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Tour de Suites at Royal-Memorial Stadium
I had long suspected that experiencing a Longhorns football game from a private suite would diverge from my usual practice of scrounging up the least expensive bleacher spot in the sun …
Jonathan and Linda Traylor
I just needed a guide to the social scene. I found an ideal one in Mary Tally, who navigates the dozens of slotted suites on the north, east and west sides of Royal-Memorial stadium like a pro …
Lindsay Smith, Julie Crenshaw and Eva Late
First we met for snacks at Mary and Rusty Tally’s penthouse atop the Milago, the residences at the end of Rainey Street. The views — right in the path of the bridge bat colony at sunset during warm months — were thoroughly unexpected, set above a dramatic curve in the river …
Corrine and Lauree Moffett
The first clue to the alien aspect of the day’s experience: The game tickets were laminated and hung from lanyards (I was to discover why). The second clue: The Tallys’ reserved parking spot just a few yards from the stadium. No 3-mile walk for me this warm, but gorgeous Saturday (first time in 25 years) …
Tammi and Brett Buckman
We passed through several layers of security (thus the laminated tickets) to reach the suite, shared by several couples and located at the northeast corner of the arc. Only one general dress requirement throughout the building: burnt orange …
Debbie Cone, Alicia Cone, Chelsea Cone, Amy Mills and Ronda Gray
Each deep, narrow suite opens to a different scene. Decor is chosen by the suite-holders, although images of longhorns naturally dominate. Edibles, I found, vary from comfort food — corn dogs, burgers, wings — to fancy, catered concoctions and homemade sweets. Beverages — soft and hard — also vary from spot to spot. (Some suites are dry.) …
Michael Vivio and Harry Davis
In the home suite, I caught up with Long Center architect Stan Haas and chatted with new acquaintances like Bill Schneider, who grew up in San Saba County and now owns, with wife Ann, a home-health care tech company that could revolutionize rural medical testing. (We talked a lot about San Saba County, which I recently visited on the river tracings.) …
Mary Tally, Terri McClendon and Lucy Needham
So everyone stands for the National Anthem and cheers, just as they do outside. The Miners kept the game close for a few minutes, but after it became clear that this was going to be the expected rout, Mary grabbed my arm for our ‘Tour de Suites.’ This was complicated by the fact that the usual passages between the older and newer suites have been blocked this season — staff gave us various reasons: safety, security, etc. So instead of skimming along the hallway outside the suites, Mary and I ducked up and down stairs and elevators, through the broad, new club areas, back down to the general refreshments area (where people escaped the afternoon heat) …
Ann Schneider and Rusty Tally
We headed to Eric and Maria Groten’s suite on the far west side. With Maria in hand, we made the tortuous trip up, down and around back to the far east side, ending up in Ben Barnes’ suite. Barnes, graciously told us about Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s own Tour de Suites last week when she was in town for a Democratic National Committee meeting. Along the way, we dropped into at least a dozen suites and popped our heads into others. In the hall, we met APD Chief Art Acevedo. (He’s a super-hero! He’s everywhere!) Inside suites, we encountered the famous and not so famous. I even discovered that the American-Statesman holds a spot. There I made my apologies to publisher Michael Vivio and circulation manager Harry Davis for our brief stay and necessary departure — to see more suites …
Almost all these party rooms — including those owned by sports stars, business bigwigs and political powerhouses — were open and inviting. One of the only closed doors belongs to Matthew McConaughey’s posse. By the time we returned to our original location, I was exhausted, and so watched the rest of the game from a comfortable chair, while matching up super-secret Long Center stories with Mary (who had been development director) and architect Haas …
We stayed until the final boom of the cannon. Even though the car was in site of the stadium gates, the whole thing took a full six hours. Which meant I was not ready to hit any evening events. Luckily, readers provided their own accounts of the Jewell Ball and Arthouse Toga Party, so look forward to a future posting …
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