Browse Tag: austin

WHS Girls in Austin

At our 25-year high school reunion, the girls talked about meeting up in Austin for a girls trip. We actually made it happen and I headed out on Friday night after swim while the girls had already had a day out there to play. They sent me photos and awaited my arrival at the hotel. Unfortunately, I passed out on the plane ride over and had to be examined and given some O2 for the rest of the ride. I also had an embarrassing walk of shame off the plane to meet the EMT waiting for me at the gate.  Too bad I didn’t have a better reason. I hadn’t even had anything to drink yet! I just felt yucky in my seat and passed out on my way to the lavatory.

The next morning, most of the girls went to the spa while Holly and I borrowed the hotel bikes for a little ride into town. We stopped on South Congress Ave to do some shopping and we really did. We had fun browsing the Toms, Warby Parker, and a famous boot store.  Holly got herself a new pair of sunglasses and I picked out a new pair of glasses that should be mailed to me with the prescription I just got from my doctor.

We also stopped for Amy’s Ice Cream and ate outside.

The boot store was a lot of fun and Holly ended up with a cute pair for herself.

The ride back to the hotel was fun but a little scary when a group of young men were riding electric scooters dangerously fast on the downhill in front of us and one hit a bump. Luckily we were able to swerve around him and he somehow recovered without a scratch.

Later in the evening, we had Happy Hour at the hotel and then went to dinner at Odd Duck where the food was really tasty.

We got the fried fish head and many other yummy dishes.

After dinner, we went to a speakeasy called Midnight Cowboy. We had a private room with some of our drinks prepared from a cart. The location used to be a brothel, which made it an interesting little place to visit.

The next morning, I was up early and went downstairs to the lobby for some coffee and reading. Patti was also up and joined me for a morning of peace and quiet.

After breakfast, we went to the Hope Outdoor Gallery to do some spray painting.

It’s a wall that people started tagging and now it’s a popular stop for those who want to leave their mark until someone else comes around and paints over it.

We had fun doing some painting.

What a fun weekend with the girls! Loved that we were all able to get together and catch up. I’ve really missed my Whitney High girls.

Austin – Day Three

After a gluttonous morning at Franklin BBQ, we went back to our hotel to take a quick nap and then went for a little dip in the hotel pool.

Unfortunately, it started to rain and then by the time we got back up to our room, it became a giant downpour and flooded the streets for a bit. Once the rain stopped, we headed back out to explore the city one last time. It happened to be Austin’s Pride Weekend and they had a parade down Congress Avenue that evening.

It seems more like a corporate-sponsored parade with every corporation with a presence.  It was still a fun celebration and fun to watch.

Before the end of the night, we went back to SanJac for one more night of live music before heading back to the hotel.

But of course a late night would not be complete without a quick meal off a street cart.

We picked up a couple tacos and ate it on the street.

After a good night’s sleep, we headed back to the airport for an early morning flight back to the Bay Area. What a fun no-kid trip!

Austin – Franklin BBQ

Our morning at Franklin BBQ started early. Unfortunately, I overslept and Jes woke me up by 7:00. My original plan was to get to the line by 7:00 but we got there closer to 7:30.


By the time we arrived, the line was out to the white car in the parking lot and there were two chairs left under the stairs for us to borrow.

Luckily it didn’t rain and the heat in the morning wasn’t bad. Once we got settled, I walked back to the hotel, just one street away, to buy coffee and breakfast.

During our wait, we met two girls who were engineering majors at University of Texas. Next to them was a group of guys from the Sacramento area. There was a bigger group of guys in front of us in line who brought chairs, music, and a cooler of beer. We weren’t nearly as prepared but when the store upstairs opened at 9am, we got to buy beer and wine and use their restroom whenever we needed. It was also nicely air-conditioned in there so I got to cool off a bit each time we needed a refill.


Here’s their Line Manifesto, which is posted out front.

At 11am, the restaurant opened and everyone got up from their chairs and started filling the line inside. We ended up just at the bottom of the ramp and got some shade for the rest of our wait. The buckets of beer continued to follow and the girls joined our little party.

By noon, we were at the front of the door. Woohoo!

Once inside, we got to enjoy the A/C and check out what everyone in front of us had ordered.

Here’s the menu. They only serve beef ribs on Saturdays (main reason we chose to come on this day) and we were one of the last ones in the line who could get some. Earlier in the morning, a guy came around to take our tentative orders so he could predict who would likely get beef ribs. He designated me and my hat as the marker for the last beef ribs so the guy cutting would be able to pace himself.

By the time we got to the counter, there was plenty of beef ribs to go around to the 2-3 groups behind us. The guys in front of us didn’t realize how large they were and cut their order down quite a bit. I’m sure that’s what a lot of people did.

Here’s what we ordered: one beef rib, 1/2 lb brisket, one sausage, potato salad, a key lime tart, and a bourbon pecan tart.

Look at this brisket! I thought yesterday’s was good at la Barbecue but THIS was SO MUCH BETTER!


I didn’t think that was possible but Mr. Aaron Franklin really knows what he’s doing and his brisket is worth the wait!


The look on Jesse’s face this morning was priceless.

Here’s a video of our three groups sitting together to enjoy our meal. Everyone was so happy.

Now for the beef rib. One rib was plenty. The bark was so tasty and the meat was super tender.

Here’s another perfect bite: white bread, brisket with lots of bark, and a pickle on top.

Aaron came out to chat and greet everyone while we were there and was happy to take a photo. Cool dude.

The verdict: If you have the time and another buddy who is just excited for some real Central Texas BBQ, the 5-hour experience of camping out, meeting new people, morning drinking, and happy-halo-over-your-head grubbing on meat is well worth the experience.

Austin – Day Two


After our meal at la Barbecue in the morning, we walked back to our hotel in the noon heat. By the time we got back, we were ready for something indoors.


So, we went to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema that is famous for having table service at your seat. At the ticket counter, we purchased out movie tickets for Mission Impossible along with our first drinks.


Once we sat down, a server came by to show us how to order in the middle of the movie. What a fun experience and great way to cool off.


Right outside of the theater was a mini shopping area that had an ice cream shoppe called Lick. They had SO MANY flavors to choose from.


I ended up going really simple with salted caramel and coffee scoops.


We did a little more walking back toward the Colorado River. We crossed the foot bridge to check out the paddlers below and the graffiti all along the railroad tracks.


Our next stop was Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue where they had Happy Hour specials. I had a giant glass of ice cold water and then a glass of white wine with a frito pie! Yum.


By the time we finished, there was just enough time to walk over to the Congress Avenue Bridge to check out the bats that come out at dusk. It was quite the sight.


We were lucky to have perfect timing on our arrival. By the time we made our way down toward the underside of the bridge, it was just minutes before they all came out all at once. What a unique way to end our day!

Austin – la Barbecue


This morning, we got up in time to get to La Barbecue before it opened (~10:30am).


Here’s the menu in front.


We made it to the first part of the line and waited until it opened at 11. It was nice to be able to wait indoors where they were running the A/C. They also served drinks before the meat counter opened.


When we got to the counter, we ordered a beef rib, sausage, and brisket.

We also got their beans, pickles, and jalapeno slaw. They also threw in a couple slices of white bread.


Jesse had been looking forward to this trip in hopes of tasting a really good brisket and he was not disappointed.


Look at that smoke ring! It was tender and had a nice bark.


Here’s the beef rib. It was HUGE and equally delicious.


This was my perfect bite: white bread, a little bit of tangy sauce, and some of the beef rib with bark. Yum.

Austin – Day One


We sent the kids down to Southern California for a couple weeks so Jes and I took the opportunity to take a non-kid trip to Austin! We had an early morning flight and checking in was so simple without two little ducklings tagging along.


We had one stop at Phoenix mid-morning with a 1-hr layover so I had some morning bubbles. Heh heh.


When we arrived, one of the first things we did was something that has become sort of a tradition now. Jes had forgotten his sunglasses AGAIN so we went to the mall to buy him some new ones.


When we checked into the hotel, they gave us a corner room that had a view of the capitol building.


After a dip in the pool to cool off in the 95-degree heat and humidity, we went out to 6th Street to take in the sights and sounds. We stopped at The Library, which had a one-man band who played his version of popular songs.


We also found a taqueria that has really unique (and spicy) tacos and some pretty tasty margaritas.


When it got dark, we found a bar called SanJac that had a live band getting ready to start. We ended up staying the rest of the night to enjoy the music.


What a fun night!