ATX

Hehe, I love to get out of town. Last week I had the opportunity to spend almost a week in Austin, Texas. Yes, I was working during the day, but I managed to explore the city and have quite a bit of fun in the evenings. I exhibited my independence on more than one occasion by navigating around the city (without GPS, folks), adventure eating alone, and renting a hotel room just because I didn't have to go home. When it was complete, I really wasn't ready to leave. Fortunately, I will be returning in a few weeks.

The first night I was in town, I had a fun dinner at Hula Hut on Lake Austin. I think this is what Summer Nights should be made of! I was even a little adventurous by having a Shrimp Enchilada. (Ashley, you would have approved!) I enjoyed this outing very much. It was also my first navigating experience across Austin. I realized that I could in fact come across downtown without any issues and even compensated successfully when I missed a turn in the directions. Woohoo!

Tuesday night, Dawn and I ventured downtown to Saba Blue Water Cafe. We were educated a little more about the design of Austin, learning that Congress Street divides the city East/West. This turned out to be helpful information, even in the days to come. We randomly located this place through a list in the hotel room. This is just how we prefer to do our "adventure eating". The restaurant serves Pacific, Caribbean, and Latin cuisine. I enjoyed Calypso Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes, Pecans, and Tamarind Molasses. Overall, it was a pleasant choice. The best part were the sweet potatoes and pecans! Yumm! Unfortunately, Dawn got sick so were unable to hang around in the area following dinner.

Wednesday evening was spent with the Kockler Family. We traveled out to Salt Lick BBQ for dinner. If you don't know, it is boasted as some of the best barbecue in the Hill Country. The only real flaw that I could find was that it was BYOB~what a bummer, since I was unaware! Next time, I'll be prepared! :) Later, we went back in town to watch the bats at the Congress St. bridge. There were many more people there than I had expected, but the bats themselves were not as dramatic as I had anticipated. It was a good experience that I can add to my classroom stories.Thursday night I was on the town again. This time to a neighborhood bar, Barton Springs Saloon. Then we played putt-putt across the street. Can't every week be made up of these kind of adventures? Haha, however, this is where I had to use what I learned about Austin to get back to the hotel! I hope that you did not get the impression that I always take the most efficient or direct route to get where I am going. The greatest part of this adventure was finding the Whataburgers along the way.

One last adventure in ATX came on Friday. I had lunch on 6th street at Z Tejas. This was the most delightful meal of the week and it was enjoyed alone! I am so glad that I followed through with this adventure instead of settling for something I eat regularly. The Yucatan Chile Spiced Shrimp Salad was worth the reward!

Friday afternoon, I hit Southbound 35 once more for San Marcos. Seth and his friend Corey met me there for a night out in this college town. We had dinner and hit a few bars on the square. it was definitely a fun time with these guys. There's nothing like being "hated on" by someone who you know will love you when it is all over. Then to my happiness, we went to Cheatham Street Warehouse. Of the things I wished to do during this week it was at the top of my list! Check! It is a great little Texas Hill Country bar. The guys were real troopers about this fact. It is possible it even kind of grew on them after a while. The venue is much smaller than I imagined for the bands that it features. However, it is like going home for them and that is always a nice feeling.
Yes, it was pretty much all about food! I will be returning to Austin the week of September 17th and I'm already compiling spots to check-out while I'm there. If you have any local suggestions, please let me know!! So far I'm thinking of Maudie's Tex-Mex, a couple of pizza joints I've heard about, and a few of the burger places listed in the latest issue of "Texas Monthly".

If you have made it this far, I must apologize for the length of these recent posts. I clearly need to do something about this problem. Possibly I should blog more frequently. Thanks for sticking with me! :)