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.

Terminal 1 breakfast spot-Chicago O'Hare International Airport

If you were to walk down a Chicago street yelling “Cheezborger, Cheezborger”, at least one person would giggle and start to reminisce about Billy Goat Tavern food. The Billy Goat Tavern has been a Chicago institution since 1934. The words “Cheezborger, Cheezborger” became national when a skit about the Billy Goat Tavern was featured on Saturday Night Live. What some people might not know about Billy Goat Tavern is that it’s serves up a quick, large portion and pretty cheap breakfast in terminal one. If you find yourself on a morning flight with extra time to kill, walk over to terminal one. Billy Goat Tavern is located in the food court in concourse C. The food court will be in your view once you have reached the top of the escalators on the C concourse. Now remember most people might not know about this breakfast spot but a lot do. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself at the back of the line. Good thing for you is that they are like a well oiled machine and quickly crank out breakfast platters and breakfast sandwiches. My top reasons why you should visit for breakfast:
1. Breakfast option prices run from $3.00 to $7.00. This is cheap for O’Hare!
2. Breakfast platters taste homemade
3. Quick service
4. Right off the escalator so its quickly accessible.

Please feel free to email me and let me know of your favorites spots at O’Hare. I would love to try it out.