USA Today has a bunch of travel-related reader's choice polls going on right now for their "10Best" features, and Dallas is in the running (and has been snubbed) for several categories.
We've done OK for ourselves in past polls. Big Tex was named "Best Quirky Landmark" (as he should have been) and Dallas was voted as having the "Best skyline in the world," which was pretty impressive given the competition.
Now we're up for a few more, the most notable of which is The State Fair of Texas for the "Best Southern Event" category. It faces stiff competition from South by Southwest in Austin, but if you ask me it should definitely beat the Kentucky Derby. I mean, come on. That thing lasts about five seconds and all you get out of it is a gross drink and a hat that's too big for your head.
Have you voted for the @StateFairOfTX as the @USATODAY Best Southern Event yet? We are currently #6. http://t.co/G7104z6iry #bigtex
— State Fair of Texas (@StateFairOfTX) May 6, 2015
Another category is "Best Southern BBQ," for which Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse is the only Dallas contender. Good for them, and good luck moving forward, but an informal poll of the GuideLive newsroom suggests that there are other, more worthy Dallas locations that should be in the running. At the time of this writing it's ranked #19 of 20 in the poll, so it's got a way to go if it's going to catch up to Franklin Barbecue in Austin or one of the many BBQ joints in Lockhart. (Aaron Franklin, of Franklin Barbecue, just won a James Beard Award -- and he was the first pitmaster to ever do so -- so that's some seriously stiff competition)
The pool at the Joule is on the list of nominees for "Best Hotel Pool," primarily for its "eye-catching, glass-fronted" design. It would need a big push to get ahead of pools from cities like Las Vegas and Honolulu, though, as it's currently ranked #18.
Lastly for Dallas representation, the SODA Bar at the NYLO was nominated for "Best Rooftop Bar," where it currently sits at #17 under rooftop hotel bars in cities like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.
What did we not get a nomination for? "Best Historic Southern Location" for one, which is probably fair. It would be hard for, say, the Sixth Floor Museum to compete against the Alamo. We also didn't get any nods for "Best Southern Fine Dining," which is a little weird when you realize that a couple nominees on the list are in Washington D.C., which I don't think I would say is really part of "the South."
In any case, you can vote for all the awards at the USA Today's 10Best site. The State Fair, at least, seems like it deserves a vote.
