outta here – Page 3

Austin – Day Two

By beakatude
on Aug 10, 2018
in outta here, videos, yum

After our meal at la Barbecue in the morning, we walked back to our hotel in the noon heat. By the time we got back, we were ready for something indoors.

So, we went to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema that is famous for having table service at your seat. At the ticket counter, we purchased out movie tickets for Mission Impossible along with our first drinks.

Once we sat down, a server came by to show us how to order in the middle of the movie. What a fun experience and great way to cool off.

Right outside of the theater was a mini shopping area that had an ice cream shoppe called Lick. They had SO MANY flavors to choose from.

I ended up going really simple with salted caramel and coffee scoops.

We did a little more walking back toward the Colorado River. We crossed the foot bridge to check out the paddlers below and the graffiti all along the railroad tracks.

Our next stop was Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue where they had Happy Hour specials. I had a giant glass of ice cold water and then a glass of white wine with a frito pie! Yum.

By the time we finished, there was just enough time to walk over to the Congress Avenue Bridge to check out the bats that come out at dusk. It was quite the sight.

We were lucky to have perfect timing on our arrival. By the time we made our way down toward the underside of the bridge, it was just minutes before they all came out all at once. What a unique way to end our day!

Austin – la Barbecue

By beakatude
on Aug 10, 2018
in outta here, videos, yum

This morning, we got up in time to get to La Barbecue before it opened (~10:30am).

Here’s the menu in front.

We made it to the first part of the line and waited until it opened at 11. It was nice to be able to wait indoors where they were running the A/C. They also served drinks before the meat counter opened.

When we got to the counter, we ordered a beef rib, sausage, and brisket.

We also got their beans, pickles, and jalapeno slaw. They also threw in a couple slices of white bread.

Jesse had been looking forward to this trip in hopes of tasting a really good brisket and he was not disappointed.

Look at that smoke ring! It was tender and had a nice bark.

Here’s the beef rib. It was HUGE and equally delicious.

This was my perfect bite: white bread, a little bit of tangy sauce, and some of the beef rib with bark. Yum.

Austin – Day One

By beakatude
on Aug 09, 2018
in outta here, videos

We sent the kids down to Southern California for a couple weeks so Jes and I took the opportunity to take a non-kid trip to Austin! We had an early morning flight and checking in was so simple without two little ducklings tagging along.

We had one stop at Phoenix mid-morning with a 1-hr layover so I had some morning bubbles. Heh heh.

When we arrived, one of the first things we did was something that has become sort of a tradition now. Jes had forgotten his sunglasses AGAIN so we went to the mall to buy him some new ones.

When we checked into the hotel, they gave us a corner room that had a view of the capitol building.

After a dip in the pool to cool off in the 95-degree heat and humidity, we went out to 6th Street to take in the sights and sounds. We stopped at The Library, which had a one-man band who played his version of popular songs.

We also found a taqueria that has really unique (and spicy) tacos and some pretty tasty margaritas.

When it got dark, we found a bar called SanJac that had a live band getting ready to start. We ended up staying the rest of the night to enjoy the music.

What a fun night!

Hong Kong Update

By beakatude
on Feb 25, 2018
in outta here

I finally finished posting all six parts of our trip to Hong Kong. They are back dated so here are some quick links to each part:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Hong Kong Adventures – Part 6

By beakatude
on Dec 19, 2017
in outta here

On our last morning, the kids went to look at the pretty tree in our hotel lobby once last time.

We also managed to get a family photo too.

At the airport, we all got into the United Lounge, which was great for filling the kids up before the long flight.

I also had some extra time and money to burn so I went on a short walk through the terminal. These little tsum tsum vehicles are so cute! I didn’t buy any but now I kinda wish I did.

Once we boarded our flight, we said “goodbye” to KK for the day. She chose to sit with her grandparents on the flight. They were in Economy Plus with an empty seat between them!

Peanut was a good boy and with KK’s empty seat in our row, he got to lay down for a long nap. I got a quick nap too.

It was a direct flight and much shorter than our journey to Hong Kong.

The last leg of the trip was the shuttle to our car. The kids were exhausted but seemed relieved to be going home. What a great family trip!

Hong Kong is a great place to visit. There are so many tasty things to eat, lots of the people speak English, public transportation and Uber make getting around pretty easy, and the bustling city is so much fun to explore. So glad we made the decision to take the whole family. I was nervous about taking the kids on an international trip but it turned out to be a great experience for everyone.

Hong Kong Adventures – Part 5

By beakatude
on Dec 18, 2017
in family, outta here, yum

Each morning, we went up to the top floor for breakfast and we got a table with the best view today.

Later in the morning, we met up with Jason to hunt for the magical pineapple bun with butter inside.

We took a bunch of trains to cross the water and ended up in Kowloon.

Here’s the pineapple bun…so tasty.

This is the Hong Kong-style french toast with condensed milk on top and butter inside.

We also shared a bowl of instant noodles with mustard greens.

The kids were excited to have milk served in a glass bottle today.

We happened to also end up in the “pet district” where there was a street filled with pet stores. We stopped at one shop that hung tropical fish in bags on the wall.

The kids were getting hungry so we stopped at a McDonald’s to get some nuggets for Peanut and sauce for Brother.

Later in the day, Jes’ parents met up with us and we took a long stroll down the famous Nathan Road all the way back to the water front.

We stopped for a smoothie drink and then a spicy noodle house for a late lunch.

Their food was pretty good but service was a little too gruff for my taste.

Once we arrived at the waterfront, we found the Garden of Stars.

I had been in search of the Bruce Lee statue and was happy we found it! I had read that it was temporarily moved from its original spot due to renovations so I wasn’t sure where to look.

Before heading to the Star Ferry terminal, we went down to the waterfront for a few photos. It’s too bad the air quality wasn’t the best that day. I’m sure it’s gorgeous at night.

At the ferry terminal, there was only a 15-minute wait and the ride itself was just about 15 minutes long too!

Then we hopped on a double-decker bus back to our hotel.

Public transportation in Hong Kong is pretty awesome.

As an early dinner for the kids and a snack for us, we went to Din Tai Fung, which was located just downstairs from our hotel.

We also didn’t have the same crazy-long wait that we’re used to in LA.

After their dinner, the kids got a shower and changed into their pjs. Then we went up to the lounge for Happy Hour to wait for Jes’ parents to finish shopping before heading up to watch the kids for an hour or so.