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Tyler Pounds Airport

May 4th, 2010

700 Skyway Blvd
Tyler TX 75704
Phone: 903 531 2343

Tyler has a regional airport – just 6 miles East of Central Tyler on Hwy 64.

Currently, only American and Continental Airlines fly into and out of Tyler – to Dallas Fort Worth and George Bush Airport in Houston respectively. There are 3 runways.

Tyler Pounds is a really nice airport. It is very accessible with a large parking lot and a drop off area right outside the front doors. The City of Tyler keep it looking really nice with neat, colorful floral displays and a well kept outdoor paved area with fountain.

The terminal building is light, airy and modern with a spacious feel.

Everything for the traveller is at entrance level, with offices on the second floor – accessible by stairs and an elevator. After entering through the automatic doors, on the right side is the check-in desks for departures and on the far left is the arrivals hall with baggage reclaim. There are 4 rental car desks at the arrivals. In the center is the departure lounge and security followed by the departure gates. Restrooms are clean and wheelchair accessible. There is plenty of seating for passengers. A TV plays news for those waiting to fly.

There is no café at Tyler Pounds. There is space for one and tables and chairs available so hopefully, when the airport expands, there will be an eating facility in the future. Currently, there are 3 vending machines – one for hot drinks, one for cold beverages and another for snacks. If you are at the airport for an hour or longer – a local café called Skyline will deliver a meal to you – menus are available on site. There is no shop or newsstand.

The staff at Tyler Pounds are polite and friendly. The check-in is never busy and the security staff are relaxed.

All in all travelling through Tyler Pounds is a very pleasant and easy experience, if a little un-interesting!

Chez Bazan

March 1st, 2010

Chez Bazan Bakery and Coffee Shop

Chez Bazan

Chez Bazan

5930 Old Bullard
Tyler
75703
903 561 9644

Chez Bazan is just what it’s name suggests – a fancy bakery and coffee shop with a French flavor. It is quite upmarket and the prices, whilst not outrageous, reflect that.

The atmosphere is very nice –Chez Bazan is spacious and well lit with flagstone floors and brick walls. The wooden tables and chairs are arranged neatly with plenty of space between them. Music plays quietly in the background.

On the left is the bakery section. I have never seen such a variety of cakes, pies, cookies and pastries as they have here! The cakes look delicious, if not sinful – they are 4 layer cakes and with flavours such as Boston cream, carrot, German Chocolate and cheesecake there is something for everyone. You can order a slice for around $3.50 or a whole cake/gateaux for between $20-40. They will even supply a ‘party kit’ with forks and napkins (for a fee) in case you wish to take a cake to the office for someone’s special occasion.

The pastries, croissants and pigs in blankets are pretty good and the pastries are fairly authentic (I am European) but quite expensive. I thought $2.15 was a lot to shell out for one pain au chocolate. Chez Bazan also has specialty breads which are around $4 a loaf and genuine baguettes at $2.95 – which are nothing like the so-called French bread sold in supermarkets here. The cookie selection will blow you away. 20 different types are available here and you can buy them singly or by the half dozen. Most are just under a dollar each but are French, rather than American super-sized.

Chez Bazan can provide catering packs to suit your needs. They are quite used to making breakfast trays, box lunches and party trays of sweets and have a menu for each of these services. They are also accustomed to hosting parties and baby showers on the premises. There is a lovely party room which seats around 30 and this can be hired for $25 plus a food order of $125. It can be decorated to suit your needs. They will obviously make your cake too if you want. Wedding cakes can also be made by the staff at Chez Bazan – these are custom made and can be as simple or exotic as you want them to be.

The Café is open for lunch between 11am and 2pm and for just drinks until 5pm – in fact drinks are $1 off the usual price after 3 pm. Specialty coffees and teas and fruit smoothies are available plus salads, soup and sandwiches. The sandwiches are slightly exotic and include smoked turkey and avocado or Jamaican chicken. There is also quiche and wonderful Chicken Florentine crepes, served with salad. Lunch will set you back around $10.

Chez Bazan is a rare find in Tyler – a unique place to eat with gourmet food. As I have already mentioned though, the experience does come at a cost. I hope that it is popular enough to remain in business and prosper as it would if it was located in Dallas.

Chapman’s Auction

January 29th, 2010

Chapman’s Auction is located at 14986 Hwy 64West, Tyler, Texas 75704. They have an auction on Thursday and Saturday evening. They begin selling at 7 p.m. and are usually finished before 10 p.m.

Anyone can come to buy in the auction, you just have to get a bidding number to bid on each sale. There are junk dealers who bid, but you can still get things cheap, because they are looking for a bargain to resale in their shop.

They have household items, appliances, furniture, toys and antiques. The best buys occur early when they line up the bargain boxes and auction the whole box. You can find some real treasures for a cheap price.

The auction building can hold approximately 300 people if it was full, but most of the time they have a crowd of 150. They have a snack restaurant, where you can purchase food to eat. The auction sets up long rows of tables and chairs, you can eat and bid in comfort.

This is a fun experience and comfortable setting, plus you can find some great bargains if you are a good bidder. This is a good place to take items to sell and get something for them. You can take them a day or so before the date of the auction. You don’t have to be present for the sale, but you can go pickup your money after the auction has closed. They charge a small percentage for selling your items, but you have a large audience to have an opportunity to sell them.

Maggies Hamburgers

January 19th, 2010

Maggie’s Hamburger Restaurant is located west of Tyler on Rt 64. It is a log cabin with a nice sized inside dining room and during the summer they have a covered patio porch connected to the cabin that has as much room outside as the inside dining.

Maggie’s restaurant has some of the best and big hamburgers I have ever eaten….but that is not all the menu they serve. There was chicken and seafood offered.. They have specials listed on a chalk board type listing next to the window you order from. In the middle of the dining room there was a buffet of fixin’s for your meal. The tables and chairs inside were wooden with wooden benches and the interior of the cabin was open to show the rafters in the ceiling. The staff that waited on you were very congenial and made your eating experience enjoyable.

So the next time you have a hunger for a good hamburger…..why don’t you try Maggie’s and you will be pleased with the food, service and decent price.