Jamie Reidy spoke with an airport eyewitness Tuesday’s twister in Dallas.
I don’t always fly American, but when I do, I prefer to connect through Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW).
Why the fuck would you ever want a layover, Jamie?! you ask. Good question.
Two words: Dickey’s Barbecue.
Founded in 1941, Dickey’s serves up some killer Texas BBQ, good enough that I will delay my journey to savor their flavor.
Yesterday, en route to ATL, I made my traditional stop at Dickey’s. While ordering my two-meat plate (beef brisket and turkey with sides of potato casserole and green beans), I struck up a conversation with a friendly employee named Quincy.
“Plenty of people had extra time yesterday,” he said, referring to Tuesday’s tornado.
Routinely focused on the eye of my own personal storm, I’d completely forgotten about the fury that had struck Dallas not 24 hours before. What a miracle that nobody was killed.
Quincy continued, “I couldn’t believe it when it came right towards us.”
Excuse me?
He pointed at the windows facing the tarmac, forty yards away. “It was kinda sunny, then the tornado alarms went off, and I just stood here and watched it head right for us” – Quincy is mas macho than me, btw – “and it got all crazy windy and then pitch dark and then, after a few minutes, it was gone and kinda sunny again.”
I just stood there, trying to imagine. Apparently, he recognized my brain short-circuiting.
“You see that Gate 7 sign outside?” I nodded. “You see that plane at the gate.” Again, I nodded. “Couldn’t see that when the tornado hit.”
Say what?!
After my delicious meal – best BBQ turkey I’ve ever had – I walked the forty yards to Gate 7. I pulled out my iPhone and took the above picture (if you look closely, you can see the Gate 7 sign).
How crazy is it that they couldn’t see that plane during the day!?
Risk of tornados aside, Dickey’s Barbecue makes the DFW layover worth it every time.
Photo by: Jamie Reidy