Austin = food

Austin Texas is known for music, shopping, general weirdness, and of course, food. And we got a lot of food recommendations. And took advantage of them. Behold:


Mom at our table at Gueros. My brother and sister in law recommended them for their tacos and margaritas, and their location in the funky SoCo (South Congress St) district of downtown Austin. Their margaritas weren't my cup of tea (I think I'm used to the sticky sweet margarita mix in most margaritas), but their mojitos were to die for.



The kitchen garden at the Eastside Cafe. This was a perfect place for Mom, since she's a vegetarian and there were lots of options for her. She ended up getting a trio of sides, while I had Eggs Benedict and we shared a cobbler for dessert. Yum!


Mom and her margarita at Chuys. Oh, the joys of Tex-Mex!



I model my tiny spoon at Cru. Mom really liked the bar (see the cool oval shelving unit over my shoulder). The food was amazing.

My Kobe beef with potato gratin. Mmm, mmm good!

Where is the capital of Texas?

No silly, it's not in Dallas. It's in Austin!



The dome, from the main entry at the state capital



The main entry, from the 3rd level



The floor of the Senate. OK, this doesn't seem that unusual. Except it was Saturday.

Now, why would the Senate be in session on a Saturday? It turns out the legislature only meets once every 2 years, and this is their year. The session ends on June 1. So they're trying to cram as much legislation in as possible. While we were there they were debating a law against online harrassment, and something to do with paying state employees to volunteer or take job-related training. Exciting stuff.

Howdy from Austin

Every other year, my mom and I go on a girls' trip together (yes, my dad is bitter that he's not invited). We decided we should "meet in the middle" this year, and Austin sounded like a fun place to do so.

We both arrived yesterday, and immediately headed to all 80,000 square feet of Whole Foods (down the street from the original Whole Foods). Mom wants to go back and browse some more--we could have spent all day there.

We spent our first full day bumming around town (and getting a mild sunburn--Texas is hot!). We visited SoCo (the South Congress Street area), which is full of quirky and offbeat restaurants and shops. I bought not one, but 2 pairs of cowboy boots, and a great pair of jeans to wear with them. I also found a yarn shop, my downfall. Thank goodness for stores that ship, or I would have been in trouble (or at least at the post office). Then we headed to the UT Austin bookstore, since Mom can't go anywhere without a commemorative pencil. She has quite the collection ;)

We finished off the day with a pedicure on 2nd Street, and dinner and wine flights at a local wine bar. Kobe beef, syrah, and chocolate fondue. I could get used to this ;)

Tomorrow is visiting either Lake Austin, the State Capitol, or the LBJ Library--we haven't decided which yet. Dad gets here Sunday, and we've decided he's taking us out to a fancy dinner. If you know of a good place, leave a comment and we may try it out!

I have to buy one of these shirts before I leave...