ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys' shiny new home squats on its flying buttresses like a spaceship whose occupants plan to take over Texas. And that's pretty much what it is.
Owner Jerry Jones and his crew are all set to rake in our bucks when the Cowboys launch their season this fall. (The stadium itself opened in June with a George Strait concert, although work continues on finishing touches.)
 Ricardo Brazziell/Cox Newspapers Section markers will help spectators find their seats or their standing-room only section.
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Getting inside America's Team's new retractable-roofed inner sanctum won't be cheap, but it will be quite an experience, and I'm about to tell you how to grab it with as few hassles and expenses as possible.
But first, a few notes about the big, glitzy stadium itself.
The 25,000-square-foot, 600-ton video screen alone is a jaw-dropper, stretching out from one 20-yard line to the other. The word jumbo simply doesn't do it justice. If you're off getting a beer, you can catch the game on any one of 3,000 monitors throughout the stadium. When you get to your seat, you can see the nearby Rangers Ballpark in Arlington from the end zone windows, which are also retractable.
The Jones family picked out every detail of this stadium, right down to the chrome facial tissue boxes in the suites. And there are five levels of suites, one of them sitting right alongside the playing field, which makes you wonder: Will receivers of sideline passes have to compete with arms reaching out from the boxes, a la baseball?
People who have paid the most for their suites have an area where they can watch the players, up-close, run onto the field. They have access to covered parking, and they can also watch the post-game news conference through glass. (They won't get paid for any notes they take, though, so sportswriters still have a slight edge.)
The cheapest ticket is $59. And, yeah, it's way up there at the top of the stadium. But you'll be there, at least. So here are some ways to make your trip easy and somewhat affordable:
First, stay nearby. Sure, you can stay in Fort Worth or Dallas and drive only about 20 minutes to the stadium, but then you'll have to pay $40 to park in most lots. Stay at one of 25 hotels near the stadium and you can get a voucher from the hotel to ride a courtesy trolley to the game and back. Think of the hassle you won't have. And Arlington hotels' rates, though higher on game days, are still only jacked up to about what you'd pay for a hotel in downtown Dallas or Fort Worth.
Trolley-eligible lodging near the stadium is available for as little as $84.60 plus tax (Days Inn, booked on www.arlington.org) on Aug. 21, the date of the first exhibition game against Tennessee. The Days Inn's rate goes up to $177.65 on Sept. 20, regular season opening day against the Giants.
One of my favorite hotels near the stadium is Hyatt Place, which has big rooms with refrigerators and an especially good free breakfast. It costs $169 on Aug. 21 and $209 on Sept. 20.
If you want to get away from the crowds a bit but still have trolley service, look on the other side of Interstate 30, where the new Holiday Inn sits. I don't know when you last stayed in a Holiday Inn, but the new ones like this are considerably more upscale than the ones we visited as kids.
The rooms have marble vanities and firm beds with quality linens. There's an indoor pool to impress the kids. If you get a south-facing room, you'll look right across I-30 to see both the Cowboys Stadium and the ballpark. A room at this hotel costs $159 on Aug. 21 and $229 on Sept. 20.
I'd like to mention one more Arlington accommodation I like, even though it's not near the stadium and doesn't qualify for the trolley. Sanford House bed and breakfast, about 15 minutes away, has lovely rooms with baths starting at $179 Sundays through Thursdays, and the rates don't rise on game days because it doesn't look at itself as a stadium hotel.
Sanford House has a spa across the street, and its restaurant is a favorite with locals.
Speaking of restaurants: If you want to grab a good bite near the game, try the mid-priced Olenjack's Grille. My quail risotto was intensely flavored with mushrooms, onions and a sprinkling of gorgonzola. It's a $12 appetizer but big enough to be an entree — which it was, for me. My husband was similarly enthralled with his shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, and our entire table went nuts over the cinnamon-topped cherry pie.
If you're after a sports bar that turns out good food, try Blackfinn American Saloon off Interstate 20. The place is virtually wallpapered in big-screen TVs. You can get the usual burgers and wings, but there are healthier offerings, too. My lemon chicken, a good classic chicken picatta, was served with rice and spinach. Nothing's expensive.
Want something completely different? Drive about 10 miles to Pioneer Parkway, where you'll find A Taste of Europe, which is really more a taste of Russia. Cabbage rolls and crepes with caviar are the stars on the menu, and it's very inexpensive.
If you do happen to be one of those high Cowboys-games rollers, just across I-30 from the stadium is Cacharel, whose fabulous French food has long made it the big occasion restaurant for Arlingtonians.
While you're in the neighborhood to see the Cowboys, why not indulge in baseball as well? There are occasional days when the Rangers and Cowboys play the same day, and Sept. 20 is one of them. The Rangers play in the afternoon; the Cowboys have a night game.
It won't be long until Arlington has a third high-profile sports presence. The U.S. Bowling Congress is moving its headquarters here from St. Louis, with a scheduled 2010 opening of a Bowling Hall of Fame with interactive displays and a theater.
In the meantime, if you want to roll a few lines, you'll find an interesting spot called Splitsville in Highlands Mall off Interstate 20. This is either a bowling alley with a hip bar or a hip bar with a bowling alley; I can't decide. Unfortunately, though, the trolley won't take you there, so watch the ratio of sips to strikes.
Helen Anders writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: handers(at)statesman.com.
