Austin
Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder
Blue Dahlia
Today, Amanda and I met Irisa for lunch at this new little gem called Blue Dahlia in east Austin. The menu online sounded so delish, but I wasn't sure if this was going to be another brief Austin trend or a genuine Austin treasure. Well, added to the fact that it's located a mere two blocks from my wonderful hometown church in a neighborhood that's busting at the seams with new, lively development, I found the exquisite food and community-friendliness of the place to be a perfect pot of gold. The tartines that are served here are remarkably inventive, and just plain tasty. I loved my chevre and granola tartine, and was equally blown away with Irisa's chicken salad tartine, (and I'm pretty picky about my chicken salad). I didn't try Amanda's turkey tartine, but that's mostly because she ate nearly every bite, including her and my helping of sliced cantaloupe that's included with the bed of greens and cucumber on the the wooden cutting board the tartines are served on. Perhaps the perfect weather had a little to do with it, but even a brave, hungry bee didn't distract from the absolute beauty of this lunch. I'm sad that I can't eat here everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner but will make every effort to visit each time I return to Austin. Maybe they'll let me start a franchise of the place in Paris! Now, I just need to figure out how I would export the Austin weather...
Leaving ain't easy
OK, so UPS hasn't completely ruined my life...yet (it takes time to steal someone's identity, doesn't it?). That being said, they did give us a scare that they wouldn't deliver our documents as requested the second time around. But, they did, so we're happy about that, and now it's just a waiting game to see if my mom will get her passport in time to fly out to Paris. It's definitely a nail-biter.
I spent the first part of the weekend with my mom, driving into Austin together and enjoying a good dose of tex-mex. We even waited in line for nearly an hour (stomachs grumbling and all) to get seated at a favorite, famous Austin eatery. It was totally worth it, though. I was telling my mom how waiting for that long is pretty much unheard of in Paris - I mean, why wait an hour to eat when you could just as easily go next door for an equally good meal, or heck, find a panini stand and be sure to have a fully satisfied belly?
It's just really crazy that this will be my last week (for a long while, at least) in my hometown. Hopefully, I'll get to see everyone and eat everywhere I love before making the move official. My friends are planning a very secret bachelorette party for me next weekend (absolutely can not wait!), and my cousin from Georgia is coming to celebrate - which is the coolest thing ever. On top of that, we'll be lunching and dining and happy-houring the week away, so much to look forward to in this final week.
The weather in Austin has been some of the best I can remember and the food seems to be tastier by the bite. The long-standing, come-and-go relationship I've had with this city is coming to an end as I leave it for the (possibly) final time, and it isn't letting me go without a good fight. It won't be easy to leave, but I've got to make myself a home in my new city with the love of my life. I'll be back, Austin, so don't worry. And next time we rendezvous, I hope it'll be with my new family and for a time long enough to really enjoy your company.
I spent the first part of the weekend with my mom, driving into Austin together and enjoying a good dose of tex-mex. We even waited in line for nearly an hour (stomachs grumbling and all) to get seated at a favorite, famous Austin eatery. It was totally worth it, though. I was telling my mom how waiting for that long is pretty much unheard of in Paris - I mean, why wait an hour to eat when you could just as easily go next door for an equally good meal, or heck, find a panini stand and be sure to have a fully satisfied belly?
It's just really crazy that this will be my last week (for a long while, at least) in my hometown. Hopefully, I'll get to see everyone and eat everywhere I love before making the move official. My friends are planning a very secret bachelorette party for me next weekend (absolutely can not wait!), and my cousin from Georgia is coming to celebrate - which is the coolest thing ever. On top of that, we'll be lunching and dining and happy-houring the week away, so much to look forward to in this final week.
The weather in Austin has been some of the best I can remember and the food seems to be tastier by the bite. The long-standing, come-and-go relationship I've had with this city is coming to an end as I leave it for the (possibly) final time, and it isn't letting me go without a good fight. It won't be easy to leave, but I've got to make myself a home in my new city with the love of my life. I'll be back, Austin, so don't worry. And next time we rendezvous, I hope it'll be with my new family and for a time long enough to really enjoy your company.
Lame update
I'm not in Dallas anymore.
I'm temporarily working at my old job in Austin.
I'm spending quality time with most of the people I love.
I've become quite the gypsy.
I can't wait for Thanksgiving to see my nephews, sis and Georgia peaches.
I'm not going to London after all (for now).
I'm moving to Paris at the end of November.
How's that for an update? :)
More soon...
I'm temporarily working at my old job in Austin.
I'm spending quality time with most of the people I love.
I've become quite the gypsy.
I can't wait for Thanksgiving to see my nephews, sis and Georgia peaches.
I'm not going to London after all (for now).
I'm moving to Paris at the end of November.
How's that for an update? :)
More soon...
Movin', movin'
So, I'm in Dallas now. Well, not really Dallas, just north of it in Carrollton, but it's about a 20 minute drive to downtown Dallas, which I passed along the way. I got to do some thinking on the 3-hour drive, and before I got here I was thinking to myself that I was maybe making a mistake...maybe I should stay in Austin for a little longer...maybe forever. But, as I made it closer to Dallas, and after passing downtown, I felt a little jolt of excitement. I'm not sure where it came from or what it was for, but if I had to guess, it was the crazy, independent, thrill-seeking side of me anticipating all of the energy that's housed in a big city. It's like taking a trip to New York, and finally arriving at that little corner in Times Square where all the energy seems to be emerging from. Even though it only lasted a couple of seconds, I feel content that I've made it here and I'm going to give it all I've got to find some sort of success here. If not, at least I'll have tried.
Finally, an update
So much has happened since my last post, so I'll try to sum it all up and then do one giant post of pics to give a better idea of what's been going on with this Misplaced Texan.
After a grueling 2 days of driving through 5 states, and a nice stop to the (under-rated) Grand Canyon, Guillaume and I finally arrived at my sister's place on the 4th. We had such a great time visiting with her, David and my adorable nephews, that it was hard to leave; we even extended our stay for one day to get a little more time in with the kiddos. We were there just long enough to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday, too, which was actually really fun for us! It was definitely the highlight of our trip. Last Tuesday evening we arrived at our friends' place back in Austin where we had planned to stay for the week. We had a really great time catching up with all our friends (and family), and we were so happy to be back in Austin with familiar places and faces. I even ran into 3 of my cousins at a sport's bar watching the Texas game!
But, alas, Guillaume had to set off back to France today, and we were both very sad about our separation. We're really hoping to see eachother in 8 weeks or less, but no matter how many times we go through this same routine, it never gets any easier. It will be nice once we're finally able to be together without any time restrictions. For now, we'll have to make do with what we've got, which is what we've managed to do so far.
After a grueling 2 days of driving through 5 states, and a nice stop to the (under-rated) Grand Canyon, Guillaume and I finally arrived at my sister's place on the 4th. We had such a great time visiting with her, David and my adorable nephews, that it was hard to leave; we even extended our stay for one day to get a little more time in with the kiddos. We were there just long enough to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday, too, which was actually really fun for us! It was definitely the highlight of our trip. Last Tuesday evening we arrived at our friends' place back in Austin where we had planned to stay for the week. We had a really great time catching up with all our friends (and family), and we were so happy to be back in Austin with familiar places and faces. I even ran into 3 of my cousins at a sport's bar watching the Texas game!
But, alas, Guillaume had to set off back to France today, and we were both very sad about our separation. We're really hoping to see eachother in 8 weeks or less, but no matter how many times we go through this same routine, it never gets any easier. It will be nice once we're finally able to be together without any time restrictions. For now, we'll have to make do with what we've got, which is what we've managed to do so far.
Itchy feet
I'm starting to get a tingle in my feet to do some traveling. I have plans to head back to Austin for a visit in August, along with a quick trip to NOLA (Gui's never been), but I'm ready to take a jet-plane across an ocean. I made a new year's resolution to visit my good ol' friends back in London before the end of the year, so I really hope to follow through on my plans before the new year begins. I was lucky enough to vacation in France twice last year and spend a few months in Italy the year before, but I think I've been spoiled now and feel a little sad that I may not be able to take my yearly trip across the Atlantic. The year isn't over, yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll still be able to make it abroad!
Under the weather
So, yesterday afternoon I started feeling a little tickle in my throat. I know what this means, and it's been happening in my life more often as I've gotten older than when I was a kid. Yep, I'm coming down with something. I don't know what's up with me. A few months ago ... like January ... I had a hacking and un-relenting cough that lasted well over 3 weeks. And, in November when I went to visit Guillaume, I had the same kind of sore throat I'm having now. I still have some meds from those past 2 times being sick, so hopefully I'm on my way to recovery. The last thing I want is to be sick when there's good weather to enjoy. Not to mention, I'm really enjoying my job at the moment, too. I never knew I could work a full 8 hours (sans internet and email) and be happy with my job!! Definitely feeling lucky about that.
Anyway, I'm feeling a little feverish and trying to keep my mind off my sore throat and achy pains, hoping it will subside by the morning and I'll be as good as new. I'm taking off 2 weekdays next week for my bday and to spend as much time with Irisa while she's here visiting, so I'm not about to take another day and jeopardize that. Oh, and speaking of Irisa, we've got standby tix to see the Ellen Show on my birthday, and if I know us persistent girls, we'll be there cheering her on while she's dancing around the audience!! We're planning to get there as early as possible to queue up for a prime place in the standby line, because I hear most early standby-ers usually get through. It's sure to be a memorable Hollywood birthday - Ellen in the afternoon, Jimmy Kimmel in the evening and Beauty Bar in West Hollywood (also know to locals as WeHo) to finish off the night.
Oh, and one more thing I'll mention in this entry while I'm here...today a guy with a Texas cap came in with his girlfriend and we chatted a bit about Austin and moving to Cali and where we went to high school, etc. It was very cool and my first encounter with a Texan...and fellow alumnus here in Cali. I was totally stoked even though I know there are tons of us Texans around these parts.
Anyway, I'm feeling a little feverish and trying to keep my mind off my sore throat and achy pains, hoping it will subside by the morning and I'll be as good as new. I'm taking off 2 weekdays next week for my bday and to spend as much time with Irisa while she's here visiting, so I'm not about to take another day and jeopardize that. Oh, and speaking of Irisa, we've got standby tix to see the Ellen Show on my birthday, and if I know us persistent girls, we'll be there cheering her on while she's dancing around the audience!! We're planning to get there as early as possible to queue up for a prime place in the standby line, because I hear most early standby-ers usually get through. It's sure to be a memorable Hollywood birthday - Ellen in the afternoon, Jimmy Kimmel in the evening and Beauty Bar in West Hollywood (also know to locals as WeHo) to finish off the night.
Oh, and one more thing I'll mention in this entry while I'm here...today a guy with a Texas cap came in with his girlfriend and we chatted a bit about Austin and moving to Cali and where we went to high school, etc. It was very cool and my first encounter with a Texan...and fellow alumnus here in Cali. I was totally stoked even though I know there are tons of us Texans around these parts.
What I miss - revisited
Nearly 2 months ago, I posted an entry in my blog about what I predicted I'd miss most when I moved to LA. I figured it was about time for me to reflect on what I predicted and what I really miss most while living here. So, here's my list - reorganized a bit:
(1) 1. ALL OF MY FRIENDS & FAMILY HERE Definitely still first on my list! Miss y'all!
(2) 12. Brunches with my girl-friends that last 8 hours and the all-you-can-drink mimosas Taverna naively offers us. (Thanks, Gladys.) I didn't think I'd miss these as much as I do...I really REALLY miss these little brunches! And, it doesn't help that there are tons of amazing places to brunch around here!
(3) 7. Josie's Enchiladas from Maudie's - I'll have to find a replacement in SoCal Still no SoCal substitution!
(4) 5. Strolling along South Congress on the weekends As much as I love strolling along the beach, this weekend-after-brunch ritual is definitely missed; so are the pitchers at Doc's and the Negra Modelos at San Jose Hotel! Mmmmm....
(5) 9. Being a native (no, not a Native American...being a native of the city I live in). It's always fun to be the tour guide for folks new to town, so I'm going to have to learn to turn the tables and open myself up to a new city It's definitely a drawback to be a newbie to the area, and discovering a new city is much harder than I suspected it would be.
(6) 8. Randomly running into old friends and making new ones every single day It just makes it a little easier when you see a familiar face.
(7) 4. SXSW, ACL Fest, Bob Marley Fest, Harley Fest, Marathons (though not the traffic they create) So, I don't quite miss these, yet. There's plenty going on here...loads of concerts and big events going on all the time...but I'll be a little sad when ACL Fest comes around and I don't have a plane ticket to Austin!
(8) 10. Trudy's What I'd DO for a mexican martini and some nachos!
(9) 3. Kind-hearted Austinites - a group of us went to lunch today and there was a couple seated at the only big table in the restaurant, when only two-seat tables were available, so when they noticed our dilemma, they voluntarily decided to switch tables mid-meal...this doesn't just happen anywhere, people. People have been pretty nice here, for the most part, so I've been happy with that. :)
(10) 2. Seeing burnt orange at every turn Hmm...don't miss this one as much as I anticipated! Hehee.
(11) 6. Texas license plates & bumper stickers (my favorite shown here). California plates are quite cool, with all their weird personalizations.
(12) 11. The Drag Although nothing can replace the Drag, 2nd street in Belmont Shores comes quite close!
(1) 1. ALL OF MY FRIENDS & FAMILY HERE Definitely still first on my list! Miss y'all!
(2) 12. Brunches with my girl-friends that last 8 hours and the all-you-can-drink mimosas Taverna naively offers us. (Thanks, Gladys.) I didn't think I'd miss these as much as I do...I really REALLY miss these little brunches! And, it doesn't help that there are tons of amazing places to brunch around here!
(3) 7. Josie's Enchiladas from Maudie's - I'll have to find a replacement in SoCal Still no SoCal substitution!
(4) 5. Strolling along South Congress on the weekends As much as I love strolling along the beach, this weekend-after-brunch ritual is definitely missed; so are the pitchers at Doc's and the Negra Modelos at San Jose Hotel! Mmmmm....
(5) 9. Being a native (no, not a Native American...being a native of the city I live in). It's always fun to be the tour guide for folks new to town, so I'm going to have to learn to turn the tables and open myself up to a new city It's definitely a drawback to be a newbie to the area, and discovering a new city is much harder than I suspected it would be.
(6) 8. Randomly running into old friends and making new ones every single day It just makes it a little easier when you see a familiar face.
(7) 4. SXSW, ACL Fest, Bob Marley Fest, Harley Fest, Marathons (though not the traffic they create) So, I don't quite miss these, yet. There's plenty going on here...loads of concerts and big events going on all the time...but I'll be a little sad when ACL Fest comes around and I don't have a plane ticket to Austin!
(8) 10. Trudy's What I'd DO for a mexican martini and some nachos!
(9) 3. Kind-hearted Austinites - a group of us went to lunch today and there was a couple seated at the only big table in the restaurant, when only two-seat tables were available, so when they noticed our dilemma, they voluntarily decided to switch tables mid-meal...this doesn't just happen anywhere, people. People have been pretty nice here, for the most part, so I've been happy with that. :)
(10) 2. Seeing burnt orange at every turn Hmm...don't miss this one as much as I anticipated! Hehee.
(11) 6. Texas license plates & bumper stickers (my favorite shown here). California plates are quite cool, with all their weird personalizations.
(12) 11. The Drag Although nothing can replace the Drag, 2nd street in Belmont Shores comes quite close!
Busy little bumble bee
It's been a while since I posted, I know, but I've been working these very weird hours (no more 8-5 for me!), so when I get home at sometimes 12:30 am, I'm usually in no mood to re-hash my day in writing! Work's been great, though. Only one more week before I start my real training - that is, for the job that I'll be doing at my "home store," as we call it. That will be in Bevery Center, which is in the heart of Beverly Hills and has a nice view of the Hollywood sign from the rooftop foodcourt. So, I'm pretty excited about that. Right now I'm working in Arcadia, just near Pasadena, and it's pretty cool, too. It's very weird to drive to work from the beach and see mountains when I step out of my car.
This is where I work:
And this is the view from my work:
Pretty neato, huh?
I have been doing stuff (that doesn't cost money, as I'm broke as a joke - moving to this expensive city and being jobless for 2 weeks!) since the last post. Let's see...Last Friday night, after work, Guillaume and I saw the Clippers play the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, which was pretty cool. The arena's not as large as I thought it would would've been (I think the Alamodome might be bigger, in fact), but it was still a very cool game, and every seat (even our nosebleed Section 300s) had a good view of the court.
We didn't do much for Easter. We had planned to make a quiche, but some work friends of Guillaume's invited us to a barbeque in the late afternoon, so we did that instead. It was very good, but I'm still waiting to try Melynda's delicious quiche recipe!! I'll let y'all know how that turns out! But, life on the west coast has been good so far. I met a girl at work that lived in Austin for 4 years with a friend, which was really cool! She said she needed to move away from LA for a while and chose Austin, which she said was a very good choice. I didn't ask her why she moved back home to LA, but I'm curious to find out, so maybe next time I see her I'll ask. Oh yeah, and Guillaume's dad booked a flight for the 25th of May to come visit us here in Long Beach, which is totally awesome! And, Gui's friends who visited in Austin, Anto, Sev & Bapty are all coming around the same time to visit, too, which is just marvelous news. Now, if Irisa decides to make the trip for my birthday, that'll just be icing on the cake! Anyone else?!!
This is where I work:
And this is the view from my work:
Pretty neato, huh?
I have been doing stuff (that doesn't cost money, as I'm broke as a joke - moving to this expensive city and being jobless for 2 weeks!) since the last post. Let's see...Last Friday night, after work, Guillaume and I saw the Clippers play the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, which was pretty cool. The arena's not as large as I thought it would would've been (I think the Alamodome might be bigger, in fact), but it was still a very cool game, and every seat (even our nosebleed Section 300s) had a good view of the court.
We didn't do much for Easter. We had planned to make a quiche, but some work friends of Guillaume's invited us to a barbeque in the late afternoon, so we did that instead. It was very good, but I'm still waiting to try Melynda's delicious quiche recipe!! I'll let y'all know how that turns out! But, life on the west coast has been good so far. I met a girl at work that lived in Austin for 4 years with a friend, which was really cool! She said she needed to move away from LA for a while and chose Austin, which she said was a very good choice. I didn't ask her why she moved back home to LA, but I'm curious to find out, so maybe next time I see her I'll ask. Oh yeah, and Guillaume's dad booked a flight for the 25th of May to come visit us here in Long Beach, which is totally awesome! And, Gui's friends who visited in Austin, Anto, Sev & Bapty are all coming around the same time to visit, too, which is just marvelous news. Now, if Irisa decides to make the trip for my birthday, that'll just be icing on the cake! Anyone else?!!
Vegas
So, here I am...in Las Vegas. You might be asking yourself how I got here. Well, my brilliant self thought that waiting for the first flight to Austin through Phoenix tomorrow morning was hogwash. So, when they made the announcement that I'd surely miss the flight to Austin because of the delays in Phoenix, I pulled out the charm and made a successful attempt to strategize a flight to Austin that bypassed Phoenix. The end result of my impressive persuasion was that I was sent by prepaid cab to the Orange County/Santa Ana/John Wayne airport in Orange County to catch the next flight to Vegas and get to Austin by 3:30am. I just couldn't fathom spending another night in a hotel or in my empty, bedless, Guillaume-less apartment. So, 7 hours later, here I am, waiting in the Vegas airport for yet another delayed flight to arrive before I officially make my way home. It's been an interesting journey so far, though. The cab driver told me a story about a pregnant woman who cops pulled over for driving by herself in the HOV lane. Well, she took the cop to court for the ticket with the explanation that her 6-month pregnant belly was actually a second person, and therefore, she was breaking no laws by driving in the 2-person-minimum HOV lane. Well, the woman won...basically on the grounds that if a person murders a pregnant woman and both she and the baby die, the person is charged with a double homicide..so the 2-person rule applies. I just thought this was such a brilliant story...and I promised my cab-driver that I'd share it with my friends. :) I also met a couple of cool cats on the plane ride from John Wayne to Vegas, which was another plus, and now that I'm in Vegas, I'm getting a craving for ice-cream or popcorn, so I may make my way to an ice-cream stand (even though it's always so freakin' cold in this airport!), and then test my luck at the penny slots! Woohoo! So, I'll be back to good ol' Austin sometime tomorrow morning...right now it's 5AM, but doubt that'll stick. Hopefully I'll be able to get a bit of shut-eye on my way back before I get started on packing and moving!!! See y'all soon!
update: I'm finally in Austin - flight arrived promptly at 7:15 am and my bag was the first on the carousel...woo-hooo...things are looking up for me! ; )
update: I'm finally in Austin - flight arrived promptly at 7:15 am and my bag was the first on the carousel...woo-hooo...things are looking up for me! ; )
Stuck
Of course, just when everything's feeling like smooth-sailing, my flight gets delayed. I was sitting at the LB airport bar, chowing down on an avocado and bacon burger, fries and a pint of Sam Adams when I received a text message from Gladys in Mexico that her flight was canceled to Phoenix for bad weather. Crap! That's where I'm flying through!! Yep, I'm making my way back to Austin to collect my things (namely, my car) and make the drive back for good. My flight's scheduled to take off toward Phoenix in half an hour, but the plane hasn't even left the airport to pick us up! I'm pretty sure I'll be here for a while, but at least the Long Beach Airport is on it with free wi-fi...woohoo! It's hard to believe the weather only one hour away is so crappy when it's absolutely perfect here. I'm starting to like this west-coast thing. I just hope I don't get stuck in Phoenix (too many smokers and too much dust)!
The forces of the world are united against us
Yesterday I met up with the ladies for my going-away brunch at Taverna, where we gossipped about our jobs, gushed about our futures, ran into unwelcomed old flames, and toasted to new beginnings. It was a wonderful feast of food with friends that even a little rain couldn't ruin. After we were satisfied with the amount of food (and champagne) in our bellies, we made our way across the street to the local gelateria; I had a craving for gelato and coffee, so I was delighted to see a gelato cappuccino on the menu. Just as I was placing my order, I answered a call from Guillaume, expecting to hear some good news about finding a car or an apartment, but I was sadly disappointed when he gave me the news that he's going to be in San Francisco for the entire time I'll be in town to interview for jobs. What the heck?!! We knew he'd have to go to San Fran for work on occasion at some point, but we didn't expect him to be leaving for the Golden Gate City just 2 weeks into the internship! Grrrr. I was completely bummed that our reunion after 2 months is going to have to be consolidated into one measly day. Booooo. It just seems that everything is starting to go against us, and it totally sucks. Well, maybe I'm over-exaggerating a bit, but come on! Now I'm not sure if I should change my flight to come back earlier, if I should keep my flight and just hang around LA with out him, or if I should change my flight to come back later and spend some time in SF with him. Decisions, decisions. I'll have to make up my mind soon enough and will be sure to share it here when it's made.
So, moving on...the rest of the day was spent shopping (btw, the new Anthropologie store on Lamar and 6th is the shiznit!), shopping, shopping, shopping and having dinner with the ladies. It was a very long day, and when dinner was over and I was ready to head home, I decided to live in the moment and joined Irisa to hear our fave local band (well, non-emotional local band...hehe) play a free SXSW show, which was just divine! The open bar may have had something to do with it, but the music was certainly the high-point of the night. I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really gonna miss Austin and all it has to offer. I mean, where else is it common practice to hold a live music event open to the public with open bar all night? Not to mention that the bands playing (The Lemurs & What Made Milwaukee Famous) are some of cream of the local talent crop in Austin. While we were waiting for the doors to open to the party, we had a drink at the pub just down the street, where we chatted with the bartender who's an aspiring musician himself. He even gave us one of his CDs! I'm definitely going to miss this place, especially in March and September, when the great city opens its doors to people from all over the world to share some of its envied treasures. I really hope that when I return home to Austin that those same treasures will still be here.
So, moving on...the rest of the day was spent shopping (btw, the new Anthropologie store on Lamar and 6th is the shiznit!), shopping, shopping, shopping and having dinner with the ladies. It was a very long day, and when dinner was over and I was ready to head home, I decided to live in the moment and joined Irisa to hear our fave local band (well, non-emotional local band...hehe) play a free SXSW show, which was just divine! The open bar may have had something to do with it, but the music was certainly the high-point of the night. I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really gonna miss Austin and all it has to offer. I mean, where else is it common practice to hold a live music event open to the public with open bar all night? Not to mention that the bands playing (The Lemurs & What Made Milwaukee Famous) are some of cream of the local talent crop in Austin. While we were waiting for the doors to open to the party, we had a drink at the pub just down the street, where we chatted with the bartender who's an aspiring musician himself. He even gave us one of his CDs! I'm definitely going to miss this place, especially in March and September, when the great city opens its doors to people from all over the world to share some of its envied treasures. I really hope that when I return home to Austin that those same treasures will still be here.
What I'm gonna miss
I'm sure this list will change (and possibly lengthen) as time goes by, but it might be interesting to see how on-target my predictions about what I'm gonna miss about Austin will be.
1. ALL OF MY FRIENDS & FAMILY HERE
2. Seeing burnt orange at every turn
3. Kind-hearted Austinites - a group of us went to lunch today and there was a couple seated at the only big table in the restaurant, when only two-seat tables were available, so when they noticed our dilemma, they voluntarily decided to switch tables mid-meal...this doesn't just happen anywhere, people.
4. SXSW, ACL Fest, Bob Marley Fest, Harley Fest, Marathons (though not the traffic they create)
5. Strolling along South Congress on the weekends
6. Texas license plates & bumper stickers (my favorite shown here).
7. Josie's Enchiladas from Maudie's - I'll have to find a replacement in SoCal
8. Randomly running into old friends and making new ones every single day
9. Being a native (no, not a Native American...being a native of the city I live in). It's always fun to be the tour guide for folks new to town, so I'm going to have to learn to turn the tables and open myself up to a new city
10. Trudy's
11. The Drag
12. Brunches with my girl-friends that last 8 hours and the all-you-can-drink mimosas Taverna naively offers us. (Thanks, Gladys.)
1. ALL OF MY FRIENDS & FAMILY HERE
2. Seeing burnt orange at every turn
3. Kind-hearted Austinites - a group of us went to lunch today and there was a couple seated at the only big table in the restaurant, when only two-seat tables were available, so when they noticed our dilemma, they voluntarily decided to switch tables mid-meal...this doesn't just happen anywhere, people.
4. SXSW, ACL Fest, Bob Marley Fest, Harley Fest, Marathons (though not the traffic they create)
5. Strolling along South Congress on the weekends
6. Texas license plates & bumper stickers (my favorite shown here).
7. Josie's Enchiladas from Maudie's - I'll have to find a replacement in SoCal
8. Randomly running into old friends and making new ones every single day
9. Being a native (no, not a Native American...being a native of the city I live in). It's always fun to be the tour guide for folks new to town, so I'm going to have to learn to turn the tables and open myself up to a new city
10. Trudy's
11. The Drag
12. Brunches with my girl-friends that last 8 hours and the all-you-can-drink mimosas Taverna naively offers us. (Thanks, Gladys.)
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