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After a tummy-full of corn dogs, fried what-have-you's and a gastro-churning spin on the Techno Power carnival ride, a State Fair of Texas patron could be forgiven for just wanting to have a sit for a minute. But that's not what State Fair of Texas patrons do. Because if you've come in from halfway across who-knows-where to see the best of what the state has to offer, you won't turn around after one go-round on the Texas Star. Whereas Dealey Plaza and Reunion Tower are surely nice places to take ferners, a few minutes at the Kennedy site and one round at Reunion are plenty. The State Fair demands a full day's devotion, with every aspect of Texas' storied past and present on display for locals and tourists alike, from our rich rural past to Texas' finest tradesmen and technology. And there's also that little matter of Texas being the best at deep-frying absolutely anything. If that doesn't impress tourists, they can just mosey on back to wherever they came from.

Last time around, it rained, and the Bishop Arts Mardi Gras still drew a crowd of "four to five thousand," according to organizers. So imagine what size mob will show up next year if the weather is good. Which it will be. The planning is already under way, with an evening masquerade ball slated for the Kessler Theater March 5 and a full-blown beads parade at 4 p.m. March 6. This being Dallas instead of the Big Easy, we can expect lots of bawdy cheering from the crowd and cries of "Show us your ankles!" And some of those crazy girls may do it! Not a thing to miss.

Best Think After You Drink

Getting together with your smartest friends to drink is always a fun time. But now, if you have a well-rounded gang of friends with a diverse range of interests, you can win acclaim and a bar tab too. (And we mean it when we recommend a wide-ranging group—having nothing but bookworms from your fiction workshop isn't gonna help when a sports question comes up.) If you're bored by the sluggish readings of Trivial Pursuit cards at other pub trivia nights, this fast-paced match is right up your alley.

Maybe you don't want to show up here with a big roll of tweed from your vacation in Ireland and tell them to whip you up a suit, but if your needs are more of the mundane alterations variety, Unique Tailor is the stop you want to make. It's a little place with an unflappable staff of tailors able to handle anyone and anything from the biggest crazed diva in Highland Park ("Why does my butt look so huge?") to the East Dallas plumber who tore his coveralls in a tight crawlspace ("Got anything for me to wear while I wait?"). For easy stuff, pants shortening, waist-letting-outing and so on, they do a 24-hour turn-around. Nothing takes more than a few days. If you have a problem with the work, they do it again. Prices are very reasonable—no gouging—and they tell you ahead of time what it will be. Can't ask for more than that.

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