A Love Letter to Texas: Markets, Vintage Malts & Little Discoveries

Some of the best travel memories are not found on the itinerary.

They happen somewhere between the places you intended to visit: a beautiful market you wander into, a sandwich you didn't plan to try, a tiny flower display that catches your eye, or an old-fashioned malt enjoyed in a candy shop that feels like stepping into another era.

My trip to Texas was one of those journeys.

I traveled with a family member who loves BTS, which brought us to Dallas, Texas, for the concert. What began as a trip centered around music became something much more personal to me: an opportunity to explore, observe, and discover the small details that make a place memorable.

Between Austin and Dallas, two stops stood out to me most.

A market.

And a candy shop.

They could not have been more different, yet both reminded me of something I value deeply: there is beauty in the everyday when we take the time to notice it.

DALLAS,TX

A MARKET WITH A LITTLE EUROPEAN CHARM

One of my favorite discoveries was Eatzi's Market & Bakery.

At first glance, it is a market. But walking through it, I found myself slowing down and looking at everything a little more carefully.

Eatzi's brings together bakery items, prepared foods, sandwiches, specialty groceries, flowers, wine and other market selections. The company describes its concept as a European-style market, with many foods prepared from scratch.

For me, the charm was in the details.

There was a small flower display that I absolutely loved.

It wasn't extravagant. It didn't need to be.

There was something about seeing flowers among the food and market goods that made the space feel warm and cultivated. It reminded me that nourishment can be beautiful, and that a market can be more than somewhere we simply go to purchase things.

It can be somewhere we experience.

THE SANDWICH

And then there was the sandwich.

Sometimes a memorable meal doesn't need to be complicated.

A really good sandwich, made with fresh ingredients and good bread, can be exactly what you want while traveling. Eatzi's is known for its sandwiches and prepared foods, alongside its bakery and market offerings.

It became one of those simple moments that stayed with me.

THE WINE AISLE

I also noticed the wine selection.

There was so much to look at.

I am not drinking right now, but I still found myself appreciating the variety and the presentation. Eatzi's says its markets carry hundreds of varieties of wine.

For now, wine is something I think of differently.

Not as something I need, but perhaps as something I may someday choose for a beautiful dinner or a special occasion.

So I admired the bottles, imagined the possibilities, and kept moving.

Sometimes a wishlist is simply another form of anticipation.

A Night of Music in Dallas

In August, I traveled to Dallas with family to experience BTS, the internationally celebrated South Korean K-pop group known for their music, performances, and devoted global fanbase.

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AUSTIN,TX

A SWEET STEP BACK IN TIME

Austin gave me a completely different kind of discovery.

I found Big Top Candy Shop, the beloved South Congress candy shop that has been part of Austin since 2007.

The first thing I loved was that it did not feel like an ordinary modern candy store.

It has an old-fashioned circus atmosphere, complete with antique circus memorabilia, colorful displays, an old-fashioned soda fountain, an ice cream case, specialty chocolates and an enormous assortment of nostalgic and international candies. The shop says it carries more than 400 bulk candies and more than 3,000 wrapped candies.

It felt playful.

A little theatrical.

A little vintage.

And completely different from the polished sophistication of Eatzi's.

THE MALT

Of course, I had to get a malt.

And honestly, that may have been one of my favorite little moments of the trip.

There is something nostalgic about ordering a malt from an old-fashioned soda fountain. Big Top still makes its traditional shakes and malts with real Blue Bell ice cream.

Sitting there with a malt felt like being temporarily removed from the pace of modern life.

No elaborate itinerary.

No rushing.

Just a cold, sweet drink and a place with enough character to make you stop and look around.

That is the kind of travel moment I love.

THE ART OF WANDERING

Exploring The Domain in Austin, where shopping becomes less about the itinerary and more about the pleasure of discovering something unexpected.

TWO PLACES, TWO DIFFERENT STORIES

What fascinated me about these two places was how different they were.

Eatzi's made me think about cultivated living—good food, fresh bread, flowers, beautiful presentation and the quiet pleasure of choosing something thoughtfully.

Big Top made me think about nostalgia—childhood, imagination, old-fashioned sweets and the simple joy of treating yourself.

One felt European and sophisticated.

The other felt like a vintage American dream.

And somehow, I loved them both.

THE ART OF NOTICING

Perhaps that is what I am learning to appreciate about travel.

We often think we have to see everything.

The famous landmark.

The best restaurant.

The most photographed street.

The places everyone tells us we have to visit.

But sometimes the most meaningful memories come from simply paying attention.

A flower display in a market.

A beautifully made sandwich.

A wall of wine bottles.

A candy shop filled with forgotten sweets.

A malt served from an old-fashioned fountain.

These are small things.

But a life is made of small things.

And when we slow down enough to notice them, they become part of our story.

A NOTE FROM TEXAS

I went to Texas because of family, music and a concert.

I left with something else.

A few new places to remember.

A sandwich.

A malt.

Flowers in a market.

A future bottle of wine waiting for a special occasion.

And the reminder that sometimes the best part of traveling is not knowing exactly what you are going to find.

Perhaps we should leave a little room for the unexpected.

For wandering.

For curiosity.

For beauty.

And, every once in a while, for a malt.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:8

Love ,

The First Lady