Austin: My Texas Home Away From Home

If you had told me three years ago that I would visit a little city in central Texas and find great people, delicious food, and must have accessories and shoes, I would have told you that I am an East Coaster and I crave visits to New York and Boston, and I vacation on Cape Cod and occasionally in San Francisco... but never in Texas.

Then I went to Austin.

I think a big reason why my first trip to Austin was so successful was my outing with Jodi B. and Adam H. They were SO welcoming and we had such a fun time together. And I had just started blogging and Jodi is a food blogger extraordinaire (have you added Tasty Touring to your Google Reader? Do it now...) so I felt like I was in the presence of a celebrity. This was also the trip when I purchased my life changing cowboy boots which have forever revolutionized my wardrobe and personal style.

Fast forward to my last trip to Austin, when I got to spend an entire WEEK there for work. I've created a list of reasons why it was amazing. Enjoy!

Restaurant Suggestions Flow Like Water
As soon as I sat down at my visiting desk at Convio's Austin offices, folks stopped by to welcome me and offer restaurant suggestions. It was sort of the way that Washingtonians ask where you work before asking anything else about you... and I loved it! I even discovered a food suggestions page on the company Intranet. What more could a business traveler want?

Boot Mecca
We've discussed Allen's before. I think this boot mecca is one of my most favorite places in the ATX. My salesperson spent a LONG time with me trying to figure out which boots would be best for me and my urban cowgirl life. I can't wait for an excuse to get back to Austin, swing by again, and purchase another pair (NOTE: don't try to buy boots online. They are the one thing I have been unable to successfully acquire on the interwebs).

Food Cart City
They're all over the place! And I sort of don't even care if the food is gross since the cart experience is so fun (okay, that is a lie, but the cart experience is very fabulous--especially when the food is stellar).

Last time I was in Austin, Jodi and Adam took me to not one but TWO food carts. The first was El Naranjo and the second was Bananaracy (they only sell frozen, chocolate dipped bananas). They were both really great (but I'm not sure if I would go back, mainly because there are so many OTHER food carts I've yet to try). As my mom always says, "Life is too short to make the same chicken recipe twice." And in this case, the same theory may go for Austin food carts too.


Breakfast Tacos
Lest we forget the breakfast taco phenomenon I recently blogged about. Imagine a city where breakfast taco delivery was just part of office culture!? Well, one exists and it is called Austin, TX.


Flagship Whole Foods
According to Adam H., the Whole Foods in downtown Austin is the number one Austin tourist attraction. And I don't doubt that--being that the Austin Whole Foods is the FLAGSHIP WHOLE FOODS. So remember that feeling of supermarket opulence you felt when you walked into the huge WH on Columbus Circle in Manhattan? This is 15 times better.

The nut butter bar is at least four times as large as the selection in the brand new Whole Foods in Friendship Heights (stay tuned for a post about this new Montgomery County landmark). When Jodi and Adam led me there during our tour of the Austin location, I had to take a moment as I was so astonished and overjoyed by all the store had to offer. (It was also in this Whole Foods when I experienced that quintessential blogger/social medial oversharer conundrum: TwitPic or real photo? I decided to juggle both my iPhone and camera, but it was certainly not graceful.)


Austin Friends
I don't see it as a coincidence that so many of my favorite people live in Austin. Last time I was there, I didn't even have time to see all my Austinite friends (reminiscent of a trip to New York, not central Texas).

My Austin welcome wagon started with Jodi and Adam. I alluded to these social media superstars above--every time I am in Austin, they always make time play with me and select an extra special destination. I couldn't believe how much fun we had zipping around town during my last visit. We stumbled upon a party welcoming the new Google offices to Austin. It took Jodi about 30 seconds to make her way to the free mechanical bull ride area. The photos are priceless.

In addition to Tasty Touring and her tech savvy boyfriend, my sweet friend Joel H. lives in Austin. Although we've only ever spent a total of 48 collective hours together (maybe), I feel like I've known Joel forever (he and Julie F. have almost known each other forever, so I will just live vicariously through her). And he always steers me to delicious cupcakes and BBQ so I am eternally grateful.

So maybe I wouldn't love Austin so much if I didn't have so many excellent people to visit there? Good thing I'll never have to find out...