Walking the streets of Dallas on Saturday you wouldn’t have a clue that a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event was due to occur in less than 48 hours.
More than 400,000 people have traveled to the city – and a million are expected in Texas as a whole – to be in the direct line of sight of the total solar eclipse.
There were no tacky stalls selling memorabilia or t-shirts that I could see, and several locals – astonishingly – had no idea what a solar eclipse was or that they were about to get one of the best views of it in North America.
It wasn’t until I ventured into pubs and restaurants – and signed up for goat yoga, yes you read that right – that I found people who’d traveled from all over the US.
Most of the cosmic tourists I spoke to had come from California, which will be a pretty poor vantage point for the eclipse.
(Left to Right): Ariel Heins, Rhoda Roll, Michaela Roll and Katelyn Roll were visiting Dallas from Houston for the weekend and while they were excited about the solar eclipse, they said they wouldn’t be staying for the event. Houston is outside the path of totality and will only get to see a partial solar eclipse
Christ Pedersen (pictured) instructed the goat yoga class and said she warns people that goats using people’s mats as a toilet is a possibility.
Goats climbed on yogis’ backs while they followed the instructor’s movements and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience
Lily (pictured) traveled on a plane for the first time from the Bay area of California with her mom, Nicole, (right) and was excited to be surrounded by goats and to see the solar eclipse on Monday
One goat, Cinnamon, climbed on Kevin as he prepared to participate in goat yoga. The goat followed me around as I took pictures of the yogis, and eventually christened my mat as a toilet
People who flew in from California told me they were viewing the event from their relative’s homes or from a rooftop restaurant, but others said they were taking their children to the Dallas Zoo to watch the eclipse alongside the elephants and giraffes.
A young child, Lily, told me she was excited to see the moon block the sun, but was even more excited to have flown on a plane for the first time.
Her parents, Kevin and Nicole, brought her to Dallas from the Bay area in California and laughed as they shared their euphoria at being part of the event.
Other families traveled from the Sunshine State including Patrick and Meagan who brought their two children from San Jose and said they plan to watch the solar eclipse from the Dallas Zoo to ‘see how the animals react.’
‘We just look for all sorts of events that were eclipse related,’ Patrick said, adding that they showed their kids the yoga class and they were ‘so excited.’
They were drawn to participate in goat yoga in the lead-up to the eclipse, telling me that when their daughter ‘saw a goat in a tutu and she was all in.’
I joined in the fun at goat yoga which was unlike any yoga class I’ve ever attended as goats climbed on my back while in child’s pose or in a cat/cow position.
It was thoroughly enjoyable until a goat, who had been following me around all class as I took pictures of the other yogis, walked across my mat and decided to use it as a toilet.
Instructor Christy Pedersen told me that she’s never received any complaints about the class but always makes sure to warn people that a goat going to the bathroom on the mat is a possibility – it’s just a shame that I didn’t hear the announcement.
While travelers continued to express their excitement to be a part of the events leading up to the solar eclipse, for many people in Dallas, it’s just another day, or ‘business as usual,’ as tourists from around the world flock to the region – the city sees 25.7 million visitors each year.
Some locals admitted they didn’t know the solar eclipse was even happening as they set up their weekly outdoor booths to sell homemade gifts to visitors of The Lone Star State – and other residents said the hype was ‘just silly.’
The solar eclipse will extend 115 miles from Maine to Texas, with Dallas being one of the most popular cities for skygazers to visit as the totality – the amount of time the moon is in front of the sun – lasts for roughly four minutes.
George and Reannon sold their crocheted scarves and candles at the Anna sip n’ shop on Saturday. The couple didn’t know about the solar eclipse until they saw it on Facebook and think it’s ‘just nature doing its thing’
Locals gathered at the Anna sip n’ shop but said it wasn’t a big deal that the eclipse was happening in Texas. It was just another day
Natalie (left) and Dee (right) worked a booth at the Anna sip n’ shop and said they didn’t know what was so exciting about the eclipse but were happy it’s bringing revenue to the area
Texans sat at booths stocked with their homemade crafts at the Anna sip n’ shop event on Saturday, while others knocked back drinks at the bar – but it wasn’t a celebration of the upcoming solar eclipse, it was just another day.
‘I didn’t expect a whole lot,’ Reannon, who had a booth at the event, told DailyMail.com when asked what she thinks about tourists overwhelming the Dallas area.
Reannon and her husband, George, were selling crocheted scarves and homemade soy candles.
‘I didn’t think we’d see any extra traffic until we started hearing all the news and the local Facebook page, things like that, like, oh, there’s going to be more people coming through because of the eclipse,’ she said.
‘I honestly didn’t even realize what’s happening until I saw it on Facebook.’
‘It’s not a big deal for us,’ Reannon said, adding: ‘I know a lot of people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the end of time!’ But that’s the silliest thing on the planet.
‘I think it’s just nature doing its thing and science doing its thing.’
Dr. Solange Ramirez, an astronomer with Carnegie Science Observatory told a crowd at that this is the last time a total solar eclipse will occur in Dallas for 200 years
Christ Lindsteadt (left) and Christian Sprunck (right) were visiting the Anna sip n’ shop and said they weren’t likely to do anything big to celebrate the eclipse. Both would be working during the day, but Lindsteadt said he could view the event at home because his students had the second half of the day off
Although some locals remain unimpressed heading into the solar eclipse, Dr Solange Ramirez, an astronomer from Carnegie Science Observatory in California, said this is the only time Dallas will see an event like this for another 200 years.
Ramirez said this would be her first time seeing a solar eclipse and was asked to partner with the Perot Museum to speak at events around Dallas about what people can expect.
She said the moon will start crossing in front of the sun at 12:20 p.m. CDT and will take a little longer than an hour to reach full totality.
The total solar occurs when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, briefly turning the outdoors dark during the daytime.
READ MORE: Will clouds wreck YOUR eclipse viewing party?
The solar eclipse will spread across 115 miles from Maine to Texas on Monday, but astronomers say the path of totality has shifted by 2,000 feet
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At 1:40 p.m. CDT, viewers will see what’s called the diamond ring effect, when you can only see a white outline around the edges of the moon which will last for three minutes and 52 seconds.
During the moment of totality, viewers can safely remove their solar eclipse glasses, Ramirez said, but when the moon starts exposing the sun again – it’s imperative to put the glasses back on.
Universities and schools are closing early in preparation for the eclipse and to allow students to view this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chris Lindsteadt discussed the cancellation of classes at the University of Texas at Dallas and the opportunity for his students to see the eclipse.
‘I’ve been surprised by the number of people I’ve talked to who say they have family and friends that are flying in, said Lindsteadt.
‘I mean, it’s a big deal, but I just It never dawned on me that you’d want to fly here just for that, but they picked a great place to come to and it’s just pretty exciting.’
An estimated 400,000 people are flying to Dallas to view the solar eclipse and about 90 percent of the hotels in the area are expected to reach full capacity.
Edgar is a full-time Lyft driver who moved to the US from Mexico City eight years ago, but his only thought heading into the solar eclipse on Monday is his wife and two kids back home.
He still has relatives in Texas on his mother’s side, but will likely spend the solar eclipse on his own, driving visitors to and from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
The bedlam that’s expected to shake up the city likely won’t affect people living in the suburbs like Melissa or Plano where locals said they’ll just watch the event from the comfort of their own homes.
Some locals are excited for tourists to come to Dallas, including nine-year-old Tucker Tsirigos, who told DailyMail.com ‘It would be so cool!’
‘People can watch it from lawn chairs in their backyards or on the side of the road … and the weather is so nice!,’ he said, adding: ‘People should come visit!’
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
