All of life is a chance: 01/01/2015

The time just got away from me between the October traveling and the holiday season. I also just got a new laptop as well as a new cell phone so expect more posts this year now that I have my own computer (I've been sharing the family desktop for awhile now) and better phone camera.

One of the cool weekend trips I did back in October was Austin City Limits. I've only been to Austin a couple of times before but I liked what I saw/did/ate and was excited to go back just for that alone. Combined with music, made the weekend even better. I've never done a large music festival before so we opted just for one day instead of all 3 days. Probably a good thing in the long run, because while I was bummed to miss out on some good bands, all day festival stuff is exhausting. My sister joined me for the weekend and we choose Sunday because that was the day Pearl Jam was headlining, one of our favorite bands.

Austin is very proud of their food scene

No clue of the name of this band but I remember they were very good. Too many bands, not enough time.

Keeping Austin weird at all times

Pearl Jam!!

I was impressed with how well organized the festival was run with the proper line maintenance, free shuttle buses and just good logistics all over town to handle the masses of people. We spent all of Saturday just exploring Austin and it didn't feel overly crowded. Here's a list of some of things we saw/ate outside of the festival and why I recommend checking them out if you're ever in Austin.

Mellow Johnny's bike shop has a little coffee shop attached called Juan Pelota Cafe and they make a mean pour over.

Great artwork found behind Mellow Johnny's bike shop

Torchy's Taco truck at the Trailer Park on South First. They've now franchised and there's a few locations in Houston but it's just not the same as the truck. The best two tacos are the Democrat and the Trailer Park trashy. They have good vegetarian options too.

The line was ridiculous but worth the wait

The Democrat is in the far right and the Trailer Park trashy is on the far left. Yum!

Last time I went to Austin, we had fantastic coffee at Patika coffee truck in the business district area of Austin. This time when I went looking for the truck, I couldn't find it. Probably due to all the construction in the area. I was really bummed until I checked my phone and noticed they open a proper brick and mortar location on South Lamar. Seriously some of the best coffee I've ever had. Totally lived up to my memories.

After the festival ended on Sunday night, it was late and we were hungry. We luckily came upon P. Terry's burger stand which totally did the trick with a cheeseburger and strawberry milkshake. The reviews are mixed on yelp but after all day festival going without much eats, this was tasty and cheap and I would try it again.

South Congress is a fun street to walk up and down on. Plenty of eclectic stores from hipster clothes, tourist crap, and Texas cowboots to choose from. Tesoros Trading Company and Uncommon Objects are two fun places to check out. They are full of all sorts of stuff. Tesoros has a more hispanic flair with their products as well and things from other countries. I always find a few neat gifts there. Uncommon Objects specializes in antiques, vintage and just random old junk. You can find a lot if you take the time to dig through it all. Allens Boots is a must just to see the huge selection of cowboy boots.

Found in one of the stores on South Congress. Loved these guys but not the $35 price tag.

I really need to buy myself a pair of boots one of these days

Franks Hot Dogs is another good late night spot with a huge variety of hot dog options. I wasn't feeling too great so unfortunately I didn't partake is some of the more interesting options but even the basic dog was tasty. What actually stands out to me is the Frank House Salad. I got the small portion and it was outstanding. I loved the combination of toppings and made for a refreshing partner to the hot dog. I definitely want to go back and try more like the Canadian Waffle Poutine and the more adventurous hotdogs like Carolina Pork It .