One of my favorite things to do is explore Arlington. I took over 1,500 photos of Arlington in 2023—photos of my explorations, discoveries, places I went, everyday things, and everything in between. I especially like architecture and prefer black-and-white photos, so many of my favorites have those characteristics.

These are my favorite 23 photos of Arlington that I took last year. These aren’t necessarily my best; some of them aren’t even that good. Nonetheless, these are the ones that stood out to me the most.

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Historic Arlington mural

I took this photo on January 2nd, and no one was around. It’s tough to get a decent photo of this mural because cars are often parked in front of it. Finally got one!

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UTA Library

UTA has some unique architecture, including its library. I’ve wandered around the UTA campus many times and taken some interesting photos.

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Church near UTA

I took a few photos of this church that were “better” than this, but I liked the editing on this one, with the church building’s silhouette amidst the trees.

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Castle in the dark

This isn’t actually a castle; it’s a building at the Arlington Classics Academy. It looks like a castle, though, and surely looks like an intimidating fortress in black and white.

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Hotel California?

This is the Cornerstone Baptist Church, but the top of the building (shown here) reminds me of missions in San Antonio. It also vaguely reminds me of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” album cover. (I looked again at the album cover, and yeah, it looks like nothing like that. It reminds me of something that I’ve seen somewhere, though!)

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Arlington West Industrial Park

I don’t know why I like this photo—I think it’s the font used in the sign’s design. I saw it and immediately thought it would look interesting in black and white.

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Lester Motor Inn

Division Street in Arlington has several motels with intriguing architecture and signage. They’re certainly relics from another time and place.

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Jukebox at Candlelite Inn Restaurant

OK, full disclosure: this might be one of my favorite photos of all time. I love how this one turned out!

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Downtown doors

I’ve photographed these doors downtown many times. Now, they look much nicer in person, and I always make them too dark and menacing in the editing, but something about these doors speaks to me.

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West Street Bridge

A fascinating old bridge downtown, the West Street Bridge deserves to be admired up close.

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Cartel Taco Bar

In what has to be one of the best restaurant logos of all time, the Cartel Taco Bar has serious Pantera “Cowboys From Hell” vibes. They have good tacos, too.

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Arlington sign

There are a few of these signs around town. I took this one going about 65 on I-30; I just kept my eyes on the road, aimed my camera out the window at the approaching sign, took several photos, and hoped for the best. With some editing, it turned out pretty decent. It’s currently my Facebook cover photo.

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Mr. Blue Jeans

I love this building, and it will be a damn shame when they tear it down. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times over the years, and it’s looked nearly the same each time. There’s something hauntingly beautiful about an abandoned and dilapidated building.

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Office building near I-30

There aren’t many tall office buildings in Arlington. I liked the look of this one; it’s very geometric and symmetric.

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Division Brewing at night

Division Brewing’s logo looks mighty fine at night in black and white.

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Pinnacle Bank building

Here’s another photo where I’m not exactly sure why I like it; I just do.

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Chief Pest Control

This is another building downtown that I have photographed several times.

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Railroad tracks

Railroad tracks will always be fascinating to me.

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City Hall

Arlington’s City Hall building is one of my favorite places to photograph.

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Night Carnival

I stumbled upon a parking lot carnival. This was on a Thursday night, and they were likely getting ready for a weekend carnival. It was empty and eerie.

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Taproom at Division Brewing

Here’s another photo from Division Brewing. The windows looked like eyes. There are lots of interesting lines and shapes, too.

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Outkast Tattoo Studio

Outkast Tattoo Studio has a cool logo with something of a skeleton / Frankenstein vibe.

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Mac’s Bar & Grill

Last but not least—Mac’s Bar & Grill. The building has some interesting design elements, and it’s a great place for a pint of Guinness, too.

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Blog post & photos by Jason S. Sullivan, 01-12-24