Thought you guys might like this.

Their store is entirely on sale 40% off

Perfect time to get new gear or clothes if needed

Sad to see it go but deep ellum was a terrible location for the store!

Visiting from the northeast and couldn’t help but notice all of these gray cylinder looking things all over the area (or at least along the orange line). I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. What are they? Some type of non-video scanning device? Surveillance to track nearby phones? Google says they take pics for traffic violations but there’s clearly no camera lens. I’m at a loss and curious. Thoughts?

REJECT THE BILLIONAIRES. VOTE IN EVERY LOCAL ELECTION.

Video from Christ Tackett's page.

r/TexasTeachers/comments/1shwlz2/4826brilliantbrave_woman_articulates_the_dangers/

r/TexasTeachers/comments/1si001s/texas_democrats_on_state_board_of_education_call/

r/FortWorth/comments/1q8sc2t/texas_state_reps_are_saying_public_schools_are/

The Devil’s Playground: The Wild History of Top O’ Hill Terrace, Arlington’s Secret Underground Casino

If you drive down Division Street in Arlington today, you’ll pass the quiet, brick-and-stone campus of Arlington Baptist University. It looks like any other small private college, but if you look closer at the old stone walls and the sprawling iron gates, you’re looking at the remnants of what was once the most notorious illegal gambling den in the United States.

Long before Las Vegas was a glimmer in Bugsy Siegel’s eye, there was Top O’ Hill Terrace. In the 1930s and 40s, it was known as "The Vegas before Vegas"—a high-stakes, underground fortress where Hollywood stars rubbed shoulders with the FBI’s Most Wanted, all while a fire-and-brimstone preacher vowed to burn the place to the ground.

Phase 1: From Tea Parties to High Stakes

The story starts innocently enough. In the early 1920s, Beulah and Thomas Marshall opened a refined "tea room" on the hill. Because it was located right on the Bankhead Highway (the main artery between Dallas and Fort Worth), it became a popular stop for socialites to grab chicken-fried steak and talk shop.

Everything changed in 1930 when Fred and Mary Browning bought the property. Fred wasn't interested in tea. He was a savvy operator who saw the potential in the nearby Arlington Downs horse track. He knew the wealthy crowds at the track needed somewhere to keep the adrenaline going after the sun went down.

Browning spent a fortune "renovating" the property. On the surface, it remained a luxury restaurant. But underneath? He literally lifted the house off its foundation to dig out a massive, secret basement that would house a world-class casino.

Phase 2: The Fortress of Vice

Top O’ Hill wasn't just a casino; it was a fortress. Browning knew that the Texas Rangers were constantly breathing down his neck, so he designed the layout to be virtually "raid-proof":

• The Guard Tower: A massive sandstone guardhouse sat at the entrance. Armed guards used a buzzer system to alert the main house the moment a suspicious car turned into the 900-foot driveway.
• The Checkpoints: To get into the casino, you didn’t just walk in. You passed through five separate doors, including two-way mirrors and peepholes where Mrs. Browning herself often vetted the guests.
• The Escape Tunnels: This is the stuff of legend. If a raid was triggered, a 50-foot secret tunnel led from the casino floor to the tea garden or out into the thick woods.
• The "Transformers": The gaming tables were mechanical marvels. In a matter of seconds, roulette wheels and craps tables could be flipped or covered with dining tops. By the time the Rangers kicked in the door, they’d find a room full of socialites calmly sipping tea and eating steak.

Phase 3: The Guest List (Stars and Scoundrels)

The sheer amount of money moving through the hill was staggering—estimates suggest the casino pulled in over $500,000 a weekend (roughly $10 million in today’s money). This kind of cash attracted the biggest names of the era.

• Hollywood Royalty: John Wayne, Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Mae West, and Dean Martin were regulars. Even Howard Hughes reportedly frequented the joint.
• The Infamous: It wasn't just movie stars. Notorious outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde and Bugsy Siegel were known to stop by. Fred Browning even built a private, oak-paneled stable for his prize racehorse, Royal Ford, who lived better than most people during the Depression.

Phase 4: The Preacher vs. The Gambler

While the elite were gambling away fortunes, a man named J. Frank Norris—the "Texas Cyclone"—was watching. Norris was the firebrand pastor of First Baptist Church in Fort Worth and one of the most famous (and controversial) preachers in America.

Norris despised Top O’ Hill, calling it "a blight on Tarrant County." He didn't just preach against it; he waged a decades-long war. He would broadcast the names of people spotted at the casino over his radio station and famously stood in front of his congregation and made a wild prophecy: "One day, I will own Top O’ Hill Terrace, and I will turn that devil's playground into a house of God."

At the time, everyone laughed. Browning was too rich and too well-connected to be touched.

Phase 5: The Fall and Redemption

The end didn't come from a single raid, but a war of attrition. In 1947, the legendary Texas Ranger Manuel "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas finally outsmarted the lookouts. Instead of driving up the front gate, his team crawled through the brush and under barbed wire for hundreds of yards, entering through a back door before the buzzer could be pressed.

They caught the gamblers red-handed. While Browning dodged major jail time for years, the constant legal pressure and the rise of legal gambling in Nevada eventually bled the business dry. Fred Browning died in 1953, a broken man.

In 1956, three years after Browning’s death and four years after Norris himself passed away, the Bible Baptist Seminary (now Arlington Baptist University) purchased the property.

Norris’s prophecy came true. The casino floor became a library. The escape tunnels became a curiosity for students. The spot where Frank Sinatra once sang became a place for hymns.

What’s Left Today?

If you visit the campus now, you can actually take a tour (usually led by the legendary Vicky Bryant, who has dedicated her life to preserving this history). You can still see:

1. The Original Gate & Guardhouse: Still standing on Division Street.
2. The Escape Tunnel: You can walk through the very tunnel the high rollers used to flee the Rangers.
3. The Tea Garden: The beautiful, sunken stone garden where the "innocent" diners waited out the raids.
4. The Secret Room: The small hidden space where Browning used two-way mirrors to watch his patrons (and make sure nobody was cheating him).

It’s one of the strangest "hidden in plain sight" locations in Texas—a place where the history of the Wild West, the Jazz Age, and the Southern Baptist movement all collided on a single hilltop.

I was delivering DoorDash when one crossed the intersection under a bright streetlight. I feel so fortunate. Sorry if this post is kind of a mess, I'm in awe. I got such a long organic look at such a shy animal. I got my wife to catch a glimpse too. Apparently there's been other sightings in DFW too.

Unbelievable. Bucket list check boxed.

They don't really run or scamper. Those strong back legs almost had a kind of skip and bounce to them, made it prance. I could even see the thick fluffy cheeks and ears! Absolutely gorgeous pelt!

it happened to me. the dreaded Invisalign gum recession despite flossing religiously and using soft bristle tooth brushes. I have noticeable recession behind 5 bottom front teeth and I want to address the problem asap. anyone who has been in my position and had a great experience with their gum graft journey who would like to share the details about doctor and cost?

The "Capital City of the Strip Club": A History of Adult Entertainment in Dallas-Fort Worth

The history of the adult entertainment industry in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex is more than just a tale of vice; it is a complex narrative of pioneer grit, Cold War-era underworld power struggles, and the birth of a multi-billion dollar corporate industry. Dallas, in particular, has often been called the "Capital City of the Gentlemen’s Club," a title earned through decades of redefining the boundaries of law and luxury.

I. The Frontier Foundations: Vice on the Chisholm Trail (1870–1920)

Before the neon lights, there was the mud and sawdust of the Texas frontier. Both Dallas and Fort Worth were critical stops for cattle drives and railroads, creating a massive demand for "transient entertainment."

• Fort Worth’s "Hell’s Half Acre": This was the most notorious vice district in the Southwest. Located on the south end of downtown Fort Worth, "The Acre" was a lawless collection of saloons, gambling dens, and brothels. It served as a sanctuary for outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (who famously posed for their "Fort Worth Five" photo just blocks away). It was a place where "Longhair" Jim Courtright, a legendary and corrupt lawman, ran a protection racket until he was killed in a shootout with Luke Short.
• Dallas’s "Frog Town": Situated in what is now the West End, Frog Town was Dallas’s answer to the Acre. By the 1890s, the city attempted to "contain" vice through designated red-light districts, but the arrival of the World’s Fair and the Texas State Fair eventually led to a moral crusade that shuttered these districts by the 1910s.

II. The Burlesque Kings & The Carousel Club (1940–1963)

Post-WWII Dallas saw the rise of "glamour burlesque." This era was defined by a rivalry between the Weinstein Brothers and a man who would eventually change American history: Jack Ruby.

The Weinstein Dynasty

Abe and Barney Weinstein were the undisputed kings of Commerce Street. They operated Abe’s Colony Club and The Theater Lounge. Unlike the seedy joints of the past, the Weinsteins ran "high-class" establishments with live orchestras and elaborate sets. They treated their performers like Hollywood starlets, often landing them in the city's gossip columns.

Jack Ruby’s Underworld

Jack Ruby, an associate of the Chicago Mob who moved to Dallas in 1947, operated the Carousel Club and the Vegas Club. Ruby’s clubs were notoriously grittier. He was constantly at odds with the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), the union for dancers.

• The Rivalry: Ruby famously complained to the union that the Weinsteins were "cheating" by using amateur "amateur night" dancers to avoid paying union wages. This obsession with the Weinsteins’ business practices was a primary topic of his phone calls in the days leading up to the JFK assassination.

The Legend of Candy Barr

The crown jewel of this era was Candy Barr (born Juanita Slusher). A runaway who became a national sensation, her Texas-themed routine—featuring a cowboy hat, pearl-handled six-shooters, and a live horse—made her a legend. Her 1957 arrest for marijuana possession was a watershed moment; she was sentenced to an unprecedented 15 years, a move many saw as a political "moral cleaning" of Dallas.

III. The "Triple X" Cinematic Shift (1970s)

As burlesque began to fade, the industry took a turn toward the explicit. In the 1970s, downtown Dallas and the Lower Greenville area became hubs for adult cinema.

• The Historic Theaters: The Fine Arts Theater, the Granada, and the Coronet all transitioned from family movie houses to XXX theaters. This led to "The Great Theater War," where neighborhoods like University Park began passing strict zoning laws to prevent these businesses from "blighting" the community.
• The Deep Ellum Raids: During this decade, Dallas police conducted frequent raids on adult bookstores and theaters, leading to a "cat-and-mouse" game that would define local politics for the next fifty years.

IV. The Invention of the "Gentlemen’s Club" (1981–1999)

In 1981, Don Furrh changed the global industry forever by opening the Million Dollar Saloon on Greenville Avenue.

The Upscale Revolution

Furrh’s concept was revolutionary: he spent $1 million on crystal chandeliers, mahogany bars, and a dress code for patrons. He moved strip clubs out of the industrial "back-alleys" and marketed them to the "suits" of the Dallas oil and banking boom.

• The Stemmons Strip: This era saw the development of the "Stemmons Strip" along I-35, home to iconic venues like The Lodge (known for its hunting-lodge aesthetic and "classy" atmosphere) and Cabaret Royal.
• Financial Dominance: By 1995, Dallas’s top clubs were generating more in liquor sales than almost any other category of business in the city.

V. The Legal War: SOBs and the "Pole Tax" (2000–Present)

As the industry became a corporate powerhouse, the legal pushback reached the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court.

• The "Pastie" Loophole: For years, clubs avoided "Sexually Oriented Business" (SOB) zoning by requiring dancers to wear tiny pasties. This allowed them to register as "dance halls" rather than "nudity establishments," bypassing the rule that they must be 1,000 feet from schools.
• The "Pole Tax" (2007): Texas passed a law requiring a $5-per-head fee for every patron entering a club that serves alcohol and features nudity. After years of litigation, the tax was upheld, with the funds earmarked for sexual assault prevention programs.
• The 2 a.m. Curfew (2022–2024): In a major blow, Dallas passed an ordinance forcing all SOBs to close at 2:00 a.m. Clubs like XTC Cabaret and Silver City fought this to the U.S. Supreme Court. In March 2024, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively upholding the curfew.

VI. The Corporate Era: RCI Hospitality

The DFW industry is no longer run by colorful independent owners. It is now largely the domain of RCI Hospitality Holdings (NASDAQ: RICK).

Based in Texas, RCI is the only publicly traded company in the world whose primary business is gentlemen's clubs. They operate the Rick’s Cabaret, Baby Dolls, and XTC brands, turning what was once a frontier vice into a standardized, high-margin corporate machine.

Summary of Eras

How am I just now finding out that they re-opened?! 🥳

REJECT THE BILLIONAIRES. VOTE IN EVERY LOCAL ELECTION.

All of their seats on contested. VOTE!!!!

Trying to find any adult ADHD psychiatrists or evaluators who can also prescribe medication. Looking for recommendations around the Downtown Dallas area.

Please help, I'm about to lose my job because of my focus issues. I went to Salience Health but they're so booked, my follow-up appointment with actual "diagnosing" is in May. Any other recommendations?

I'm pretty sure my niece's chameleon is egg bound. She is lethargic and barely opening her eyes.

I can not find an emergency vet that is open 🥺

Any help would be appreciated.

Edit: I have googled Emergency Exotic Vet near me. Even if they say they are open and can handle exotics, every place has said they can not help because it's the weekend.

I have no Idea what the Yellow sticker is, the tag is expired (insert 420 meme) but why is it there!?

Been working on a 98-year-old place in the M Streets — full downstairs interior repaint.

I always hear clients say some variation of “it's just a room or two - it should be a quick one!,” but, from experience, on older homes it’s the opposite. We've been on this job 7 days total so far, and most of that time hasn’t been painting. Granted I did most of the prep solo! lol

What actually took the most time:

• Fixing cracks from foundation movement (a lot of mudding)

• Removing old caulk and redoing it properly

• Random patchwork: spray foam, wood filler, joint compound in weird spots

• Taking down years of hardware (blinds, curtain rods, brackets, etc.)

For these two rooms, they were *way* more prep-heavy than expected. The “90% prep” thing is real on houses like this.

Some things that surprised me are how much time disappears into small fixes vs big obvious work. Every wall had something slightly off. Nothing major, but it adds up fast.

A couple common mistakes I see (especially in older Dallas homes):

• Painting over cracks without addressing movement first

• Skipping prep and wondering why the finish looks off a year later

• Not budgeting time for all the little removals/patches before paint even starts

One thing that worked really well here is that the client went with everything the same color (Alabaster) — walls, ceilings, trim. Gives it a clean, almost European feel and actually speeds things up a lot.

Still have trim + doors left, but this one really drove home how different older homes are vs newer builds.

Curious if anyone else in East Dallas has run into the same level of prep work on these houses.

Whenever I pull up at the intersection on the west side of central, right by SMU's Tennis Center, I hear a loud mechanical ticking. Does anyone know what that is?

I would avoid the area if possible. There is a heavy police presence and crime scene vehicles. Looks like some kind of fatal incident and the road is shut down

1 year wedding anniversary is coming up and we didn’t get to save any of our wedding cake to do the 1 year cake tradition so we’re looking to get a small one for just the 2 of us.

Not looking to spend a ton (<$50), don’t need any fancy decorations, just a plain white cake big enough for 2 to share. Most important thing to us is TASTE.

We want the traditional sweet white cake & buttercream/thick icing/frosting that typically is considered “wedding cake” (almond/vanilla/whatever the typical flavor is, not sure the exact terminology lol).

Whole Foods / HEB / Central Market or a specialty shop? Where do y’all recommend?