the winds of change

I traveled to Austin, TX in January to meet my nephew Cliff and to watch Cyclocross Nationals at Zilker Park. Proper planning for this trip was essential. It started with researching and identifying the places I needed to visit in search of the best craft beer, tacos, coffee, pancakes, pizza, ice cream, cupcakes and cookies in Austin. It was a big list to tackle in only four days, but my stomach was up for the challenge.

I drank more beer in 24 hours than I usually drink in a month. Austin Beerworks was the hands down winner over 512 Brewing Company and Hops & Grain.

“Tacos are like Mexican sandwiches” and I’d be perfectly content eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life. In search of the best fish tacos in Austin, there were four spots on my list (Chuy’s, Tacodeli, Vera Cruz all natural food truck and Cabo Bob’s). Not only did I make it to all four, I got Tacodeli twice! Vera Cruz won this battle but Tacodeli was a close second.

Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast, that’s why I had them for dinner (Magnolia Cafe) and lunch (Kerbey Lane Cafe). The buttermilk pancakes at Kerbey lane were my favorite.

Monkey Nest, Caffe Medici and Houndstooth were the places where  I had decaf (living life on the edge) Americanos. Houndstooth was a landslide winner. 

But really now, on to the important stuff...cupcakes from Hey Cupcake, Cookies at Walton’s Fancy and Staple, Amy’s Ice Cream and Home Slice Pizza.

With all of this talk of food, the title of my entry hardly seems appropriate. Last week I was having a conversation with a long time co-worker. She told me that her husband got a job in upstate NY and that they were moving at the end of the month. She said that change is a good thing. I echo that sentiment. 

My time in Austin was time well spent. The city is easy to navigate, the people are friendly and there are an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. Most importantly, my brother and his growing family live there. The wheels have been set in motion.