Easter it is accompanied by the thoughts of church or family. Everyone does not celebrate Easter but for those who do, the Sunday is spent either with family or at a church service. As for myself, on holidays such as Easter I prefer to be with family. As a flight attendant I don't always have a choice. Flights are departing and arriving 7 days a week and at all hours of the day. Those flights can't depart without a flight crew so we miss several holidays with the family.
This particular Easter I worked the flight to London.When you fly away from home as often as I do, you tend to create a temporary family. My temporary family for 28 hours were my fellow flight attendants. Once we had arrived in London, we parted ways to take an afternoon nap. After several hours of rest (which was really needed) we gathered for dinner. The stores and restaurant had closed early for Easter Sunday. Instead of wandering for an open place, we walked over to a flight attendant favorite. The pub was called The Monkey Puzzle. The owner was familiar with a few of the flight attendants on a first name basis. He was a delight as he walked around and entertained us with a joke or two. We had originally planned on only staying for a pint of beer. One pint became two and finally we asked for the dinner menu. As we waited for dinner to be served, we sat around and discussed topics from A to Z. The main topic of discussion was why some people are in your life and some are not. We all had concluded and agreed that some people are meant to be temporary. You were what they needed or they were what you needed at the moment. As I looked at the other four flight attendants I realized they were what I needed in London and vice versa. We had allowed each other to be our temporary family for the holiday. We didn't focus on being away from home because instead we laughed, ate and created memories as though we were at home. Thank you temporary family for making my Easter memorable. Happy Easter everyone!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
4 day mini in Austin, Texas.
A mini vacation serves two purposes. First purpose, it's long enough to relax the cranky work muscles with a change of scenery. Second, a mini vacation is short so you can be back at work quickly. I'm a firm believer that if you can afford to take several mini vacations a year, you should. They rejuvenate the soul and give you a better perspective of a place you have never been.
I took a mini vacation a few weeks ago to Austin, Texas. I had friends raving about how much they loved the city and I was curious. My only previous thoughts of Texas were big hair, pageants, football and a lot of land. I was pleasantly surprised when this was not the impression I received. I was in Austin for four days and with each passing day I fell in love with the city. Individuality and creativity seemed to run rampant in the streets. The food, the culture and the people blew my mind. The people were friendly, hip and gave the impression of being very comfortable in their own skin. The food and music also impacted my impressions of a city not afraid to experiment. I tried so many places to eat that I provoked a serious food coma by the end. Since it was four days and a lot was done, I can only point out some aspects of my mini. Below I have listed seven places and why I enjoyed them.
1. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q.
11570 Research Blvd
512-418-9898
* I absolutely loved the food here. I enjoyed the food so much that I went twice. The St. Louis Ribs (my favorite), Baby back ribs and pork loin were mouth watering. The selection of Bar-B-Q was extensive and you can have a sample before ordering. Also, if you visit Rudy's, you can't leave without trying the cream corn. I believe its a mixture of corn and cream cheese. I would love to learn to make this for Thanksgiving.
2. The Driskill Hotel (1886 Cafe & Bakery)
604 Brazos Street
512-474-5911
*This place is beautiful in decor and architecture. The Hotel was built in 1886. When you walk into the hotel, you feel like you belong to an upper social class in the 1800's. Inside the hotel you can have dinner in the main restaurant while you listen to music or coffee in the bakery. The bakery is off to the side of the main lobby. The bakery waitstaff proudly announced that the chocolate cake was the same recipe since 1886. I should of tried the chocolate cake but I tried instead the Pecan pie and a cup of coffee. The pecan pie did not disappoint but I'm still kicking myself for not trying the chocolate cake. The hotel and bakery could not have been a better setting to have a sweet treat.
3. Opals Divine
700 West 6th Street
512-477-3308
*My mouth had a unique taste adventure at Opals Divine. I ordered the urban bubba. This is a burger with jalapenos, Gorgonzola cheese, chipotle mayo and wing sauce. My mouth felt as though a cheeseburger and a chicken wing had a child. That experience alone is reason to visit again.
4. The Original New Orleans Po-boy and Gumbo shop
SOCO Trailer Park
*SOCO (South Congress) is a neighborhood in Austin on the street South Congress. In this neighborhood you will find a row of food trailers. This area is called trailer park. The trailer I tried had Cajun flavored boiled crawfish. The Cajun flavors were a tiny bit spicy but added just enough kick to the soft meat inside the crawfish. The crawfish was so good, it could of came out of any five star restaurant.
5. Cafe Medici
1101 West Lynn
512-524-5049
*Wow glass mugs and not paper. After that shock, I enjoyed the atmosphere and my chai tea latte. All over Austin, you can find many coffee shops with their own unique flair. Cafe Medici is just one of these great pop and mom coffee shops.
6. Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
*This was my first time visiting a presidential Library. It was interesting to listen and read about his contributions to the civil rights movement and criticism of his handling of Vietnam. It was an educational experience and also inspiring.
7. Uncommon Objects
1512 South Congress Ave
512-442-4000
* This is the holy land for lovers of antiques, oddities and treasures. You can anything from old photographs, statues, rustic keys to antique furniture. Even if you don't buy anything, walk in and take a hidden look at the hidden gems. Your trash here is someones next decorating piece.
As I stated previously, these are only seven places of the many I enjoyed. In addition to the seven places above, I did enjoy two nights of music and drinking on sixth street. Sixth street is great for bar hopping or listening to a cool band. I hope to return to Austin next year and do it all over again.
I took a mini vacation a few weeks ago to Austin, Texas. I had friends raving about how much they loved the city and I was curious. My only previous thoughts of Texas were big hair, pageants, football and a lot of land. I was pleasantly surprised when this was not the impression I received. I was in Austin for four days and with each passing day I fell in love with the city. Individuality and creativity seemed to run rampant in the streets. The food, the culture and the people blew my mind. The people were friendly, hip and gave the impression of being very comfortable in their own skin. The food and music also impacted my impressions of a city not afraid to experiment. I tried so many places to eat that I provoked a serious food coma by the end. Since it was four days and a lot was done, I can only point out some aspects of my mini. Below I have listed seven places and why I enjoyed them.
1. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q.
11570 Research Blvd
512-418-9898
* I absolutely loved the food here. I enjoyed the food so much that I went twice. The St. Louis Ribs (my favorite), Baby back ribs and pork loin were mouth watering. The selection of Bar-B-Q was extensive and you can have a sample before ordering. Also, if you visit Rudy's, you can't leave without trying the cream corn. I believe its a mixture of corn and cream cheese. I would love to learn to make this for Thanksgiving.
2. The Driskill Hotel (1886 Cafe & Bakery)
604 Brazos Street
512-474-5911
*This place is beautiful in decor and architecture. The Hotel was built in 1886. When you walk into the hotel, you feel like you belong to an upper social class in the 1800's. Inside the hotel you can have dinner in the main restaurant while you listen to music or coffee in the bakery. The bakery is off to the side of the main lobby. The bakery waitstaff proudly announced that the chocolate cake was the same recipe since 1886. I should of tried the chocolate cake but I tried instead the Pecan pie and a cup of coffee. The pecan pie did not disappoint but I'm still kicking myself for not trying the chocolate cake. The hotel and bakery could not have been a better setting to have a sweet treat.
3. Opals Divine
700 West 6th Street
512-477-3308
*My mouth had a unique taste adventure at Opals Divine. I ordered the urban bubba. This is a burger with jalapenos, Gorgonzola cheese, chipotle mayo and wing sauce. My mouth felt as though a cheeseburger and a chicken wing had a child. That experience alone is reason to visit again.
4. The Original New Orleans Po-boy and Gumbo shopSOCO Trailer Park
*SOCO (South Congress) is a neighborhood in Austin on the street South Congress. In this neighborhood you will find a row of food trailers. This area is called trailer park. The trailer I tried had Cajun flavored boiled crawfish. The Cajun flavors were a tiny bit spicy but added just enough kick to the soft meat inside the crawfish. The crawfish was so good, it could of came out of any five star restaurant.
5. Cafe Medici
1101 West Lynn
512-524-5049
*Wow glass mugs and not paper. After that shock, I enjoyed the atmosphere and my chai tea latte. All over Austin, you can find many coffee shops with their own unique flair. Cafe Medici is just one of these great pop and mom coffee shops.
6. Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
*This was my first time visiting a presidential Library. It was interesting to listen and read about his contributions to the civil rights movement and criticism of his handling of Vietnam. It was an educational experience and also inspiring.
7. Uncommon Objects
1512 South Congress Ave
512-442-4000
* This is the holy land for lovers of antiques, oddities and treasures. You can anything from old photographs, statues, rustic keys to antique furniture. Even if you don't buy anything, walk in and take a hidden look at the hidden gems. Your trash here is someones next decorating piece.
As I stated previously, these are only seven places of the many I enjoyed. In addition to the seven places above, I did enjoy two nights of music and drinking on sixth street. Sixth street is great for bar hopping or listening to a cool band. I hope to return to Austin next year and do it all over again.
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