Tuesday, February 17, 2015

austin, y'all!

austin kicked off our four city tour this
president's day weekend, and it was a
great place to start! after hearing so 
much about this up-and-coming city
in texas we may have been a bit over-
expectant, but we eased into the texas
lifestyle and had some of the best food
here. austin is a great mix between the
laid back texas vibe combined with
 its own personality + flavor mixed in
there. it took a bit of time for us to find the
best parts, but i always enjoy discovering a
new place and uncovering the hidden gems.
what's not to love about a state capitol,
old vintage signs, and cowboy hats everywhere?

we were really excited to find the charming street
of south congress -- this area is exactly how i
pictured austin, and it is a colorful, laid-back,
unique place with a lot of texan charm.
allens boots is a MUST- stop in austin. you walk in
the doors and the amazing, pungent smell of leather
hits you. then you stagger around the thousands of
cowboy boots...every size, shape, and color...just 
taking them in. it is TEXAS through and through.
^^ just perusing for a pair... jk, they are seriously
in the price range of $800-$1000 here! and such
quality -- those texans don't mess around!
BOOTS on BOOTS on BOOTS
after that shopping we stopped at the famed
torchy's tacos in their charming food trailer location.
it was some good eating, but the house made green chili 
QUESO
is really the award winner here for us. it makes regular
queso seem like a joke! the flavor is perfected, and
there is a huge scoop of their homemade guacamole
right in the middle as you dip the queso. this is all 
eaten with their homemade chips, underneath the
colorful lights and big texas skies. i approve!
i also approve of the doughnut truck right down the
street ... gourdough's! BIG FAT DONUTS is the 
perfect slogan, because that's exactly what they are.
 i stuck with the simple "naughty & nice" flavor which 
is cinnamon sugar with honey butter drizzle. it was 
melt-in-your-mouth good and so thick and fluffy! 
chase got cake batter, yum! there are endless flavors.
 ^^ the best kind of date is a donut date.
we walked all along south congress on full stomachs 
and explored the darling shops and markets ^^
walking the river by downtown, and stopping at more famous
food spots. i don't know if i'm proud or embarrassed
about how much we ate in this delicious city!
don't forget to throw in some sparkling coconut flavored
la croix (why is this drink only popular in the south?!)
and some live street music to complete the great day!

can't pass up a good candy shop! especially when 
it has our VERY favorite sour cherry slices. ^^
it was fun to explore UT's campus, see their giant football
stadium, (hook 'em horns!) the LBJ presidential library,
the greek row (we found chio & sig) and the fun area.
i adored the darling restaurant environments
along south congress. dusky, relaxed, perfect! ^^
^^ our fifth food truck stop of the day ... but who's counting?

as if we needed more treats! ^^
those beautiful texas skies produce some good sunsets ^^
 thanks austin, for a real good time!

xo

^^ and let's not forget the constant country music
blasting in our rental car as we pulled out of austin
and drove on to san antonio + houston. texas forever!

12 comments:

  1. I'm in boots and tacos heaven right now haha. Seriously though, I could probably look at those boots for hours and hours. Beautiful pictures as always! xx

    Eärendil

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  2. I don't even like donuts when that cinnamon sugar one looks delicious

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  3. Those tacos & donuts look delicious!! Yall are so good at finding fun things to do in new cities :)

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  4. Holy donut heaven!!! The picture you posted made my mouth water. I LOVE donuts. :) And not only that, but the cowboy boots and the country music. My little country heart is so happy with your post!!! That sounds like a perfect weekend.

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  5. Holy donut heaven!!! The picture you posted made my mouth water. I LOVE donuts. :) And not only that, but the cowboy boots and the country music. My little country heart is so happy with your post!!! That sounds like a perfect weekend.

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  6. Fun!! Austin is the next city on our list in the USA to explore!! I was actually born in Dallas, which always surprises people because I don't seem like a Texas girl at all (only lived there for 8 months anyway!) !

    Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!

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  7. Austin is one of my favorite places! I went to college 20 minutes away so we spent many a weekend there. It definitely is a foodies paradise!

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  8. What a beautiful place! The donuts look amazing and I'm going to see if I can find a recipe for that queso, that sounds deelish!!

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  9. Very cool vibe in Austin. My fiance's parents live in Dallas and I've still never visited, but I'm looking forward to my first trip to Texas! Those donuts and queso look absolutely divine...and I can't thank you enough for infusing a little Tim Riggins in my life.

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  10. Austin is definitely on my bucket list of places I want to visit!

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  11. those boots!!! i've actually wanted to plan a trip to texas (either austin or san antonio) for a few years now. it's random but it's warm and somewhere we've never been and i've just wanted to try it! i'm excited to see the rest of your trip posts.

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  12. You make me want to go to Austin ...with you... And have a Ghourdo!! Sp??

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