Austin

One Year of Fostering..

December 2, 2014 by Alyssa

A year ago at Thanksgiving, <3M and I began volunteering with Austin Boxer Rescue as fosters. We began with the intention of fostering a dog until we found one that truly fit our family and could be a true buddy with our puppy girl Stella. One year and 5 foster dogs later, we don’t have a new, permanent furry resident but we do have a few lessons learned and many fond memories as foster parents

Saying Goodbye
A lot of our friends ask how we could love a dog for a few weeks or months then one day, most of the time unexpectedly, say goodbye. Since saying goodbye to our first foster Jack (ABR – Sean) we’ve learned that each dog has a family it’s destined for. Although we’ve loved each of our fosters, we’ve been able to objectively look at each temporary family member and pinpoint why that dog isn’t the perfect fit for our family and kept these reasons in mind when kissing the pups goodbye, reassuring ourselves we made the right decision by letting him go.

We also learned that saying goodbye is not only hard on us but also on our puppy girl Stella. Each time a new friend comes and goes, Stella goes through a short mourning period – often watching for her friend from the window, worriedly whining about their whereabouts, feeling she needs some extra love and cuddles, and being too heartbroken to eat. This is by far the hardest part for us, not saying goodbye to our recent foster, but watching Stella work through the goodbye without fully understanding.

Every dog has a story
Each dog has a background that’s shaped him into the dog they are when we receive them.

Jack arrived to us with mange.

Jefferson came to us with cuts and bite marks.

Apollo (ABR La Bamba) was surrendered by his owners.

No matter how they ended up with us, we always tried to remember that these dogs needed to feel safe, cared for, and loved. They were all scared, confused, and had been sleeping in a different place each night. What they needed was a calm environment and a steady routine to bring their life back to normal.

So when they have a small accident on the carpet or become a bit territorial over a toy, blanket, or human – we often had to remind ourselves that our fosters are still in training. That somedays, we just have to bend down, clean up the mess and remember that they’re still learning how good life truly can be.

Every Dogs Has a Perfect Family
After having a dog in your home for a while, you come to know what exact needs they require in order to get adopted and begin looking for that perfect family – the family that fits the dog to be their forever home.

You learn that your foster won’t fit the needs of every family that finds their fuzzy little face adorable. You learn how to nicely direct the family to a better fit while petting your foster pup and letting them know, as another potential adopter walks away, that it wasn’t meant to be and that his future family is still out there.

Jefferson was one in particular that <3M and I had a hard time letting go but we knew he wasn’t a great fit for our family and that he needed some special attention to break his overprotective nature. Jefferson found his forever Daddy one adoption day. His behavior has improved greatly and he’s now a daily presence at the gym his Dad owns! Knowing Jefferson found the right fit in his adoptive home gives us peace of mind, in knowing we made the right decision in letting go and taking the time to find him the right family.

When it came to Kringle, we knew exactly what type of family to match him with. We lived in an apartment and he simply needed more room, he had a ton of energy and needed space to let it all out. Kringle needed a place to run and stretch his legs – he needed a backyard. One adoption day, he met a Dad looking for a fur-brother to keep his current boxer entertained when his 2 little girls weren’t around. Kringle met his potential fur (and skin) sisters and it was a perfect match. The girls play with him to keep his energy level in check and when they’re away, Kringle has is fur sister to play and tumble with in his very own backyard!

Apollo, our most recent foster, was a rambunctious 2 year old who becomes a little too playful when having another dog around. He also needed a lot of attention in order to become properly trained on a leash. Getting to know Apollo over few months he was with us, we came to learn that he’d be best as a solo dog. When it was just him and I, this guy was super cuddly, super responsive and just simply wonderful. As we meet potential adopters, <3M and I knew to keep our single dog family recommendation is mind in order to ensure Apollo’s match truly would be his forever home.

It’s hard. And Fulfilling.
Fostering’s hard. It requires patience and understanding. It requires sacrifice. And sometimes it’s heartbreak for all those involved. But overall there’s joy in know that even for a short period of time, you were able to share your home and love with an animal who truly needed and appreciated it. Who with your love and attention, was able to regain that sparkle of love and trust in their eyes.

Hopdoddy: you secretly disappoint me

January 30, 2014 by Alyssa

I have this group of constant girlfriends here in my life in Austin. And luckily, all of our guys get along rather well too! Maybe it’s due to their shared obsession with an Austin-based burger bar – hopdoddy. So obsessed with the joint’s beefy “goodness” that they were willing to subject themselves to the torture of hopdoddy’s hottest, spiciest burger to date – the ghostland burger.

For my own entertainment, I was sure to record their spicy venture into manhood.

So, even though they clearly didn’t enjoy the ghost burger, after this feat, their obsession with hopdoddy only grew. Part of their obsession is spelled out in its name itself.
Let me break it down for you….

hop: handcrafted beer [since they only serve local, craft beer]
AND
doddy: the nickname given to the Scottish cow [aka beef]

Therefore, hopdodddy = beer & beef

beer burger hopdoddy consider burgers & beer to be the perfect culinary merger and they consider themselves the creator of THE perfect burger-beerr union. Now, it definitely makes sense that the guys in my life would be drawn to a burger-beer place on a regular basis but what doesn’t make sense is why they’re drawn to hopdoddy over any other burger place in Austin. Personally, I’ve only been left disappointed or frustrated during my visits and I’ve been dragged there often enough that I’m entitled to an opinion.

I realize I have a bit of a bias since I’m a “veggie loving hippie” but even if they served the world’s greatest veggie burger, I’m not sure I would ever visit hopdoddy solo without the friends-social aspect to persuade me.

So here’s my ode to hopdoddy, venting my frustrations.
Hopefully they hear me, and if anything, maybe they’ll take a suggestion or two….

1. You make me stand in a line outside the restaurant only to get inside and stand in another line (for drinks) followed by a third line to order my food.
WHY AM I STANDING IN THREE DIFFERENT LINES?! I thought I was standing in the first line to order food. Alas, I was wrong, the first line was the line to get into the AC / heat (whatever be the season). The second line is to mosey past the bar and out of boredom order a cocktail [the hopdoddy moneymaker line]. The third line is the line I thought I was waiting in all along – the line to order food [queue angels singing here].

line

2. When I’m about to about to step up and order my food, you hit pause and let other people move forward in front of me.
I get it, I came with 5 friends and you don’t have a table available to accommodate the 6 of us but it’s just plain sad that after I spent an hour and 8 minutes waiting in both of your lines, you push me to the side and force me to watch the 2-party patrons place their orders and wander to their seats. Couldn’t you at least let me and my friends get a soda or have a server get me a refill on my cocktail I paid $12 for? I’m parched from standing in all three lines for so long and need something to entertain me while I continue to wait on the sideline – why not another drink or some pickles to pass the time!

3. Your drinks are weak and overpriced.
I know you aren’t in the business of mixing cocktails – you’re in the business of tapping beer and “spanking your patties because they like it” but that doesn’t mean you can’t attempt to pour a decent cocktail.
At least your Lil Prick cocktail with tequila and prickly pear juice lives up to its name with only a little bit of tequila! No worries though, its excessive use of hot pink prickly pear juice sure does make up for that lack of alcohol! [That color’s all natural too, right? Just like you advertise all your other ingredients to be?]

4. Your burgers fall apart when I pick them up.
How can I eat a burger in a bun when I pick it up and it crumbles to the the table?

I’m not talking about JUST the veggie burgers [though those have it the worst!]. Your spanked patties are overstuffed into your “made fresh daily” buns and any normal eating practices must be abandoned in order to consume the burger. I’ve watched countless times as my own veggie burger crumbled apart and my friend’s burgers become a deconstructed burger salad. [That is a culinary trend these days, maybe that’s what you’re going for here?]

Could you at least start serving your burgers with a fork? That way we have something to eat it with when it falls apart?

Or better yet, here’s a suggestion – put those crumbly patties in a wrapper!
They work marvelously at holding things together. I bet you can even get compostable wrappers provided by a local vendor so it fits into your whole recycle, be green, get local theme you not so casually market throughout your entire restaurant and website. [Yes, hopdoddy even have signs telling us which color straws are recyclable and which aren’t – make sure to get each in its proper bucket after enjoying a milkshake]

5. Your specials don’t make me feel special.
Again, I get it, you’re a BURGER place and by tradition, burger means beef. But if you’re going to offer a special, let’s offer a special every now and again that appeals to your veggie lovers because as I mentioned, we vegetarians are being dragged to hopdoddy by our beef loving, burger eating friends and family.

And for the record, that one time in December, when you offered the Janis Joplin as a vegetarian burger special, doesn’t count because that used to be on your menu before you traded it out for that other veggie burger. [Both fall apart]

[I agree, this Janis Joplin burger looks tasty – but not when you end up eating it in pieces off your tray as a brown rice, avocado, bready mess]

Here’s my veggie burger suggestion for you, hopdoddy: Revisit your Janis Joplin veggie burger recipe, add in extra binder to hold it all together [a little egg white might help!] and pair it with some goat cheese, arugula, caramelized onions, sautéed roasted mushrooms and the truffle aioli you’ve already got goin’ on. #Winning

6. Your servers are only allowed to bring little cups of pickles.
You know, for being so big on “living green” you would think that if your patrons want a boatload of pickles, you’d rather have your servers put it in the big queso cups. This would reduce waste and make your servers more efficient because they wouldn’t be running back and forth to the kitchen for more pickles every time they revisit my table.

Do the math: Big Cups of Pickles = Less Waste = More Efficient Servers = Happy Customers. Sounds simple to me. [And here’s where I compliment you hopdoddy – you do pickles right which is why the big cups are a necessity, especially for your vegetarian diners]

7. Your salads are pathetic and will never constitute as a meal.
Before I tell you why your salads are pathetic, I do want to applaud you for at least attempting to put a salad on the menu at a burger joint! But let’s be honest, these are more like oversized garnishes with a few hidden treasures. Your salads are nothing more than a bed of greens, with a dusting of cheese, and a sprinkling of “salad accents.”

The “salad accents” are so sparse that they get lost in the greens. To make your salad a bit more filling – why don’t you be a bit more heavy handed on the accents, include a denser vegetarian protein, and a toasted bun on the side.

By the looks of your salad, it seems you think salad is synonymous with anorexic but you’re wrong. If I order a salad at a burger restaurant, I still want it to be filling WITHOUT having to add a burger, chicken, tuna or veggie patty on top.

Here’s my salad suggestion for you, hopdoddy: Go Greek. You have all the basic ingredients already – start with your spinach & arugula base, add in some goat cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, chickpeas, hardboiled egg and a side of tzatziki or hummus (which can serve dual purpose by adding it to your current Greek burger or a future veggie burger special). Toast up half a wheat roll cut into triangles sprinkled with paprika and you’ll have an all-star salad. #Winning…Again.

——-

Again, hopdoddy, I don’t hate you I’m just disappointed and tired of leaving frustrated and unfulfilled. Granted, we all know I’ll be back, dragged there by my fiance or group a friends. You’ll know it’s me, because I’l be the one making all the modifications.

Dining at Uchi

May 20, 2013 by Alyssa

Uchi – Austin, TX

If you’re not from Austin, then you probably don’t understand the meaning of dining at Uchi so let me bring you up to speed with a few quick facts

Uchi is a contemporary Japanese sushi restaurant
The name translates to “house” in English
The menu consists of hot and cool tastings, sushi and sashimi. makimono, yakimono and tempura, and a changing omakase based on seasonal selections
Uchi has a limited number of reservations per evening and the majority of its patrons are more than willing to wait 90 – 120 minutes to be seated
Uchi’s owner & chef is Tyson Cole, whom won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southwest
Chef Cole competed against Morimoto on Iron Chef America: Contemporary Japanese and although he lost, the score was close (49-43)
Named one of Bon Apetit’s Top 10 Sushi Restaurants
Featured on Zagat Guide’s Best Food in Austin
GQ declared Uchi one of 2010’s Top New Restaurants in America
Uchi has a sister restaurant, Uchiko, meaning “child of Uchi.” Uchiko has also won a number of awards and is considered a more casual Japanese kitchen compared to Uchi.

Now that you understand how renowned of a restaurant Uchi is considered, let me share my experience with you…..

Uchi was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever enjoyed. Each dish is delicious, but the food as a whole, is not the type of food that is crave-able. For instance, I don’t believe I’ll ever eat at Uchi then 3 weeks later “crave” a specific dish and be compelled to instantly return. I believe this is because their food is truly unique.

Uchi Sushi Preparation

Uchi

The food is presented in such a well displayed manner that it’s beautiful to simply look at. The presentation forces diners to pause and enjoy the site before carefully consuming the food in front of them. Each dish is perfectly balanced in flavors – acidity, sweetness, saltiness, and textures play an equal part in developing the flavors as a whole.

The consideration of each element that goes into a specific dish is complimented by the restaurant’s attentive and knowledgeable staff. Each waiter, waitress, sushi chef, and hostess we encountered knew the menu inside and out, was able to recommend wine pairings, and simplified the menu for our understanding This ability to eloquently explain the menu without making a patron feel unintelligent is a feat that not all restaurant staff can accomplish.

Mackarel & Salmon Sushi

As for the atmosphere, Uchi is naturally beautiful. Playing up the contemporary Japaenese style – taking advantage of rocks, aged wood, water pools, and a flourish of greenery. Even with a 2 hour wait the experience was somehow calming, relaxing, and enjoyable.

Salmon Asparagus Roll

As for our meal, we were able to enjoy it while sitting at the sushi bar. While some may believe that to be not as an intimate dining experience, I was ecstatic! I love watching sushi chefs at work, looking at all the exotic, color ingredients, and speaking with the person preparing my food to learn more about the ingredients, technique, and the specialties of the menu.

Prepping a Salmon Roll

Display of Tobiko

M<3 and I started our evening off on the outdoor patio with a few glasses of wine and some grilled shishito peppers (one of his favorites at any restaurant!).

Uchi, April 2013

The peppers were perfectly cooked, not overly spicy, and simply salted.

Shishito Peppers

We were also treated to a few passed appetizers that are served to guests whom are waiting to be seated – we were able to taste spicy, apple slices. Who knew a well-picked apple and a salty-spicy rub could enhance the flavor of an apple so much. We were also treated to some grilled cauliflower that I had been eyeing on the menu!Once we were seated, we were greeted with a watermelon granita, a palate cleanser. Slightly sweet and refreshing!

Watermelon Granita

Miso Soup

Once we had time to review the menu and ask some questions to the chef and waitress, M<3 and I decided on a few dishes to split – miso soup, sweet-chili glazed brussel sprouts, a spider roll, and nasu (Japanese eggplant) sushi.

The soup was delicious & simple, just as miso soup should be.

Brussel Sprouts

M<3 is not a huge fan of vegetables but we both loved these brussel sprouts – so much so that I was intrigued enough to find a similar recipe online the following week. Again, this isn’t a crave-able food but just truly unique, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to any Asian meal.

Spider Roll

Nasu (Japanese Eggplant) Sushi

The Spider rolll is M<3’s go-to sushi roll. It’s a cooked roll with fried shrimp (or crab, at times – Uchi served their’s with shrimp), a spicy mayo sauce, and cucumber. Uchi’s roll also had an eel sauce on the side, a sweet-salty mixture that made the Spider Roll mouthwatering! The shrimp was cooked to perfection (I loved the crunch!) and the spicy mayo was careful to not overpower the other, lighter flavors in the roll. I would definitely recommend this roll for non-sushi eaters!

I love eggplant, it’s one of my favorite vegetables and I had never experience it as nigiri. This was slighty sweet, the skin added a bit of chewiness and the eggplant is self was melt-in-your-mouth soft. It was a simple transition into heartier dishes.

Fresh Sea Urchin at the Sushi Bar

After our shared dishes, we each chose something a bit more exclusive to our individual tastes – I sampled, the chef recommended, machi cure (aka: “sushi nachos” which is how the chef described them to me). It was simple and fresh with lightly fried yuca, marcona almonds, asian pear, smoked yellowtail tuna, garlic brittle and tobiko.

Machi Cure – Sushi Nachos

Mayank chose to try the sasami yaki, an oak-grilled chicken breast with lemongrass and cilantro. He said it was one of the most moist and flavorful pieces of chicken he had ever tasted.

Sasami Yaki – Lemongrass Chicken

Since Uchi is known for their sushi, I had to try a couple of pieces on my own! I chose the hotate (spicy scallop & avocado) and sake (simple, salmon and rice).

Hotate – Spicy Scallop

Sake – Salmon

Finally, we ended our even with a double dessert treat from the chef. We were able to share the coffee panna cotta with white chocolate sorbet & mango and the lemon gelato with pistachios and white balsamic. I never thought I would enjoy white balsamic in a dessert but the lemon gelato was the dessert I kept going back for!

Coffee Panna Cotta

Lemon Gelato

I’m truly thankful to <3M for such a wonderful birthday dinner. We both agreed that Uchi is a restaurant that we both want to visit again – though it’s definitely a special occasion type dining experience. And in the future, we’ll remember to plan well in advance to ensure reservations.

April 20, 2013

Cheap Eats in Austin

September 10, 2011 by Alyssa

So it’s well known that not only am I a picky eater, but I’m also a food snob – not in the “I only eat at 4-star restaurants” but in that I have high expectations when dining out. I feel that if you own a restaurant there better be a darn good reason as to WHY you own a restaurant and that reason better be because you have insanely good food.

That being said, here’s a run down of my opinion two famous cheap eateries in Austin that I’ve had the pleasure of dining at thus far.

Let’s start backwards and with dessert first, since I’d rather be eating dessert than an actual meal anyways.

Hey Cupcake!

Austin’s very own cupcake trailer. They have a bunch of locations all over Austin and are pretty well known. They have typical cupcake offerings – chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, red velvet, carrot, and sometimes a specialty flavor.

I’ve tried a few of their classic cupcakes – the Snowcap (Chocolate cake and vanilla frosting), Sweetberry (aka, strawberry with cream cheese frosting), and the Double Dose (better known as the Chocoholic). I like that they spice up their cupcakes with cute names. It makes the more appealing.

Sweetberry Cupcake & SnowCap: M<3 and I had these babies dolled up while celebrating our anniversary during my December visit to Austin. As my Mom taught me, presentation is everything.

I like cupcakes a lot and every flavor combo I’ve had from Hey Cupcake has been exceptionally good. Not the BEST cupcake I’ve ever had – because I’m partial to anything with peanut butter in it, but yes, the Best Classic flavored cupcakes I’ve ever had. (I Love You Dollop – you totally win best Rochester cupcake, PB cupcake and crazy combo cupcake in my heart!)

Scored this cupcake one afternoon by knowing the phrase of the day – Don’t be a lazy cupcake. Also, they usually have a BOGO coupon on their website so you can always get a freebie!

The Sweetberry/Strawberry actually tasted like strawberry (as most strawberry cupcakes don’t), the chocolate rocked my world and even had chocolate chunks in it! It actually tasted like rich decadent chocolate that is usually lost in cakes.

As for the frostings……I don’t care for cream cheese frosting but when it came to Hey Cupcake!’s, I found it delish, maybe because it had the added strawberry element that hid the cream cheesiness I detest! Lastly, their vanilla buttercream was fab as well – great, rich vanilla flavor and not at all like snackin’ on a stick of butter like some frostings.

In my opinion, if you can’t do vanilla in a cupcake shop you shouldn’t be open. It’s a standard flavor – a prerequisite for baking, comparable to knowing your ABC’s in order to graduate kindergarten. Get my drift? If you can’t make vanilla taste like vanilla, close shop.

As for their cake – light, fluffy, and moist, exactly how a cake should be. So bravo Hey Cupcake! My food snobbish ways were satisfied. And I’ll stop by whenever a cupcake craving hits while driving.

Juan in a Million

You may have heard of the Juan in a Million restaurant from Man v. Food. It was made famous by Adam Richman while attempting to eat the eight of the gigantic breakfast tacos. It’s a hot spot for UT students to grab breakfast at and there is a lot of hype about the restaurant in general.

Since there was so much hype about the little Mexican restaurant, <3M and I had to try it out. Our first Juan in a Million attempt was a massive fail. We went on a Sunday morning and there was a line out the door. Both of us were ready to chew our arm off so we kept on driving….which is what we should have done this second time around.

Juan in a Million is situated in the ghetto part of Austin. Driving through the area makes me a bit uneasy, and it even made me question the quality of food being served. The place inside reminded me of college living. Lawn furniture chairs, pictures hung haphazardly on the wall, and frames dangling off center.

Juan’s fencing to keep the rabid dogs out. Take note of the folding chairs and tables!

But hey, even after risking my life while driving and sitting in the sketchy, ready to collapse chairs,I was still on board for eating at the Man v. Food legacy – plus, I thought M<3 would love it since he’s a fan of the show.

Doesn’t he looked psyched? He could probably pass for Don Juan himself with his moo-stache growing and glowing tan.

The menu was simple and I decided to just get a classic Mexican breakfast: two eggs, beans, potatoes, and tortillas. How hard could that be to screw up? M<3 went with the Migas – basically the same thing except some tortillas and cheese were thrown into the eggs.

The waitress came with coffee, chips (at 9am? Sure! Why not!) and salsa.

Fresh salsa. I love salsa so I was sold on the oversized dish of tomato goodness.

Salsa – also known as poor-Lyssa’s Gazpacho!

We waited around a bit…a bit longer than I typically like to wait for breakfast.

It’s the first meal of the day, and if you’re a restaurant, you better make it speedy because people are usually hungry and the hungrier I am and the longer I wait, the more HANGRY (that’s hungry & angry) I become.

Finally the grub showed.

Juan in a Million’s Breakfast Taco from Man v. Food

This is where it all went down hill. I’m a sucker for refried beans so I had high hopes for beans at breakfast time, especially because these beans were made by an authentic Mexican restaurant and showcased on Man v. Food.

M<3’s Migas – Mine looked the same minus the cheese and add some tortillas on the side.

With high hopes, I tasted the beans…Instantly I knew, they were made with meat, I could even seek the specks of fried meat bits in them as I dug through. <3M had high hopes for the beans as well. Refried pinto beans are a fav of <3M’s and he left his untouched, so sadly, these beans must have been well under par for <3M to pass on a favorite.

After a quick chat with the waitress she confirmed what I already knew – the beans were cooked with LARD (that evil 4 letter word I absolutely hate). But hey, I could sub another side of potatoes or rice for the beans since they didn’t have vegetarian beans. After appraising the other items on my plate, I passed on both of those options as well.

Don’t be fooled, it’s not cheese. Just pure fat!

I took a breath and put the beans behind me, setting my sites on the potatoes – which resembled little cubes of grease soaked (or more likely lard glazed) sponges. These usually delicious carb-y wonders lacked flavor, their texture was mushy, and they were another breakfast fail.

On to the eggs! After careful examination I dove in. And to my surprise, they were decent. And by decent, I mean at least they weren’t lard covered. But I could have made better at home.

Now for the tortillas. Probably the best part of the meal, besides the salsa, for those I enjoyed! But my guess is Juan didn’t make the tortillas himself…….

So, thank you random-mass-produced-tortilla-maker for upholding your quality standards.

In the end my breakfast ended up being a makeshift breakfast taco – a few greasy potatoes (I convinced my self they weren’t cooked in lard), eggs, and a generic tortilla smothered in salsa for flavor!

Looked a bit like this but sissy sized.

I ate it. I was no longer hungry but I wasn’t satisfied. <3M even suggested paying, leaving, and going to another diner because he was so unhappy with his meal.

Sadly, we Juan’t be going back.

All in all, Juan in a Million’s claim to fame is it’s TV appearance, not its food. Like I said before, if you’re going to own a restaurant then reason you should be in business is because you serve great food. Juan, did not have great food. He had great advertising.

I have a few more restaurant reviews, a few other food trailers that I won’t mind ranting and raving about, and one restaurant which I absolutely love in Austin that I’ll share another time…..

Why I Love Austin

August 21, 2011 by Alyssa

So I’ve mentioned that Austin is great for healthy living but I haven’t really given any exact reason on WHY it’s so great for healthy living. Well here’s the first reason, the fitness activities here are endless and I’m ready to prove it

LiveStrong

Austin is bike friendly.

Overly bike friendly, as in

1) Lance Armstrong lives here

2) Bike lanes are specifically designated on all roads

3) Bike theft in Austin probably exceeds that of car break-ins

4) I’m sure half the city commutes to work via bicycle – even at 105 degree temperatures

5) I’ve joined the bike community, even though it means lugging my bike up and down endless flights of stairs from my apartment, which is a workout in it self.

Had to get a new bike, left the old in my apartment basement – it’s up for grabs if anyone wants to take it for a spin! Beware of the breaks…and uncomfortable seat…and it squeaks

Although I’ve joined the bike community I’ve yet to purchase a bike rack, but luckily for me M<3 lets me tear apart my bike and shove it in the back of his car.

So after I carry it down the stairs, disassemble it, shove it in the car I’m only half way to my goal of going for a bike ride in Austin. After the pre-workout, workout I make the 20 minute trek down to Town Lake, unload the bike, curse as I try to reassemble it and ensure the breaks are working, get my playlist set to jam to, and hop on my bike I’m ready to zoom around the Town Lake path.

Gotta love the ATX views

City skyline peeking through the trees on the Town Lake path

I love the action packed biking adventure of Town Lake: weaving in and out of pedestrians, stopping on a dime to avoid running over puppies, dodging speed bumps (aka stray kiddies) and sweating my butt off in the sweltering heat. Afterwards, I rewind and do the post-workout, workout of disassemble, shove, drive, unpack, reassemble, and carry up.

Super Sweaty Biker Babe!

Some how Austin’s biking habit has rubbed off on me and I can’t help but love it! Although, I think I’ll love it even more when I invest in a bike rack and the cooler temps arrive!

supATX

That’s Stand Up Paddle boarding for those of you thinking I’m trying to be a bit ghetto and saying “S’up Austin”

That’s not me, I can stand without the spotters (Boo-Yah!)

So stand up paddle boarding is exactly what it sounds like.

You stand. On a board. And paddle.

Yes its fun. Yes I like it. Yes I want one. (Future X-Mas gift?)

So I only tried it once so far, but I have a daily deal coupon I bought to go again and I can’t wait! It’s so relaxing and serene out on the water. I loved kayaking in high school but this is even more fun and is even more of a workout than kayaking. It works your core, your legs, and your upper body without putting a lot of strain on your muscles. It’s absolutely fabulous. Now I just have to find a way to do it more often.

Random water views of Austin that I could be enjoying on a SUP.

So the best part about supATX – they offer lots of SUP adventures (Check out their site!)

1) Full Moon paddle boarding – A little romantic moonlight paddling

2) Happy Hour paddle boarding – It involves a 3 mile paddle followed by a happy hour within food and appetizers afterwards

3) Bat Watching paddle boarding – Austin is home to one of the largest bat colonies in the U.S. and a popular nightime activity is going to watch the bats depart for their nightly hunt

Sidenote: M<3 and I went to experience the bat flight and those stupid bats apparently weren’t hungry the night we went because they never took off. Either that or the news channel was a bit off on the bat departure time.

4) Yoga paddle boarding – Yes, you are doing downward dog, tree, and warrior 3 all while balancing on the paddle board in the rippling water. Try that for a core workout!

I’ll keep you all posted on how many times I splash into the water once I try Yoga paddle boarding

Which brings me to my next point…

Nature’s Bikram Yoga

I’m sure you didn’t know this but Austin practices Bikram yoga all year round since we average +365 days with above 100 temps. No need to heat a small yoga studio when Mother Nature’s heating the whole city for you!

Austin not only houses a huge bike community but also a huge yoga community as well. I attended Yogasm this past week – which was more like Yog-onna have a heat spasm.

This reminds me of the hippie Dirty Dancing lift.

But seriously, this was ah-mazing. Hundreds of people coming together to do yoga in the park. It was put on by Lululemon – so of course everyon was rockin’ Lulu right and left. Before the actual event there were healthy living vendors like Zico coconut water (Oh My-Yogasm the chocolate coconut was delish!), Luna bars, tons of yoga studios (scored a bunch of free yoga passes *woot woot*), and lots of health food vendors literally begging everyone to try their weird (but insanely good) samples!

I love free samples and coupons! Must have gotten it from my Mom

So, at the festival, there was an hour and a half of community yoga. It was a round-robin type yoga practice where 8 different Austin yoga teachers took a turn leading. It was great to have so many different yoga styles in one session, super sweaty, and a pretty awesome experience to be a part of.

Post yoga mats laid out

Relaxing, trying to cool down before Nature’s Butt-Kicking Bikram session

Yes, I stopped yoga-ing and was a creeper taking photos in the back because I thought it was really cool.

So this Yoga event is something I’ve been dying to experience and I’m so happy I was able to participate in such a unique yoga practice. There’s another 2 day yoga festival being held in October that I’m already looking forward to!

Keeping Austin Weird

So these are just some of the cool healthy living things that Austin has to offer. I know Rochester has SUP, I know it has Yoga, and I know I can bike in Rochester, but the fact that I’m doing it in Austin where the WHOLE city actually embraces and supports all of these activities, is the reason why doing it here is so much more special and fun.

The fact is, when in other cities, a severe love of Yoga especially doing it on a Paddle Board would be seen as weird, in Austin, it’s actually just normal.

Austin

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