San Antonio and Austin, Texas: the fun parts!

Last month, Ryan and I decided on a quick trip to Austin, Texas. We needed some warmth and a long weekend away from the hustle and bustle of NYC post-holiday season. We knew we'd enjoy it, but we had no idea why.
First stop: San Antonio was a beautiful little town with a quaint little river walk that winds around the commercial area. Very beautifully done but definitely very commercialized. Get off the Walk for food because it's not worth it financially or otherwise. Check out Schilo's German deli and get the wienerschnitzel sandwich!

[Mission hallway]

Definitely check out the San Antonio bike share, the B-Cycle!! You can rent a bike, check them into various stations as you ride and get to explore the city in a sustainable way! Can't wait for NY to have this! You can ride along almost all of the River Walk where the Blue Star Brewery resides (just opened!)! We also went to check out the Missions! It's a quick pit stop. A bit of a snore but definitely a good stop if you're interested in architecture or historical sites (which I clearly am not cultured enough to respect).
We managed to snag a decent B&B, The Noble Inns, that was on the River Walk just a five minute walk from the "center of town." It's really old so don't expect anything fancy (also call ahead if you actually want the hot tub to work: dissappointed face). Everything outside of the commercial zone is pretty dead. We did manage to make it to the San Antonio Museum of Art for the Aphrodite exhibit but can't vouch for the rest of the museum. I asked Ryan to take a new portrait photo of me (You know, for all those stupid profile pics you need these days for LinkedIn etc) and the security guard caught us and told us we couldn't take "these kinds of photos" there without the permission of the museum. Ryan felt proud that this man mistook him for a "real" photographer. We bashfully ran away giggling.

[Glass ceiling at the SA Museum of Art]

Also got to see my parents and my brother. Haven't seen him in TWO years!! We took a two minute stroll through the Alamo. Kind of a snore too but I guess it's the go-to for tourist spots in town.

[Trolleys in San Antonio!]

A great food spot was the Alamo Street Eat Bar. It's a food truck parking lot with a small cabin in the middle where they have bathrooms and have quite a few beers on tap! We tried goodies at Outlaw BBQ (get the marbled brisket!) and Wheelie Gourmet (Lamb sandwich for sure!) though I don't know how permanent these truck stops are! Both great options though!

For night life, we chose a quaint bar that featured live jazz music one evening. Carmens de la Calle makes a pretty decent sangria but the $5 cover was kind of lame. There were literally only about a dozen people in the bar total. Coming from New York, that annoyed me for some reason. #Imbeingcheap
Another great hit was the Hi-tones bar. It's a teensy bit divey but it had such a great vibe and even outdoor space where people were grilling and just hanging out. Very low key and exactly what we were looking for when we escaped New York.
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The real shebang: Austin was a ton of fun. We did a lot biking around and 'partying hard' on 6th Street.

Honestly, most of my highlights have to do with food. I'm not ashamed.

[Uchiko roll with their own dipping sauce and aioli!]

Uchiko was a wonderful little surprise for me. I wasn't expecting to splurge, but the place has changed my taste buds for sushi forever. Diver scallops. That is all.

Turf and Surf food truck was also amazing. They had a sign up about moving so I'm not sure what their deal is. I just know their Ahi Tuna Taco was the best fish taco I've ever had in my entire life. Hands down.

[Salt Lick BBQ]

Since we were in Texas, we decided to go to at least one BBQ spot even though neither of us were particularly huge fans. We decided on Salt Lick since we got several recommendations from various parties. It was decent but nothing to write home about. And it was about 40 minutes away from Austin (driving). Not really worth it in my books considering all of the amazing food we had in the city. If you're a huge fan of BBQ, definitely try it out. They give great servings and have an all-you-can eat sampler option!

As for activities:
We rented bikes from a company that featured a Groupon deal for two all-day bike rentals for $25 (Barton Springs Bike Rental). I would suggest another location and probably spending a little more money. We had some questionable bikes. Ryan's first bike actually LOST a pedal about 5-6 miles away and he had to precariously ride back to get a new bike! So scary.

[Fountain at the University in Austin]

After the scare though, the city was a beautiful bike city! Most of the major streets have a bike lane and Town Lake was a wonderful little bike/run area! We then did a quick trip up to the Capital and also the University!

[A golden paddle boarding on Town Lake!]

On our way back to the bike center we decided to take a canoe out for a quick paddle around Town Lake at the Texas Rowing Center. Very family friendly and serene. There were hundreds of turtles, birds, and even a golden retriever on a paddle board out on the water!





On another lazy day, we drove out to Hamilton Pool Reserve. It was a very easy 10-15 minute hike/walk that ended in this beautiful natural pool with this carved out overhang. I envision it's more fun in the late spring/summer when it's warmer and you can actually swim in its pristine waters.

[Hamilton Pool Reserve]

[Indigenous species of Texas!]

Another great stop was our trip to Hops and Grain Brewery. It's in a rather new complex with fun small businesses and offers free tastings on Saturday afternoon, complete with live music and a cool crowd!

While in Austin, we attended a Tattoo Festival. There were hundreds of tattoo artists and people getting inked! It was a lot of fun just to walk around and see what was happening, despite not having any tattoos of my own. Austin is home to many convention centers to there are always things happening. Check them out!

[Austin's Star of Texas Art Revival show 2013]

[Corazon Mexican Restaurant]

In the evenings, Ryan and I decided to hit the town. We visited a few cool bars on 6th Street, apparently the ONLY cool place to go if you're in the know...
Buffalo Billiards was my favorite. It was filled with arcade games like shuffleboard, skeeball and air hockey and had a decent beer selection. Win.
Volstead Lounge was also a sweet little spot with more 'atmosphere'. It has a backyard patio where you can order Filipino food from the Be More Pacific food truck!

And lastly, Ryan and I had to get one Mexican restaurant in before we left. We decided on a highly rated (on Yelp) spot called Corazon at Castle Hill. The food was savory and fresh without being too oily as some Mexican food can be.  It had a great tequila menu as well!


Overall, I had a blissful and relaxing trip down south and encountered little of the intense cultural collisions I experienced in southern Texas. I was thankful to have enjoyed such a pleasant experience in the Lonestar State.

My New Years Resolution

Remember those days in your childhood when everything was just amazing? There were play dates and ice cream and weekday-labeled underwear... mean people and "problems" never lasted more than a few minutes or a day and sometimes you just daydreamed that when you grew up, things would be even more amazing AND you wouldn't have to listen to your parents anymore?
And then you grew up?
Yeah... the moment has arrived. Bills exist. Potential mortgages linger in the near future. Decisions with no right answers exist. and my goodness, hangovers exist. I catch myself telling people that I'm tired or stressed or SO busy all the time. And every time I say one of those words, I feel MORE tired and stressed and busy. I really don't have an awful life. I enjoy so many moments of it. I really do. It seems though that the moments I dwell on tend to be the ones I talk about and complain about. Well, No more!

This year, my new years resolution is to contemplate the things that really make me happy and give meaning to my life. I will no longer use "I'm tired/stressed/busy" as a response to "How are you?" any longer...

Now I just have to come up with something else to say...

Facebook and its Members are Pissing Me Off

It all started this morning when I realized that my news feed was especially annoying.

Today's most annoying: Those obsessed with 12-12-12. I realize that the date has some type of romantic sentiment to it. Maybe it's because it'll be an easy date to remember your anniversary for the rest of eternity. But honestly, who cares? And for the idiots who haven't thought it through (my apologies if you don't think you'll be alive in ten years for 2-2-22), yes, in fact, you WILL be alive for another repeating number day. Kids, start booking your wedding venues now!

[Source: George Takei's Facebook.]

Selfie Picture Whores: Yes, I said WHORES. Defined as one who sells their body for profit (psychological or otherwise me thinks): Mostly women who have >70% of their tagged pictures taken with their daily "smize" look on their way to work, professional photos of themselves in lingerie (This isn't Victoria's Secret. You still look like a slut), or any position ALONE and taken with an extended arm or the aid of a mirror.
Oh and men who have 300 photos of their "8-packs".
Give yourself credit for being healthy and working out, but for the love of god, show some restraint. 

Suggested Events I Haven't Been Invited to: I've accidentally RSVP'ed to something I wasn't even invited to. Quit it, Facebook! Stop trying to make me more social.

PEOPLE WHO WRITE IN ALL CAPS LOCK.

People who send me event invites to "Lost My Number" parties when we don't talk. Especially the ones from people who never had my number. Clever game, my friend. Clever game.

When Facebook posts my activity on OTHER pages. Is there a way to stop Fb from posting my "Likes" on Instagram without de-linking the two sites???

Poshmark and other online sales adventures

Yesterday marked the start of my latest foray into the online world. I've officially opened several accounts this week. I'm surprisingly late in the times on a few (Like Paypal). Others are newer sites/Apps. Let me know what you guys are using and what you think of these guys!

Poshmark: This is an iPhone only app platform that helps you showcase and sell your new or used items. It's very simple to use. You just have to take pictures of your item, describe it, price it and submit. They do take 20% though (but they supply you with a pre-paid shipping label for your goods). [FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT for both of us if you use the following code to sign up: HNZZG]

I-Ella: Theoretically, this is an even cooler site. It allows you to Buy, Borrow, Swap or Sell your items! It reminds me of the first SatC movie and how Louise is always renting designer purses. I haven't used it yet, but it's invite only, so let me know if you have (or if you want an invite: Email addy please). 

The reason I went on this rampage is because it's winter, I may have done a number because of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, and my closet looks like a war zone. My boyfriend also happens to be a minimalist and thinks I am hoarding shoes. Any woman would agree that I have the perfect amount of shoes. I am selling exactly TWO pairs:

I love these shoes to death and tried several times to make them work for me, but alas they're just a half size too big and causing too much pain. I've worn them a total of three times for probably less than two hours each time.

 [Aldo cream 4.25" thick heeled pump with a small platform. Size 40 (~9.5), Originally priced $100]














These are my sweet Burberry forest green suede boots. They were a gift and unfortunately too small for me. I don't have the box, just the dust bag

[Size 39.5 (~8.5), Originally priced at $750].



As mentioned I have Paypal now (yay!) so let me know if you're interested in either of these shoes.

Happy shopping!

Rent the Runway launch party: NYC!

If you haven't heard of them, Rent the Runway is a fun site to get  name-brand dresses for relatively cheap. The dress is yours for a few days and all you have to do is throw it in a pre-addressed mail bag when you're done. No dry cleaning or anything!
This week, they hosted a launch party for their new site and search. Essentially, now, you can search for dresses by your chest and dress size coupled with your height and body type! This comes in handy when you don't know a brand well. And since these are all gorgeous designer pieces, getting two sizes in the mail when you order one dress is also super-helpful!

Fit into that smaller size!

I went Pollock on my nails!

Princesses!

 Zapp is in a Pamela Rolland number. The new site style would have helped her out though, because as you can tell, she has an extra 6-8 inches of fabric behind her. The previous site highlighted the dress using a 5'10" model and a vague description noting that a wide range of women of different heights could pull this look off. Simply not true.
My Badgley Mischka dress was a touch long, but the rental reviews were helpful in noting that the dress ran long (and to stick with the regular versus the long).

The event was held at the Skylight West in Manhattan. It was minimally decorated and boasted a Runway prize wheel, a Make Up Forever stand and photobooths! The night was filled with self-absorption as you can imagine.
And rumor has it, Stacy Kiebler even made a guest appearance. Though she must have stayed for less than half an hour, because she was gone before we arrived.

 

[Pic note: Baubles I thought about stealing]

It was a fun night overall. RTR gave us a reason to dress up and go all 'girl' on a weeknight. Zapp and I will take any reason ;)

 Happy Renting!

Village Voice: Brooklyn Pour!

Who doesn't love beer and delicious foods set in a divine former bank building with soaring ceilings?! No one. But seriously, I felt like I'd closed my eyes and opened them again in Gringotts and was about to go downstairs into the goblin safes... for elicit beers! The Village Voice Brooklyn Pour event was held at the Skylight One Hanson in Ft. Greene Brooklyn. It was truly magical.

This weekend's event was an amazing foray into beer intricacies and options. I tried over twenty beers in three hours. My favorite was the Innus and Gunn Rum Finish. You wouldn't think the "pair" would go well, but the product, stored in old rum casks, has this delicious full bodied, smooth, sweet flavor. I'd definitely look out for this one.

Gorgeous venue!

Me and Amusium

I also tried my first chili dog at this event! Alas, I did not think to take a picture of it till too late. It was phenomenal. I don't even like chili! Thanks, Lucky 777 Chili for a yummy experience. I'll have to visit my old NYU stomping grounds and get another at their McDougal Street location :)

[Pic note: The crew]

Definitely an event I could go to again. 

Cheers!

New manicure: Jamaica Me Crazy!

Check out my new mani with my new Essie color, Jamaica Me Crazy and ring finger detail with Essie Set in Stones. 


What do you think??

Set in Stones can be layered for more or less glitter very easily!

Happy painting!!