one day, I drove by the old Rangers Field.
And the brand new Globe Life park that’s built right next door. There’s a trolley that runs around this area for visitors. Would be a great way to visit the park and not need to park. You can see Jerry world in the background too.
Hurtado Barbecue
This is Hurtado Barbecue it’s in Arlington and is very popular. In the style of Central Texas, the line forms before they open and they sell out every day. If you’re not in line early enough, you might not get food.
This was the line when I arrived at 10AM on a Wednesday, they open at 11. They are not open 7 days a week, only 4 as any good Texas BBQ place would.
After waiting my turn I got a Texas Trio. Brisket, sausage, and ribs, for my side dish I added mac and cheese. I like tortillas with my BBQ so I added those as well. I also tried a new beer for me, Lone Star Rio Jade. I’d had lots of Lone Star in my days, but this was a new one for me, it’s a Mexican Style beer and I liked it.
The BBQ was very good. I like the ribs a lot. I’m usually a brisket kind of guy, but the ribs here were amazing. The sausage was interesting, I liked it, but probably would skip it next time. The brisket was good, but I got lean end, I’d much prefer fatty but forgot to ask. I’m not much of a sauce on brisket guy and didn’t bother.
Anyway, if I find myself in Arlington again, I’ll be coming back to Hurtado Barbecue. Good food, super friendly people, and a great place to eat some smoked meats.
Final Thoughts
This was a pretty boring work trip that was made interesting by having lunch at an excellent BBQ place. Hell I’d stay here again just to eat that food again.
The hotel was just what I needed. It was very clean and comfortable. The area was meh, but I wasn’t here to do fun things, just working. If you’re going to a Rangers or Cowboys game this would be a great place to stay. Even 6 Flags was very close and would make the Aloft a great choice. There are other hotels in the area, but this one seemed the newest, not the nicest, not the fanciest, but the newest. Good enough for me.