125 September 21 - 27, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Contents | shopping & serviCes | Arts & entertAinment | Food & drink | sports & reCreAtion Best Local TV Personality Mark Followill Many are familiar with the deep-voiced Mark Followill for his always stellar performance on Dallas Mavericks broadcasts, but now soccer fans across the U.S. and beyond can hear the former FC Dallas broadcaster weekly as one of the featured play-by-play voices for Apple TV’s inaugural season as exclusive rightsholder for Major League Soccer matches. The man who has called many nationally televised college football games and even World Cup soccer matches has teamed up with a different, unfamiliar TV partner each week this season and has still made it sound way too easy. Best Place to run Trinity Skyline Trail Honestly, the correct pick lately would be “indoors on a treadmill in a meat locker at night,” but the serious runners of Dallas are a devoted enough bunch that they aren’t going to let a little thing like imminent heat sroke stop them. They want a view, too, and the 4.6-mile Trinity Skyline Trail has one of the best views of downtown. There’s not a ton of shade, but the trail runs alongside both sides of the river and offers access to Trammell Crow Park, Continental Avenue Bridge and West Dallas Gateway and the Trinity Overlook. Dallas’ trail system is ever- expanding and plans are to connect to the Trinity Strand Trail, which itself will eventually link a network of 73 miles of trails. trinityrivercorridor.com/recreation/trinity- skyline-trail Best Gym T. Boone Pickens YMCA If you’ve never visited the T. Boone Pickens YMCA downtown, you may think this is a sentimental pick. The building is likely to become something other than a gym in the near future thanks to a $12 million sale. But those who’ve used their lunch breaks to play a game of pickup basketball or have skipped happy hour to do a few extra reps in the expansive weight room there know this spot has it all. For decades, having a convenient gym did not require sacrificing quality of selection when it came to fitness classes, swimming, weights, racquetball and so much more. Should the downtown location eventually be no more, Dallas will be one of the very few major American cities without a downtown YMCA gym. 601 N. Akard St. 214-954-0500, ymcadallas.org Best sportinG Goods store Cabela’s Golfers have golf shops. Ditto for tennis players, cyclists and runners. Gun fans have stores on every other block. But if the outdoors is calling you, Cabela’s is the humongous place for you. You can buy the state license to shoot or hook the animal of your choice, plus acquire the gun and ammo, rod and reel, blind or boat and whatever other gear needed to clean and cook your catch along with a nice tent and sleeping bag to relax after your grand day outdoors. 1 Cabela Drive, Allen 214-383-0502, cabelas.com Best sailboat charter Sail With Scott Is it really true, as Christopher Cross sang, that “if the wind is right you can sail away / And find serenity”? We’re asking for … um … a friend, see? Yeah, this friend went sailing on the Pacific one time and didn’t find serenity. He found out that projectile vomiting is a real thing. But we must admit, a recent recommendation to try out Sail With Scott on Lake Ray Hubbard looks tempting enough to risk a little motion sickness. The company offers group and private trips aboard Seawolf, a 40-foot-long by 25-foot-wide sailing catamaran, hand-built from beautiful Spanish cedar by founder Scott Self and a team of workers over a two-year period. Self captained the boat on cruises from 2008 until his death from cancer in 2020. His family continues the operation, setting sail from the Harbor in Rockwall. Seawolf seats up to 49 on its open deck, and it offers sunset, starlight and daytime cruises of one hour to 90 minutes. The Seawolf is also available to book for private charters. 2055 Summer Lee Drive, Rockwall 855-724-5948, sailwithscott.com Best Local radio Personality Mike Sirois Mike Sirois departed his position as a midday producer for 1310 The Ticket in June 2022. Through his many years at the sports talk giant, his combo of stoner humor and emotional honesty resonated with listeners who wanted more. As a member of 97.1 The Freak’s The Downbeat since its inception last October, Sirois has indeed given more. He’s found his groove as a marquee voice among a collection of some of Dallas’ best-known radio names, including Mike Rhyner and Jeff “Skin” Wade.
