Don't worry, I haven't stopped traveling yet this summer. For the past 10 days I have been in Ireland. Some of you may ask why, oh why, Travelkat, have you not been blogging about your experiences in the Emerald Isle? But, alas, I have been here so many times that I don't do much traveling within the country anymore. I come to visit my amazing sister, Maura, her wonderful husband, Tim, and my two incredible nephews, Ryan (8) and Dylan (4). They live in a town called Ballincollig, which is really a suburb of Cork City. It is about 7 miles from the city centre; don't expect me to tell you what side of the city as I am absolutely horrible with directions. Cory is a lovely city with a rich history and many tourist attractions. I haven't been to any of them really in a few years, but I will mention a few that stick out in my mind from previous visits. To get a fantastic view of the city, stop by the Church of St. Anne - Shandon Bells and climb the tower. You can actually play a tune on the bells in the tower for all the city to enjoy. Another one of the memorable places I ventured to is the Old City Gaol. They give you a headset that provides a history of the jail and some of its guests, and there is one frightening bit if you are a nervous Nelly like me! Walking around the city centre you will find buskers and artists as well as lots of great shops and restaurants.
Now, I can't tell you the number of times I have heard people say, "the food is terrible in Ireland." This is a complete fallacy. Maybe 30 years ago the restaurant selection and quality was not the same as it was in the states (I can't really speak from experience as the 1st time I visited I was 8 and didn't return until I was 21), but the times have changed. If you hear this from someone, challenge them on it. A terrific family restaurant with delicious food and a welcoming staff that we visit frequently is Scoozi. The spicy wings are a favorite of all of us and my two favorite main dishes are the warm spicy salad and the chicken pesto sandwich. Everyone I have ever dined with here has enjoyed it. Not too far from Scoozi is the Imperial Hotel. I only had the opportunity to dine there once and all I remember is that the warm bread pudding is out of this world. The memory of it has stuck with me for at least 4 years so it must be good. Cafe Mexican is another terrific spot. It is tiny so beware if you have children and strollers, but they never made us feel unwelcome with both. This is the one place in the city where I have found margaritas and as you all know, I love me a margarita! The best place, in my mind, for coffee is Nosh and Coffee. They have everything you could want from sandwiches to crepes to hot chocolate. It's an ideal spot to stop and relax after shopping or touring. Of course there are loads of pubs to rest in, but I have to plug Counihan's. Downstairs is a traditional Irish pub and upstairs is a modern pub; the best of both worlds. It has been a Cork institution for over 200 years. It is located across from the General Post Office on Pembroke St.
Outside of the city centre, the biggest tourist attraction has to be Blarney Castle. This is where you can kiss the Blarney Stone and receive the gift of gab. Now, I have visited Blarney Castle approximately 10 times and have never kissed the stone for 2 reasons. 1. You have to lay on your back and stick your head off a very high side of the castle. I don't like heights and am not willing to risk my life just so I can talk more. I will stick with the writing thank you very much. 2. There is an urban legend that the locals pee on the stone. So, if you are not afraid of heights, this idea might stop you from puckering up. The castle is fun to visit, the stairs are a bit treacherous, and the grounds are beautiful. Of course, Blarney Woolen Mills is a must stop shopping experience for any tourist looking to buy Irish gifts and souvenirs. Ryan and I popped in to get 2 gifts for 2 new babies in our families (a Munster jersey and an Ireland Rugby jersey). As we were waiting to pay, Ryan observed, "there are a lot of Americans in here" and there were. I pointed out that he too was an American, but he identifies as Irish and he is. Born and raised here. Blarney Woolen Mills has everything from the usual Guinness paraphernalia to Aran knit sweaters, to gorgeous sweaters and dresses. They also have a bar and restaurant there where you find locals and tourist alike. There also tend to be a lot of older gentlemen patiently waiting for their better halves to finish shopping.
Speaking of shopping, if you come at this time of the year or after Christmas, the sales are excellent! I bought 2 gorgeous dresses from Carraig Donn for £65. They were made in Paris even, ooh-la-la!
I will update again later today or tomorrow with information about our trip to Galway and Bunratty Castle over the weekend. Irish hospitality is a real and living thing.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Alamo, anyone?
Waking up after a whiskey filled night with only 5 hours of sleep should have been torture but happily it wasn't! Clearly, we did not start our day off with a run and reminisced about the previous night's escapades instead. With the shennanigans behind us, we climbed in the green monster truck and hit the road for San Antonio. Next stop, the Alamo!
On the drive down I observed that the landscape buffering the highways in Texas is very different than that in Massachusetts. There are lots of fast food places and strip malls that line the roads. Just an observation. We also noticed that there are different medical clinics for various things everywhere. Eyes, ears, feet, ankles, carpel tunnel, etc. . . There were also some really massive churches; I mean massive. One looked as big as a shopping mall and had an extensive parking lot. So different.
Then we came upon San Antonio. It's a pretty small city center, but I loved it. There were plenty of parking lots charging $10, but we did find parking on the street. There were lots of meters if you headed one block outside of the city center. There is a main street with the Alamo, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and a wax museum. It looks like it would be a great place for families to visit. The girls and I decided to save the Alamo and eat first. We were ravenous so we headed to the Riverwalk. This is a really cool spot along the river with restaurants and shops lining it. Of course, there were plenty of Mexican restaurants and we ate at one. You would have thought we had never eaten before. I got guacamole in my nose and Niamh had some food particles under one of her eyes. A bunch of animals if you ask me! Triona and I had classic margaritas, of course. It was a fabulous spot to sit and eat and take in the scenery. There was a constant flow of water taxis, police boats, and tour boats to entertain us. I also got to see a few good cowboys in full cowboy attire.
After stuffing ourselves like pigs, we headed to the Alamo. If you have read my previous blogs, you might have read that sometimes I get really full. Well, this was one of those times. It felt like I had a brick sitting in my stomach. This is terribly awful feeling in the sun and heat of San Antonio. I tried not to complain, "uh, I am so full," too much, but when the girls started there was no stopping me.
Great thing about the Alamo, it's free!!! Every tourist attraction I have been to here has been free. Fantastic. They have a great set-up to teach people about the history of the Alamo and the history of Texas. It is so fascinating to me how different states in The United States of America have such different histories. A tour guide gave a speech about the history of the Alamo, but we think he must have been on the bacholrette party the night before with us. He kept having long pauses and was soaked with sweat. Triona was the lucky one when a rather large woman decided to stand right in front of her to take a photograph. Interesting experience for her to have a stranger's crotch right in her face. We were dying. I couldn't pick up my head for laughing so hard.
We were able to pull ourselves together enough to get up from our spot and go to the tourist information center. I found it to be an excellent source of souveniers at good prices. We tried to find a drink in San Antonio, and that proved harder than we thought! They only had water at the tourist center, and in the end we went to the little concession stand at the WAX museum. I was delighted to get a fountain Fanta orange as it is a rarity to find that in Boston. As we were sitting at the counter sipping our sodas, Triona remarked, "that man over there must be so tired. He has been posing like that all day. " "I know," I said, "it must be exhausting." "Yea, he must be really sore at the end of the day," Triona commented. "Triona, are you serious? Are you really serious?" "Yea, Katie, he must be really tired, Jeany mac." "Triona, look at the sign outside that tells us where we are." "Oh, he is wax." She is not really dumb. The girl is going to be a vet. Let's just hope she doesn't try to operate on any wax pets.
We didn't keep it together for long though. As soon as we got out of the main area, we all lost it with fits of laughter. I was the one that started it off and could not get a hold of myself. I am sure we looked and sounded really obnoxious to those unfortunate enough to pass us by, but I have not laughed like that it ages. Trying to calm myself down, I would take deep breaths and then lose it all over again when Triona asked, "what are you doing?" At one point Niamh thought she might pee her pants. Honestly, it was ridiculous and my back was absolutely killing me from bending over and laughing, but it made me forget about my full belly for a bit.
Once in the car and back on the highway, I couldn't get my mind off how full I was. Seriously, like 4 hours later I was still dying. I felt like my stomach had doubled in size. Every enormous billboard adverstising food, like Wataburger and Chick-fil-a, actually made me want to vomit. I couldn't even look at them and vowed I wouldn't eat for the rest of the day. Niamh promised she would remind me of this vow later on. We stopped for gas, and I decided to use the restroom. It was a good size station and had a large store with it so I wasn't really hesitant at all to use it. That changed when I walked in the door and noticed a man at the hot dog stand staring at me. In reality, he probably glanced my way for a second, but seeing as I am a paranoid scaredy Kat, I assumed he was going to follow me into the bathroom and kill me. Then I figured, Niamh and Triona would probably notice I was taking a really long time and come to check on me. As you now know, he didn't kill me. But I mentioned it to the girls, and Triona said that as I annoucned I was going to the toilet, she thought, "well, I wouldn't really go to the toilet here because it is kind of deserted," but she didn'tsay it becuse she didn't want to freak me out.
Continuing on our journey, we stopped at the San Marcos shopping outlets. We only went into the Nike outlet where I bought a pair of running shorts that I love! It wasn't really a bargain though, $33.00 at an outlet on sale. However, these are the best shorts ever. I told the girls when we got home that if I could, I literally would marry the shorts, they are that comfortable. Niamh suggested that it might be easier to do that in California than Texas.
On the drive down I observed that the landscape buffering the highways in Texas is very different than that in Massachusetts. There are lots of fast food places and strip malls that line the roads. Just an observation. We also noticed that there are different medical clinics for various things everywhere. Eyes, ears, feet, ankles, carpel tunnel, etc. . . There were also some really massive churches; I mean massive. One looked as big as a shopping mall and had an extensive parking lot. So different.
Then we came upon San Antonio. It's a pretty small city center, but I loved it. There were plenty of parking lots charging $10, but we did find parking on the street. There were lots of meters if you headed one block outside of the city center. There is a main street with the Alamo, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and a wax museum. It looks like it would be a great place for families to visit. The girls and I decided to save the Alamo and eat first. We were ravenous so we headed to the Riverwalk. This is a really cool spot along the river with restaurants and shops lining it. Of course, there were plenty of Mexican restaurants and we ate at one. You would have thought we had never eaten before. I got guacamole in my nose and Niamh had some food particles under one of her eyes. A bunch of animals if you ask me! Triona and I had classic margaritas, of course. It was a fabulous spot to sit and eat and take in the scenery. There was a constant flow of water taxis, police boats, and tour boats to entertain us. I also got to see a few good cowboys in full cowboy attire.
After stuffing ourselves like pigs, we headed to the Alamo. If you have read my previous blogs, you might have read that sometimes I get really full. Well, this was one of those times. It felt like I had a brick sitting in my stomach. This is terribly awful feeling in the sun and heat of San Antonio. I tried not to complain, "uh, I am so full," too much, but when the girls started there was no stopping me.
Great thing about the Alamo, it's free!!! Every tourist attraction I have been to here has been free. Fantastic. They have a great set-up to teach people about the history of the Alamo and the history of Texas. It is so fascinating to me how different states in The United States of America have such different histories. A tour guide gave a speech about the history of the Alamo, but we think he must have been on the bacholrette party the night before with us. He kept having long pauses and was soaked with sweat. Triona was the lucky one when a rather large woman decided to stand right in front of her to take a photograph. Interesting experience for her to have a stranger's crotch right in her face. We were dying. I couldn't pick up my head for laughing so hard.
We were able to pull ourselves together enough to get up from our spot and go to the tourist information center. I found it to be an excellent source of souveniers at good prices. We tried to find a drink in San Antonio, and that proved harder than we thought! They only had water at the tourist center, and in the end we went to the little concession stand at the WAX museum. I was delighted to get a fountain Fanta orange as it is a rarity to find that in Boston. As we were sitting at the counter sipping our sodas, Triona remarked, "that man over there must be so tired. He has been posing like that all day. " "I know," I said, "it must be exhausting." "Yea, he must be really sore at the end of the day," Triona commented. "Triona, are you serious? Are you really serious?" "Yea, Katie, he must be really tired, Jeany mac." "Triona, look at the sign outside that tells us where we are." "Oh, he is wax." She is not really dumb. The girl is going to be a vet. Let's just hope she doesn't try to operate on any wax pets.
We didn't keep it together for long though. As soon as we got out of the main area, we all lost it with fits of laughter. I was the one that started it off and could not get a hold of myself. I am sure we looked and sounded really obnoxious to those unfortunate enough to pass us by, but I have not laughed like that it ages. Trying to calm myself down, I would take deep breaths and then lose it all over again when Triona asked, "what are you doing?" At one point Niamh thought she might pee her pants. Honestly, it was ridiculous and my back was absolutely killing me from bending over and laughing, but it made me forget about my full belly for a bit.
Once in the car and back on the highway, I couldn't get my mind off how full I was. Seriously, like 4 hours later I was still dying. I felt like my stomach had doubled in size. Every enormous billboard adverstising food, like Wataburger and Chick-fil-a, actually made me want to vomit. I couldn't even look at them and vowed I wouldn't eat for the rest of the day. Niamh promised she would remind me of this vow later on. We stopped for gas, and I decided to use the restroom. It was a good size station and had a large store with it so I wasn't really hesitant at all to use it. That changed when I walked in the door and noticed a man at the hot dog stand staring at me. In reality, he probably glanced my way for a second, but seeing as I am a paranoid scaredy Kat, I assumed he was going to follow me into the bathroom and kill me. Then I figured, Niamh and Triona would probably notice I was taking a really long time and come to check on me. As you now know, he didn't kill me. But I mentioned it to the girls, and Triona said that as I annoucned I was going to the toilet, she thought, "well, I wouldn't really go to the toilet here because it is kind of deserted," but she didn'tsay it becuse she didn't want to freak me out.
Continuing on our journey, we stopped at the San Marcos shopping outlets. We only went into the Nike outlet where I bought a pair of running shorts that I love! It wasn't really a bargain though, $33.00 at an outlet on sale. However, these are the best shorts ever. I told the girls when we got home that if I could, I literally would marry the shorts, they are that comfortable. Niamh suggested that it might be easier to do that in California than Texas.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Florida - "I hope you die in your sleep
Hello! I have been slack with this bog, but not with traveling! In April, I went to Florida (Daytona Beach, Miami, Orlando, and Clearwater Beach). We covered a lot of ground in the 8 days we were there. Number 1 travel companion (Paul) was with me, and I have to say, he is a very good friend. We rented a car, free upgrade, and he volunteered to be the only driver in order to say about $200 for the week. He was also patient and calm when I thought I was losing my eyesight.
Now, for those of you who don't know, Daytona was the hot spot for Spring Break in the 80s. Not so much today. Don't get me wrong, they have their big weeks, for example, the Daytona 500 and Bike Week, but other than that it is pretty dead. With that all said, it does have gorgeous beaches that stretch on and on for miles and miles. It is the perfect place for a sunrise run. The sand is not too soft and you can go on for however you want right along the ocean. One thing to be leery of in the waters . . .SHARKS!!!! Apparently, Florida has the most shark attacks in the world on average annually. So watch out. Sharks have become a theme for me lately in my vacation spots. Paul was swimming happily in the ocean as I stood in the shallow water when all of a sudden, I spotted 2 fins about 6 ft from Paul. I started yelling his name, but didn't want to scream, "shark!" in fear that Paul might freeze. He kind of looked up and said, "what?". If someone was screaming my name while I was in the ocean, I am pretty sure I would haul ass out of the water. But that's not Paul. He seemed more annoyed by my attempt to rescue him than grateful. Next thing you know, the two fins jumped out of the water, and they were just cute, harmless dolphins. He got to swim with dolphins for free rather than paying $200 at Discovery Cove in Orlando. I was a little jealous.
After spending two nights in Daytona, we jumped in the car and drove to Miami. I would highly recommend this city. I completely felt like I was in a different country. The architecture is very different than the Northeast of the Unites Sates and the rest of Florida. Now, I wouldn't choose the Art deco style that Miami has, but there is consistency with the buildings there that adds to the vibe of the entire city.
Our first stop in Miami was South Beach. Finding parking to go to the beach in Miami can be tricky, but we were able to find street parking and pay the meter using a credit card. After paying the fee, we moseyed on over to the beach with our gear which wasn't much. Paul and I have been known to sit on a beach with nothing but our bathing suits and car keys. However, we didn't have to be such minimalist on this occasion because you can rent chairs and an umbrella for $25.00 in total. I didn't think that was too high a price to pay for comfort. Warm water, good waves, and excellent people watching. On the downside, I have never encountered such filthy beach bathroom in all my life and I cleaned beach bathrooms in South Boston when I was in college. Come on, ladies!
At some point we realized we still hadn't booked a room, and I was having a crazy allergy attack in my eyes, so packed up (it's a relative term) and went hotel hunting. I am not the best sufferer in the world or maybe I am because I am so good at it according to Paul. Since I was nearly blind in one eye and they wouldn't stop running, I was basically useless as a navigator or travel guru. It was not looking good for us. We stopped in desperation to run into CVS for assistance, and that turned out to be as helpful as an umbrella in a hurricane. Useless pharmacist. Back in the car I pathetically started crying because my eyes hurt so much. I knew at the time that Paul would laugh at me at some point for this behavior, but he knows me enough to let it slide until the drama is over. Eventually we found our way to the Riveria Suites South Beach on Liberty Ave. I found availability, on my phone, there while siting outside the hotel so Paul ran in to book a room. We soon found out that Expedia offered a much better deal on the room and we booked it through them. Well Paul did anyway. With the state of my eyes at this point, I was not in any shape to enter credit card information on my iphone. Checking in was smooth and quick, and I ran to the room to get some relief in the form of a shower.
The room was gorgeous. It was tastefully decorated, modern, and brand new. It had a good size living room, a small dining table, a kitchenette with all new appliances, a spacious bathroom, and a large dark bedroom. The shower helped relieve my eye pain, and I went to take a rest after. The bedroom curtains were amazing at blocking out the light. It felt like midnight in there. In this space, I found solace! Ha! Just being dramatic. No, but seriously, I finally felt better. As we headed out to dinner that night, Paul said, "I really hope you die in your sleep." I asked, "for my sake or yours?" Paul responded, "For yours, you just couldn't handle it any other way."
Now, for those of you who don't know, Daytona was the hot spot for Spring Break in the 80s. Not so much today. Don't get me wrong, they have their big weeks, for example, the Daytona 500 and Bike Week, but other than that it is pretty dead. With that all said, it does have gorgeous beaches that stretch on and on for miles and miles. It is the perfect place for a sunrise run. The sand is not too soft and you can go on for however you want right along the ocean. One thing to be leery of in the waters . . .SHARKS!!!! Apparently, Florida has the most shark attacks in the world on average annually. So watch out. Sharks have become a theme for me lately in my vacation spots. Paul was swimming happily in the ocean as I stood in the shallow water when all of a sudden, I spotted 2 fins about 6 ft from Paul. I started yelling his name, but didn't want to scream, "shark!" in fear that Paul might freeze. He kind of looked up and said, "what?". If someone was screaming my name while I was in the ocean, I am pretty sure I would haul ass out of the water. But that's not Paul. He seemed more annoyed by my attempt to rescue him than grateful. Next thing you know, the two fins jumped out of the water, and they were just cute, harmless dolphins. He got to swim with dolphins for free rather than paying $200 at Discovery Cove in Orlando. I was a little jealous.
After spending two nights in Daytona, we jumped in the car and drove to Miami. I would highly recommend this city. I completely felt like I was in a different country. The architecture is very different than the Northeast of the Unites Sates and the rest of Florida. Now, I wouldn't choose the Art deco style that Miami has, but there is consistency with the buildings there that adds to the vibe of the entire city.
Our first stop in Miami was South Beach. Finding parking to go to the beach in Miami can be tricky, but we were able to find street parking and pay the meter using a credit card. After paying the fee, we moseyed on over to the beach with our gear which wasn't much. Paul and I have been known to sit on a beach with nothing but our bathing suits and car keys. However, we didn't have to be such minimalist on this occasion because you can rent chairs and an umbrella for $25.00 in total. I didn't think that was too high a price to pay for comfort. Warm water, good waves, and excellent people watching. On the downside, I have never encountered such filthy beach bathroom in all my life and I cleaned beach bathrooms in South Boston when I was in college. Come on, ladies!
At some point we realized we still hadn't booked a room, and I was having a crazy allergy attack in my eyes, so packed up (it's a relative term) and went hotel hunting. I am not the best sufferer in the world or maybe I am because I am so good at it according to Paul. Since I was nearly blind in one eye and they wouldn't stop running, I was basically useless as a navigator or travel guru. It was not looking good for us. We stopped in desperation to run into CVS for assistance, and that turned out to be as helpful as an umbrella in a hurricane. Useless pharmacist. Back in the car I pathetically started crying because my eyes hurt so much. I knew at the time that Paul would laugh at me at some point for this behavior, but he knows me enough to let it slide until the drama is over. Eventually we found our way to the Riveria Suites South Beach on Liberty Ave. I found availability, on my phone, there while siting outside the hotel so Paul ran in to book a room. We soon found out that Expedia offered a much better deal on the room and we booked it through them. Well Paul did anyway. With the state of my eyes at this point, I was not in any shape to enter credit card information on my iphone. Checking in was smooth and quick, and I ran to the room to get some relief in the form of a shower.
The room was gorgeous. It was tastefully decorated, modern, and brand new. It had a good size living room, a small dining table, a kitchenette with all new appliances, a spacious bathroom, and a large dark bedroom. The shower helped relieve my eye pain, and I went to take a rest after. The bedroom curtains were amazing at blocking out the light. It felt like midnight in there. In this space, I found solace! Ha! Just being dramatic. No, but seriously, I finally felt better. As we headed out to dinner that night, Paul said, "I really hope you die in your sleep." I asked, "for my sake or yours?" Paul responded, "For yours, you just couldn't handle it any other way."
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Whiskey in the Jar-O
Late night last night that started off with my first shot of whiskey ever! That definitely was a sign that it was going to be a crazy night. Felt like a college student again as we drank wine and had the Jameson shot before we even left the house! I won't go into all the gory details but will share some of the stories. Tip 1 for going out in Austin: Don't feel bad if you feel like a streetwalker when heading into town. Niamh, Triona, and I headed out and had to cross, via jaywalking, a major street in our dresses and hop on the bus into town. As we were waiting for the bus, we did get a few strange looks, and a police officer slowed down to make sure he was not needed to clean up Austin. I have to say, I am 100% certain that I was not confused for a prostitute in my sundress, but I can't really speak for the other two! Sorry, Niamh and Triona.
The Speakeasy was our first stop. It's a really cool bar that has 3 separate floors with different feels. The first floor was a typical bar with a Motown band playing. The second floor was mezzanine, and the top floor was a rooftop deck with comfy couches and an amazing view of the Austin skyline. We had a light show just for us curtesy of Mother Nature. One thing I was very unhappy about was the waitress took a $6.00 tip on 3 drinks without even giving me the option to get my money back. So on the second round, Triona asked for her $4.00 back, and we didn't give her anything. She did not like that at all, but she had a nerve, and I hate when people assume they can just take your money. It worked out anyway because we left shortly after that. Warning: to get to the top you need to walk up loads of stairs. Jeany mac that was a lot of stairs. Jeany mac is a phrase that is not used anywhere else or by anyone else in the WORLD other than the Galway Kellys (Triona, Niamh, and the rest of the gang) as a substitute for an expletive. Anyway, the stairs can be hazardous in short skirts and high heels.
From there we headed to Rain, which is a gay bar. It was relatively quiet, but it was relatively early. There was some cage dancing. Those of you that know me know I was for sure not one of the cage dancers! The crowd eventually arrived, and there was a lot of dancing and shots and photos with gay men.
We left the comfort of the gay bar to venture onto 6th Street. 6th Street is like the craziest place I have ever seen. It seemed to me to be miles and miles of bars. It is 9 blocks in reality and is open only to pedestrians on the weekends. First stop here was a traditional Irish bar for a pitstop that turned into a shot stop as well. Triona and I decided that it would be a fantastic idea to have another shot of whiskey. Jeany Mac! Two in one night! I decided that it would be a great idea to get a lemon and squeeze the juice into the whiskey. In my mind, people did this all the time. I think I was really thinking of a hot toddy which it wasn't. But I think I am onto something . . . lemon is just as helpful to suck on after a shot of whiskey as a shot of tequila.
Moving on down 6th we landed upon the Library. This is not the library I take my 3rd grade students to. Lots more dancing, photos of Triona with her mouth open, and drinks.
Really random late night place. Perhaps the strangest one out there. It was the pedicab parking place. Seriously! It was a huge white barn where all the pedicabs park for the night. They had a stocked fridge with a list of the beer prices on the door. They used the honor system. Crazy!!!! They also had a full buffet prepared by a little Mexican lady. It was all free! Now, the lady didn't allow anyone to take the food before she had everything was ready and out. But, how long can a travelkat resist an appetizing chicken-on-a-stick before it ends up in her hand behind her back? Really, y'all understand, but the pedicabbers are a trustworthy bunch, and I saw a few jaws drop when it happened. Luckily the cook never saw it coming!
As we Kelly girls were strolling around San Antonio today, I wondered aloud if the Mexican cook wasn't kept there under duress because the food was free. Triona chimed in that she thought she remembered seeing her ankle chained to the ground. Maybe those pedicabbers weren't such do gooders after all. . .
Tune in tomorrow for our trip to San Antonio. Also, I am trying to be better about reading my blogs before I post them so I can cut down on the grammatical errors. Number 1 travel companion pointed that out to me. Sorry y'all.
The Speakeasy was our first stop. It's a really cool bar that has 3 separate floors with different feels. The first floor was a typical bar with a Motown band playing. The second floor was mezzanine, and the top floor was a rooftop deck with comfy couches and an amazing view of the Austin skyline. We had a light show just for us curtesy of Mother Nature. One thing I was very unhappy about was the waitress took a $6.00 tip on 3 drinks without even giving me the option to get my money back. So on the second round, Triona asked for her $4.00 back, and we didn't give her anything. She did not like that at all, but she had a nerve, and I hate when people assume they can just take your money. It worked out anyway because we left shortly after that. Warning: to get to the top you need to walk up loads of stairs. Jeany mac that was a lot of stairs. Jeany mac is a phrase that is not used anywhere else or by anyone else in the WORLD other than the Galway Kellys (Triona, Niamh, and the rest of the gang) as a substitute for an expletive. Anyway, the stairs can be hazardous in short skirts and high heels.
From there we headed to Rain, which is a gay bar. It was relatively quiet, but it was relatively early. There was some cage dancing. Those of you that know me know I was for sure not one of the cage dancers! The crowd eventually arrived, and there was a lot of dancing and shots and photos with gay men.
We left the comfort of the gay bar to venture onto 6th Street. 6th Street is like the craziest place I have ever seen. It seemed to me to be miles and miles of bars. It is 9 blocks in reality and is open only to pedestrians on the weekends. First stop here was a traditional Irish bar for a pitstop that turned into a shot stop as well. Triona and I decided that it would be a fantastic idea to have another shot of whiskey. Jeany Mac! Two in one night! I decided that it would be a great idea to get a lemon and squeeze the juice into the whiskey. In my mind, people did this all the time. I think I was really thinking of a hot toddy which it wasn't. But I think I am onto something . . . lemon is just as helpful to suck on after a shot of whiskey as a shot of tequila.
Moving on down 6th we landed upon the Library. This is not the library I take my 3rd grade students to. Lots more dancing, photos of Triona with her mouth open, and drinks.
Really random late night place. Perhaps the strangest one out there. It was the pedicab parking place. Seriously! It was a huge white barn where all the pedicabs park for the night. They had a stocked fridge with a list of the beer prices on the door. They used the honor system. Crazy!!!! They also had a full buffet prepared by a little Mexican lady. It was all free! Now, the lady didn't allow anyone to take the food before she had everything was ready and out. But, how long can a travelkat resist an appetizing chicken-on-a-stick before it ends up in her hand behind her back? Really, y'all understand, but the pedicabbers are a trustworthy bunch, and I saw a few jaws drop when it happened. Luckily the cook never saw it coming!
As we Kelly girls were strolling around San Antonio today, I wondered aloud if the Mexican cook wasn't kept there under duress because the food was free. Triona chimed in that she thought she remembered seeing her ankle chained to the ground. Maybe those pedicabbers weren't such do gooders after all. . .
Tune in tomorrow for our trip to San Antonio. Also, I am trying to be better about reading my blogs before I post them so I can cut down on the grammatical errors. Number 1 travel companion pointed that out to me. Sorry y'all.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Mexican again? Yum!
I love Mexican food and margaritas so it seems that Austin is the perfect town for me! Since we knew we'd be eating more Mexican for lunch the 3 of us jumped, well slowly rolled out of bed, and hit the road running at 9. We actually had to drive first. Niamh drove us in her green monster truck to Mueller Greenway. It is a housing development with a pond and nice trails. We all separated and did our own thing when we got there, and I felt completely safe which says a lot as Triona and I are the 2 biggest scaredy cats going! As we drove there we were talking about how because it was overcast it wouldn't be too hot running. We spoke way to soon! The sun came bursting through the clouds about 3 minutes after we started. I felt much better running today than yesterday and thought I could do 6 miles. I felt great for the first 3 but quickly fell apart. The fourth mile was a killer and just when I hit 4, I ran into Niamh at the car. Thank God! It is a terrific spot to run or walk, and there is only 1 small street to cross if you choose.
After hanging out at the house for a bit, we went to Abuelo's Restaurant. Guess what? It's a Tex Mex place which was totally okay with me. There was no wait for a table, the chips and salsa were delicious and plentiful, and again we had tasty guacamole. Triona and I agreed that we would have margaritas every time we went for Mexican and so we ordered classic margaritas on the rocks with salt. They were very refreshing. We were with other people that I had never met before so I stuck to the one drink. I had carnitas tacos from the lunch special menu which they have available daily. They are pork tacos and were served with rice and refried beans. Everything was good, the pork was a bit dry, but I would go back.
With our bellies full, Niamh took us to Mt. Bonnell. We were undecided as to whether or not we would attempt it because of the heat, but in the end, we determined that we would put our best foot forward. Niamh assured us that it was only a 10 minute climb up some steps. It actually turned out to be less than 5 minutes. Don't let the short climb fool you though; the views were gorgeous! You can see the city, river, and mountains from the top. People were also picnicking at the top which looked like a fantastic idea on a cooler day. We took a trail down instead of the stairs, and it was really easy walking. We all had flip flops or sandals on.
At this point in the afternoon, we are chillin' watching "Drop Dead Diva." Yes, I watch "Drop Dead Diva" and am proud of it. Tonight we are heading to the Speakeasy for a bacholerette/hen party. My first Texas night out. Should be interesting.
After hanging out at the house for a bit, we went to Abuelo's Restaurant. Guess what? It's a Tex Mex place which was totally okay with me. There was no wait for a table, the chips and salsa were delicious and plentiful, and again we had tasty guacamole. Triona and I agreed that we would have margaritas every time we went for Mexican and so we ordered classic margaritas on the rocks with salt. They were very refreshing. We were with other people that I had never met before so I stuck to the one drink. I had carnitas tacos from the lunch special menu which they have available daily. They are pork tacos and were served with rice and refried beans. Everything was good, the pork was a bit dry, but I would go back.
With our bellies full, Niamh took us to Mt. Bonnell. We were undecided as to whether or not we would attempt it because of the heat, but in the end, we determined that we would put our best foot forward. Niamh assured us that it was only a 10 minute climb up some steps. It actually turned out to be less than 5 minutes. Don't let the short climb fool you though; the views were gorgeous! You can see the city, river, and mountains from the top. People were also picnicking at the top which looked like a fantastic idea on a cooler day. We took a trail down instead of the stairs, and it was really easy walking. We all had flip flops or sandals on.
At this point in the afternoon, we are chillin' watching "Drop Dead Diva." Yes, I watch "Drop Dead Diva" and am proud of it. Tonight we are heading to the Speakeasy for a bacholerette/hen party. My first Texas night out. Should be interesting.
Day 2: Austin Proper Sighteeing
Boston gets hot and humid, Austin gets awfully hot and humid. I woke up yesterday and decided to go for a run around 9:00. This is not a good idea in Boston for me in the summer, and it for sure isn't a good idea for me in Austin. I thought I would be really happy with 4 miles(by the way I have started my marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. on October 27, and it turned out I would have be happy with 1 mile. I thought I was going to die after a half mile. I am not exaggerating at all. It was pathetic and painful. The longest I have run is 8 miles, and it was nowhere near as horrible as running 3 miles in Austin. I did it though and recommend that you get up at 5 AM to run when running in weather like this.
After starting the day feeling like death, but really happy with myself for doing it anyway, Niamh and I headed into town to the capital building. We hopped on the bus, that is what they have for public transportation her in Austin ($2.00 for a 24 hour pass), and I was greeted with the smell of homelessness. Not I am not being a snob, maybe a little bit, but when it is right in front of you, in a confined space, the smell is just terrible. God bless the poor man. I tried to keep my head turned the other way for the entire bus ride, but I think the whole bus just smelled because it is summer in Texas.
We got of around 12th street, I believe. Austin is set-up as a grid. The capital building looks an awful lot like the Massachusetts State House. It has a very large dome. We were very happy to walk up the steps as we approached the doors and feel the cool air from the AC blasting out. They have free public tours there, and I thought it was well worth the visit. When you stand smack dab in the middle of the foyer and speak even very quietly, it sounds like the entire building can hear you! Our tour guide, Gloria started by telling our group that the circle in the middle of the foyer contain 6 images of the 6 flags of the countries that once controlled Texas: Mexico, Spain, France, The Republic of Texas, The Confederacy of the United States, and The United States of America. She also pointed out that the dome was 50 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. We proceeded to the senate chambers where they are in session on 5 months every other year on the old year. I never really thought about how watch individual state government works, but that is very different than the Massachusetts Senate. One other interesting tidbit I picked up is that the door hinges are made of solid gold and weigh 3 lbs each and there are 3 on each door. Money, money, money! Tip for tourists and human beings in general: keep your personal grooming habits personal. No one wants to see you filing your nails in public never mind in the senate chambers! Another tip: the gift shop have really cool sheriff badges with names on them. I picked up two, one each for my nephews.
From there Niamh and I took a leisurely walk to Guadalupe Avenue for lunch. Niamh suggested Vert's Kebap which serves Doner Kepab. It is a typical German street food that started about 40 years ago in Gemany by a Turkish resident of Berlin. It has delicious seasoned meat and salad inside a pita. It is also vegetarian friendly (Niamh is a vegetarian). It was scrumptious. I would definitely go back for a quick meal in Austin.
After lunch we cut across the sprawling campus of the University of Texas to go to the President Lyndon B. Johnson Library. We only got to see a tiny bit, and I mean tiny bit, of the library as it is undergoing extensive renovations. However, I quite enjoyed the Oval Office replica and President Johnson's reflection on being president. He surmised that all men who become president go into it wanting to do what is best for the people of the United States. I wonder if he would still say that with our recent history. Another cool gift shop where I bought a huge sparkling costume jewelry ring and not a single thing to do with presidents or government.
On our bus trip back to Hyde Park, the area where Niamh lives in Austin, I sat behind another homeless man. Niamh says they ride the buses during the day to beat the heat. Hey, if it works, I don't begrudge them. I just wished at that point that I wasn't the one who kept sitting behind them.
One short thing about the grocery store chain, it's called HEB- Here Everything is Better. I have heard that that is the motto for Texas!
Up next, go to pick up Triona, Niamh's sister, in Dripping Springs! I was so excited to see this place. Niamh was a veterinary ex tern there for 2 weeks at an Equine clinic. It literally was out in the middle of nowhere, and she had stayed in an Airstream trailed without any toilet. Take about Texas Chainsaw Massacre! I don't know how she did it! She was warned about scorpions and rattlesnakes and was lucky enough to only come across one rattlesnake on the last day while she was sitting in the car. Anyway Dripping Springs wasn't as much of Hicksville as I thought it would be. They had chain restaurants anyway.
Back in proper society we headed to the Hula Hut for dinner. It looks just like the name sounds. You feel like you're in Hawaii; granted I have never been to Hawaii, but Niamh and Triona assured me this connection was accurate. The chips and salsa tasted authentically Mexican, and I started off with a Texas Martini. It is like a margarita but has vodka in it as well to take that little kick. It was not as sour as a margarita. Apparently you can only have 2 of these before they shut you off. Luckily for my dining companions, I didn't even try. For my meal I had fish tacos that had grilled mahi mahi. They were prefect. Triona and Niamh were equally with their pulled pork tacos and fresh-made veggie burger. Service was great and atmosphere was fun and a bit cheesy.
We arrived back at the house around 11 and decided to call it a night! We have a bacholerette party to attend on Saturday night and didn't want to tire ourselves out!
After starting the day feeling like death, but really happy with myself for doing it anyway, Niamh and I headed into town to the capital building. We hopped on the bus, that is what they have for public transportation her in Austin ($2.00 for a 24 hour pass), and I was greeted with the smell of homelessness. Not I am not being a snob, maybe a little bit, but when it is right in front of you, in a confined space, the smell is just terrible. God bless the poor man. I tried to keep my head turned the other way for the entire bus ride, but I think the whole bus just smelled because it is summer in Texas.
We got of around 12th street, I believe. Austin is set-up as a grid. The capital building looks an awful lot like the Massachusetts State House. It has a very large dome. We were very happy to walk up the steps as we approached the doors and feel the cool air from the AC blasting out. They have free public tours there, and I thought it was well worth the visit. When you stand smack dab in the middle of the foyer and speak even very quietly, it sounds like the entire building can hear you! Our tour guide, Gloria started by telling our group that the circle in the middle of the foyer contain 6 images of the 6 flags of the countries that once controlled Texas: Mexico, Spain, France, The Republic of Texas, The Confederacy of the United States, and The United States of America. She also pointed out that the dome was 50 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. We proceeded to the senate chambers where they are in session on 5 months every other year on the old year. I never really thought about how watch individual state government works, but that is very different than the Massachusetts Senate. One other interesting tidbit I picked up is that the door hinges are made of solid gold and weigh 3 lbs each and there are 3 on each door. Money, money, money! Tip for tourists and human beings in general: keep your personal grooming habits personal. No one wants to see you filing your nails in public never mind in the senate chambers! Another tip: the gift shop have really cool sheriff badges with names on them. I picked up two, one each for my nephews.
From there Niamh and I took a leisurely walk to Guadalupe Avenue for lunch. Niamh suggested Vert's Kebap which serves Doner Kepab. It is a typical German street food that started about 40 years ago in Gemany by a Turkish resident of Berlin. It has delicious seasoned meat and salad inside a pita. It is also vegetarian friendly (Niamh is a vegetarian). It was scrumptious. I would definitely go back for a quick meal in Austin.
After lunch we cut across the sprawling campus of the University of Texas to go to the President Lyndon B. Johnson Library. We only got to see a tiny bit, and I mean tiny bit, of the library as it is undergoing extensive renovations. However, I quite enjoyed the Oval Office replica and President Johnson's reflection on being president. He surmised that all men who become president go into it wanting to do what is best for the people of the United States. I wonder if he would still say that with our recent history. Another cool gift shop where I bought a huge sparkling costume jewelry ring and not a single thing to do with presidents or government.
On our bus trip back to Hyde Park, the area where Niamh lives in Austin, I sat behind another homeless man. Niamh says they ride the buses during the day to beat the heat. Hey, if it works, I don't begrudge them. I just wished at that point that I wasn't the one who kept sitting behind them.
One short thing about the grocery store chain, it's called HEB- Here Everything is Better. I have heard that that is the motto for Texas!
Up next, go to pick up Triona, Niamh's sister, in Dripping Springs! I was so excited to see this place. Niamh was a veterinary ex tern there for 2 weeks at an Equine clinic. It literally was out in the middle of nowhere, and she had stayed in an Airstream trailed without any toilet. Take about Texas Chainsaw Massacre! I don't know how she did it! She was warned about scorpions and rattlesnakes and was lucky enough to only come across one rattlesnake on the last day while she was sitting in the car. Anyway Dripping Springs wasn't as much of Hicksville as I thought it would be. They had chain restaurants anyway.
Back in proper society we headed to the Hula Hut for dinner. It looks just like the name sounds. You feel like you're in Hawaii; granted I have never been to Hawaii, but Niamh and Triona assured me this connection was accurate. The chips and salsa tasted authentically Mexican, and I started off with a Texas Martini. It is like a margarita but has vodka in it as well to take that little kick. It was not as sour as a margarita. Apparently you can only have 2 of these before they shut you off. Luckily for my dining companions, I didn't even try. For my meal I had fish tacos that had grilled mahi mahi. They were prefect. Triona and Niamh were equally with their pulled pork tacos and fresh-made veggie burger. Service was great and atmosphere was fun and a bit cheesy.
We arrived back at the house around 11 and decided to call it a night! We have a bacholerette party to attend on Saturday night and didn't want to tire ourselves out!
Hi y'all! I arrived in Austin, Texas 2 days ago. Let me tell you, it was not a smooth journey. I left Boston at 5:26 AM. You may think that a seasoned traveler like myself does not get stressed while traveling, but that would be a misconception. I arrived at Logan airport at 4:55 AM; the plan was to be there by 4:45 (I had my boarding pass and wasn't checking any bags). I thought that was plenty of time. Turned out, I was wrong. First, we encountered a detour on 93S and could not get access to the airport tunnel where we should have, If you know Boston at all, you know that they don't post there road signs well and the airport entrance is a bit hidden (from me anyway when I am anxious about getting there). So after taking a making a couple of u-turns and a roundabout way, we made it. I calmed myself down and thought, "plenty of time," and guess what? Wrong again! The security line was excruciatingly long. After checking the time a million times in a matter of minutes, I put my phone away to counter this stressful behavior. When I though I had finally made it, my bag got pulled and searched twice for what turned out to be a bottle of vitamin E that was in there (a story for another day). I made it onto the plane at 5:23 AM; 3 minutes before scheduled take-off and silly me. . . there were about 20 more passengers that sauntered onto the plan without a bead of sweat on there foreheads without a care in the world while I, myself, looked like a chicken with its head cutoff.
Needless to say, in my mind anyway, after a start like that, where else would I end up but in the last row of the plane in the middle seat. Traveler tip number 1: Always make sure to choose your seat ahead of time. I really screwed myself this time. Some of you may not realize, but the last row of seats cannot recline, and they seem to be straighter and more uncomfortable that any seat in the world especially when you have a rather large lady to your right whose leg in squished under the armrest and nicely pressing into your own thigh. We arrived in Houston on time. Well, sort of. We circled the airport for approximately 1 hr 20 min due to bad thunderstorms. As the stewards assured us thousands of times, "all flights will be in the same predicament we are, so we are almost certain your connecting flights will be delayed, too. But we don't really know anything, and you'll have to ask the people on the ground." In my mind they were saying, "We don't really give a _________ about you and we are passing you off to the next sorry sack as soon as we possibly can." I was correct in my conclusion. There was one poor soul from United at the top of the gate and about a hundred passengers panicking about their connecting flights so I took my chances with the monitors where I discovered my flight was delayed an hour. That was perfect. I made my way on the tram to terminal A to a satellite area that could barely hold 100 people never mind the 500 or so stranded travelers trying to figure out their connections. I sat down to read for half an hour before deciding I should battle my way through the frustrated mob to my gate where I soon saw that my flight to Austin had been cancelled. I reread that screen about 5 times to be certain I was looking at the correct flight to Austin (there were approximately 5 in all.) Unfortunately, my was the unfortunate flight to be cancelled. I dashed to the customer service line, which at this point was 20 deep, and waited (I have to say very patiently) for my turn. I was hoping that if I was positive and calm the Universe (yes, read The Secret or better yet, watch the movie) would take care of me. "Next in line." OK here we go, this is were I was going to be rewarded. Well, I was wrong, sort of. The polite gentleman at the counter informed me he could get a me a confirmed seat on the 3:20 PM plane not today, but Friday. For a little context, it was Thursday at 11:20 AM. This would not do, but what could I do? I remained calm and patient as he told me he would put me on standby. Just as I was about to go begin my purgatory of standby, he said, "I have good news! A seat just opened on the 3:20 flight for today, and I will put you on standby for the 1:00 flight." Needless to say, the Universe had my back, and my name was called on the 1:00 flight.
My cousin, Niamh (rhymes with Steve, she came up with that) was there to greet me in Austin. She is a Galway girl, but drives a honking Ford Explorer in Texas. It suits Texas, not Niamh. The Explorer does provide you with a good view of you surroundings though. I love looking at a new place for the first time as you exit the airport. I was ravenous at this point not having eaten since 5:00 PM the previous day. For those of you who know me, I am not a happy Travelkat when I am hungry. Niamh quickly put that monster to rest by taking me to Trudy's in Austin (it is a bit of a chain). It is a Tex-Mex restaurant. I had a typical salad that you would find at a restaurant like this, but the drink I had really stood out. It was a Silver Fire Margarita. . . a standard margarita with bits of jalapeno and Tabasco sauce. Sounds disgusting but tastes delicious! And on Thursdays they are only $5.00.
After dinner we went on my first real adventure in Austin. Maybe its because I am from the Northeast or maybe it is because I am from Boston, but I had never in my life heard of a karaoke league. Well, they have one here. A friend of Niamh's is on a team, and he was competing Thursday night. She had never been either so we had no idea about what to expect or the prime people watching we would experience. First off, it was the strangest bar I had ever been too. It is named Ego's and it is on the bottom floor a building attached to a parking garage. If you didn't look hard, you wouldn't find it. It is dark and there are absolutely no windows of any sort. Niamh and I grabbed the last table available. Don't be mistaken though, the place wasn't packed with people, the table were just all covered by what we presumed were team costumes, and we were right! We saw crazy wigs, Bert and Ernie (from Sesame Street), and lots of neon adorning the tables. We sat at our little square out-of-the-way table, and waited. Well, we got a show straight off. A cowboy came sauntering in. He didn't have a horse though, just a laptop. I'll get back to that later. He looked a bit like Kenny Rogers with a long gray beard, cowboy hat, black leather vest, etc. . . . We assumed, as he set up his laptop, that he must have something to do with the music. We assumed wrong. As we watched him throughout the night, we became very perplexed. He had a slide show running with photos of himself that looked to be professionally done and pictures about Texas pride with guns and cannons and such. However, he totally threw us for a loop when he started singing along to Kelly Clarkson, Michael Jackson, and even Blondie singing "Rapture." Strange in deed. The karaoke teams were not as entertaining, except for the blue team. They were really amateurish even though they had a week to prepare. They all had costumes and props though that added to the silliness of the entire evening. Luckily we were spared after the 2nd round when they experienced technical difficulties and had to postpone the 3rd round.
All in all it was a great introduction to Austin. Trudy's yes, Ego's no.
Needless to say, in my mind anyway, after a start like that, where else would I end up but in the last row of the plane in the middle seat. Traveler tip number 1: Always make sure to choose your seat ahead of time. I really screwed myself this time. Some of you may not realize, but the last row of seats cannot recline, and they seem to be straighter and more uncomfortable that any seat in the world especially when you have a rather large lady to your right whose leg in squished under the armrest and nicely pressing into your own thigh. We arrived in Houston on time. Well, sort of. We circled the airport for approximately 1 hr 20 min due to bad thunderstorms. As the stewards assured us thousands of times, "all flights will be in the same predicament we are, so we are almost certain your connecting flights will be delayed, too. But we don't really know anything, and you'll have to ask the people on the ground." In my mind they were saying, "We don't really give a _________ about you and we are passing you off to the next sorry sack as soon as we possibly can." I was correct in my conclusion. There was one poor soul from United at the top of the gate and about a hundred passengers panicking about their connecting flights so I took my chances with the monitors where I discovered my flight was delayed an hour. That was perfect. I made my way on the tram to terminal A to a satellite area that could barely hold 100 people never mind the 500 or so stranded travelers trying to figure out their connections. I sat down to read for half an hour before deciding I should battle my way through the frustrated mob to my gate where I soon saw that my flight to Austin had been cancelled. I reread that screen about 5 times to be certain I was looking at the correct flight to Austin (there were approximately 5 in all.) Unfortunately, my was the unfortunate flight to be cancelled. I dashed to the customer service line, which at this point was 20 deep, and waited (I have to say very patiently) for my turn. I was hoping that if I was positive and calm the Universe (yes, read The Secret or better yet, watch the movie) would take care of me. "Next in line." OK here we go, this is were I was going to be rewarded. Well, I was wrong, sort of. The polite gentleman at the counter informed me he could get a me a confirmed seat on the 3:20 PM plane not today, but Friday. For a little context, it was Thursday at 11:20 AM. This would not do, but what could I do? I remained calm and patient as he told me he would put me on standby. Just as I was about to go begin my purgatory of standby, he said, "I have good news! A seat just opened on the 3:20 flight for today, and I will put you on standby for the 1:00 flight." Needless to say, the Universe had my back, and my name was called on the 1:00 flight.
My cousin, Niamh (rhymes with Steve, she came up with that) was there to greet me in Austin. She is a Galway girl, but drives a honking Ford Explorer in Texas. It suits Texas, not Niamh. The Explorer does provide you with a good view of you surroundings though. I love looking at a new place for the first time as you exit the airport. I was ravenous at this point not having eaten since 5:00 PM the previous day. For those of you who know me, I am not a happy Travelkat when I am hungry. Niamh quickly put that monster to rest by taking me to Trudy's in Austin (it is a bit of a chain). It is a Tex-Mex restaurant. I had a typical salad that you would find at a restaurant like this, but the drink I had really stood out. It was a Silver Fire Margarita. . . a standard margarita with bits of jalapeno and Tabasco sauce. Sounds disgusting but tastes delicious! And on Thursdays they are only $5.00.
After dinner we went on my first real adventure in Austin. Maybe its because I am from the Northeast or maybe it is because I am from Boston, but I had never in my life heard of a karaoke league. Well, they have one here. A friend of Niamh's is on a team, and he was competing Thursday night. She had never been either so we had no idea about what to expect or the prime people watching we would experience. First off, it was the strangest bar I had ever been too. It is named Ego's and it is on the bottom floor a building attached to a parking garage. If you didn't look hard, you wouldn't find it. It is dark and there are absolutely no windows of any sort. Niamh and I grabbed the last table available. Don't be mistaken though, the place wasn't packed with people, the table were just all covered by what we presumed were team costumes, and we were right! We saw crazy wigs, Bert and Ernie (from Sesame Street), and lots of neon adorning the tables. We sat at our little square out-of-the-way table, and waited. Well, we got a show straight off. A cowboy came sauntering in. He didn't have a horse though, just a laptop. I'll get back to that later. He looked a bit like Kenny Rogers with a long gray beard, cowboy hat, black leather vest, etc. . . . We assumed, as he set up his laptop, that he must have something to do with the music. We assumed wrong. As we watched him throughout the night, we became very perplexed. He had a slide show running with photos of himself that looked to be professionally done and pictures about Texas pride with guns and cannons and such. However, he totally threw us for a loop when he started singing along to Kelly Clarkson, Michael Jackson, and even Blondie singing "Rapture." Strange in deed. The karaoke teams were not as entertaining, except for the blue team. They were really amateurish even though they had a week to prepare. They all had costumes and props though that added to the silliness of the entire evening. Luckily we were spared after the 2nd round when they experienced technical difficulties and had to postpone the 3rd round.
All in all it was a great introduction to Austin. Trudy's yes, Ego's no.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)