Howdy, y'all.
My name is Arianita La Gringa, and here I'm in Austin, Texas.
Do you like my cowboy hat?
I just did a country accent.
Did you guys like it?
In today's video I will teach you guys English here in Texas and we will be visiting different cities like Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.
And right now I'm in the middle of the street, on Congress Avenue, and behind me is the State Capitol building in Austin Texas.
Let's go check it out!
You can't visit Austin without seeing the Texas State Capitol Building.
Now, the words capital and capital might be confusing, so let's clarify.
Capital that ends with an A refers to a city where the government is located.
For example, the capital of the United States is Washington DC and the capital of Texas is Austin.
And the other word capital that ends with an O is the building where the government works.
It's where the laws are made.
So here, the Texas State Capitol building is where laws are made.
And did you guys know that here in Texas, they have a saying that says, everything is bigger here.
And yes, it's true.
The Texas State Capitol is actually the largest state Capitol building in the United States, with over 360000 square feet.
And it's even taller than the U.S.
Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
It's 14 feet taller.
And the best part is you don't have to pay a fee to enter the Capitol building.
It's completely free.
And once you're inside, you can visit the huge room where the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives meet.
Now let's check out an iconic bridge here in Austin Texas, with a beautiful view.
First up we have the pennybacker bridge, but the locals here call it the 360 bridge because of the highway number, and it's known for the beautiful views of the lake and the scenery.
So how did i get up here?
Well, actually it was pretty easy.
So before crossing the bridge, beside the highway they actually have some parking spots, so i parked my car there and then I had to walk up a huge hill and it took around three minutes, and then I finally got to the top.
Let me know down below in the comments if you think the view is worth it.
After coming down from the very top of the hill.
There's actually a tent over there selling fruits, juices and coconuts, and I was a little bit thirsty so I grabbed some pineapple juice, and this is so refreshing.
Now it's time to head back to downtown Austin and check out some really cool places.
Now we're back in downtown Austin and it's pretty big, believe it or not.
Austin is the same size as new york city, but its population is different.
In downtown austin there's around a million people living here, but in new york there's over 19 million people living there.
Did you know that Austin is home to the largest bat colony in North America?
Well, here under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
15 million bats will live here during the spring and summertime, and then in the evening, when the sun sets, you will see them fly away.
Right now we're in winter, so we don't see any bats right now, but if you're here during the springtime or during the summer, you have to come here to check it out.
Right now it's around five o'clock and the sun is starting to set, so it's starting to go down and i want to show you guys a great place to watch the sunset.
It's at lake travis and the place is called the oasis.
I'm at the oasis.
This restaurant is located 450 feet above lake travis.
It's literally on a cliff.
One unique tradition here at the restaurant is something called lover's locks.
Look at all of these locks here on the railing.
Now what happens if you don't have a padlock?
Well, at the restaurant right next to it, there's actually a gift shop where you can buy a padlock like this one in the shape of a heart, and they have many different colors and then you can write your name on it and your partner's name on it and then hang it up on the railing.
The Oasis is the largest outdoor restaurant here in Austin, Texas.
And as you can see, there are around four to five levels where you can sit down and relax.
But right now, since we're in the middle of winter, not many people are outside.
One thing that I really enjoy is the view.
It's so beautiful.
It's a view of Lake Travis.
And a lot of people come here to watch the sunset.
This place is actually called the sunset capital of Texas because this place has a beautiful view of the sunset.
And now it's time to check out a different city.
So let's head on over to San Antonio.
One of the most popular spots here in San Antonio is the Riverwalk.
As you can see, people are going along the San Antonio River on a boat.
You can stroll along the river and check out some cool restaurants and cafes here.
And by the way, the verb to stroll means to walk casually, walk slowly, and just enjoy the scenery.
If you thought San Antonio was a small city, It's actually not.
San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and the seventh largest city in the United States.
And they also have the largest Dia de los Muertos celebration Day of the Dead celebration outside of Mexico.
What you'll quickly notice is a really strong Mexican influence here, especially in the food and the language.
It's cool because even though we're in the US, you'll hear a lot of Spanish being spoken.
It's a reminder that Texas used to be part of Mexico.
Some ways to go around San Antonio, Texas is by walking around the city.
You can drive a car or you can go on a horse, ride in a horse carriage.
Hi, how much does it cost to go on a horse carriage?
It's $65 for two people for about 20, 25 minutes around downtown.
And where will we stop?
Typically come back here where we picked you up, but we'll go around the Riverwalk.
We'll go around Travis Park.
We'll show you some of the iconic buildings around.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
Another must see in San Antonio, Texas is the Alamo.
Did you know here they had a battle?
The Alamo was a battle fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico in February of 1836 up until March of 1836.
And actually Mexico won that battle.
And here you can see a couple years later in 1845 that Texas became a US state.
Another thing you can do here in San Antonio is go on a boat ride on the San Antonio River.
It costs around 15 and you'll take a whole tour, a 35-minute tour, and the tour guide will show you different parts of the city.
The day's almost over, but we're not done with this video yet.
Let's head to the next city.
All right, everybody, right now I'm in Houston, Texas.
When you hear the word Houston, what comes to mind?
Houston, we have a problem.
Houston, we have a problem is a famous quote from the Apollo 13 space mission.
What did you do?
Nothing.
I stirred the tanks.
Whoa.
This is Houston.
Say again, please.
Houston, we have a problem.
Houston is also known as Space City because here they have the Houston Space Center.
I can't wait to go inside. and my ticket cost me $30.
Let's go.
Here you can see real spacecrafts, learn about different astronauts and also see the control center where they monitor space missions.
Did you know the first word on the moon to NASA was Houston?
Yes, it's the city where I'm visiting right now, Houston, Texas.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong said, Houston, Tranquility Base here.
Houston, Tranquility Base here.
The Eagle has landed.
Talking about the moon, have you guys ever heard of the idiom or expression, once in a blue moon?
Well, this actually means it happens very rarely or it doesn't happen a lot.
For example, I go to the movies once in a blue moon.
And this just means I go to the movies very rarely or not often.
When you're at the Space Center, you can hop on a tram tour and check out the astronaut training facility.
That's where astronauts are learning, working and getting ready to train before they head up to the space station or even go to the moon.
And did you know astronauts spend hours training underwater to prepare for spacewalks?
After the space center, you've got to see the Waterwall Park in Houston.
It's this massive 64-foot fountain with 11,000 gallons of water pouring down it every minute.
After walking around all day, I stopped by Houston's famous food hall, The Post, to grab something to eat.
It's huge because it was originally a major post office in downtown Houston.
Then I popped into the Astros team store to see if they had any cool baseball jerseys.
Astros is houston's baseball team, and they use space city as a nickname, which makes sense, since houston is home to nasa.
Then i went to the galleria, which is a shopping mall that has hundreds of stores, restaurants and even an ice skating rink.
After visiting the space center and multiple places here in houston texas, now it's time to go to dallas, the last city, so i think i might take the metro or the bus, but I think it'll be faster if we go on a rocket.
Let's go.
You might picture cowboys and horses, since we're in Texas, but I'm actually in another city called Dallas, Texas.
And here the city is beautiful.
It's modern, the buildings are very tall, and the streets are pretty busy.
Right now, I'm in a plaza called Pioneer Plaza.
And here you see a bunch of cattle and bulls all around me.
Wow, look at this humongous bull.
And look, this bull has horns, he has a head, a huge body, and...
A long tail.
This is a great spot to take pictures here in this beautiful plaza.
Now let's go to another plaza to visit a memorial where a tragic event has occurred.
Some famous movies were filmed in downtown Dallas.
Some like Prison Break and JFK.
But why JFK?
Unfortunately, the 35th president of the United States JFK, or John F Kennedy, was assassinated on November 22nd of 1963.
He was actually shot in downtown Dallas, literally 200 yards from this exact spot.
So behind me, they have a beautiful concrete memorial to remember the president, JFK.
They say everything is bigger here in Texas.
And it's true.
Like I said earlier, it's the second largest state in the United States and one of the widest freeways in the world runs right through Houston Texas.
I'm talking about the Katy Freeway.
It's actually the widest highway in the United States.
There's even a high five interchange outside of Dallas where you're literally going to be driving up 11 stories up in the air.
So yeah, getting around Texas without a car is basically impossible.
You'll probably be spending a lot of time behind the wheel.
Which reminds me, did you guys know that in the driver's seat is an idiom?
It means to take charge in something or be in control of something.
Speaking of being in the driver's seat, how are you all taking charge in English?
Are you learning new phrases every day?
Are you speaking to new people?
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Thanks to Preply for sponsoring this part of the video.
Now let's get back on the road.
Before driving to the next city, I've been driving a lot.
I visited three cities and I need to get some gas.
So I'm going to stop at a gas station, but not an ordinary gas station.
I'm going to go to the most iconic gas station here in Texas.
Buc-ee's is a super popular gas station and convenience store in Texas.
You'll never struggle to find a pump, because they usually have 80 to 100 gas pumps at each location, making it quick and easy to get gas.
Texas has one of the cheapest gas prices in the United States.
I'm paying $2.57 per gallon, but in Cincinnati, I'd probably pay up to $4 per gallon.
By the way, if you guys haven't checked out my video about gas station vocabulary, go ahead and check it out.
The nice thing about coming here to Buc-ee's is that meanwhile you're pumping gas, you can go inside the huge store.
Buc-ee's is famous for being huge.
It's way bigger than your average gas station convenience store.
Plus they sell amazing Southern style food like pulled pork, brisket sandwiches, beef jerky, and especially their fudge.
And they even have their own mascot, Bucky the beaver.
This is a great place to stop, especially if you want to pump your gas.
Now let's hit the road.
Our very last city is close to Dallas.
It's about a 30 minute drive from Dallas and it's called Fort Worth.
If you visit Fort Worth Texas, you definitely have to come to this place called Fort Worth Stockyards.
It literally feels like I'm in a Western movie.
I feel like a cowgirl.
Yeehaw!
Fort Worth is called Cowtown because a really long time ago cowboys used to move large groups of cows from one place to another.
A cowboy or cowgirl is someone who works on a ranch, which is like a big farm with lots of animals.
Cowboys spend most of their time taking care of cows, riding horses, and working outdoors.
Hi, can you tell me what a cowboy or cowgirl normally wears?
Okay, so we always have to have the cowboy hat. the shirt, the jeans, and the boots.
Cowboys and cowgirls wear a special type of clothing called western wear.
This includes things like a cowboy hat jeans, a long sleeve shirt or t-shirt, a belt with a huge buckle and cowboy boots.
In this town, Fort Worth, a lot of shops sell western attire or western clothing.
Clothing to dress up like a cowboy or cowgirl.
Hi, this is my first time in Fort Worth, Texas.
So how can I buy a cowboy hat and what is the process like?
Starting off, you want to pick a hat that fits right, and we'll measure your head to see which size would be perfect for you.
After that, we go on the color selection, see what we have in stock.
If you wanted to go something more neutral, we can get you in something like my silver belly.
Or if you wanted to go something more formal, we could do a black hat and any other of our crazy colors we have.
But once we've got that situated, we go on to getting it all fitted for you.
We take two tools.
One's called a conformator.
We'd pull it over your head and it makes a measurement of your head of the 1-6 scale.
And we're going to take that measurement and put in another tool called a formelian.
Formelian takes that measurement and brings it to a one-to-one scale.
And as we're building that hat, we'll steam it inside of here to make it fit perfectly to your head.
After that, we continue constructing the hat to how you want it, how high up you want it or how the crown you want done.
And then after that, you're good to go.
And then how much does a cowboy hat cost?
Starting out, it's going to be about $300 to $389 for our entry-level hats.
And then going up from there, depending on the quality and different types of material like beaver and rabbit hair, the combination and the percentage of each in the hat.
That's where the prices vary.
But starting out, it's about $300.
You can also go to a rodeo show where cowboys and cowgirls will show off their skills, and it's a big competition.
Cowboys and cowgirls will do things like ride bulls and horses, rope cattle and barrel race.
Right now, I'm inside of this huge coliseum where they will have rodeo shows.
They are super fun and I've actually been to one rodeo show and I highly recommend it.
You can also take a picture on top of a bull.
Yes, that sounds pretty scary, but it's actually not.
It only takes around 45 seconds to a minute and it costs $10.
It's $10 per person.
You just sit there and take pictures.
Five seconds to a minute.
Okay, everybody, I hope y'all enjoyed this video.
Woo, where did that come from?
I think I have a country accent from being in Texas for a really long time.
If you guys enjoyed this video, let me know your favorite part and give me a like, subscribe and I'll see you guys next week.
Bye.
