How 'Bout Them Cowboys

About a week ago, I finally used my groupon for a VIP tour of Cowboys Stadium here in Arlington. When I moved to Texas (and Arlington), it didn't have a roof yet and was very much a 'rough' structure in the process of being built. Now it is a $1.2 billion stadium that is going to host the next SuperBowl!

Here's a shot of the inside - the people on the field are other tour-goers, playing on the field.

And the line to get your picture taken on the big star on the 50-yard line. In the old Texas Stadium, there was a hole in the roof. The theory was that God wanted to be able to look down on his Cowboys playing. Now in the new stadium, there is a HUGE MASSIVE video screen that blocks God's view of the field and the big star........so they actually had a big star put on the top of the video screen so that from the air, God can still see his Cowboys' star!

Here's a shot of the video screen. It's a retractable roof and the screen is water proof, so it can be raining in on it and it wouldn't matter - amazing! It's the largest screen in the world and it weighs 1.2 million pounds, if I remember correctly. It is the equivalent of 7 stories high!!

These next 2 shots show how massive the screen is compared to everything else. It's just something you have to see in person - incredible.

The stadium is absolutely beautiful! They even put in granite for the countertops around the club levels - no expense was spared.

And now on to the field....

These folks are starting their daughter out early, crawling to the big star on the 50-yard line.....

The end zone looks about the same as the old Texas Stadium...

Picture-taking on the big star!

They even had people selling footballs down on the field, so that you could play with your friends while on the tour. I'm sure they were a fortune, of course.

This was a HUGE sign in one of the concourse stairwells....

And this pretty display was in the Cotton Bowl offices, which are housed in Cowboys Stadium. They are helmets 'on a path to Heaven' or something - that was kind of hokey, but whatever...

And here I am in the press/interview room - just off of the Cowboys locker room....

Their pro-shop was insanely big, bright and busy! I liked a lot of the shirts, but I'm not really a huge Cowboys fan yet and the prices were through the roof, of course....I wanted to get this shirt, though - loved it:

Sort of a hippie version....Peace Love and the Dallas Cowboys....

Crazy big store!

OK Cowboys, I know you have an ego, but REALLY?!