So believe it or not, Pat and I do vacation separately.

My dear friend of 12+ years, Janey, and I decided a year ago that we needed a lady’s trip. For the last couple of years, we have spent a summer weekend at Rehobeth Beach. We wanted something new. I had suggested visiting the “big sky” states – Montana, the Dakotas. These are places I’ve never been. We scheduled May 2014, and sometime in February 2014 the real negotiations began. Janey didn’t want long drives. I didn’t want the beach. And then Janey suggested Austin and planning fell into place. We bought tickets for the Food and Wine Festival and began dreaming of eating … a lot.

Very unusually, we hooked up with a friend of my cousin and stayed in a beautiful home in the Austin suburbs. Charles and Stacy were awesome hosts. First, they accepted strangers in their home. Second, they were sweet and very funny. Third, they took us to one of the best sites in Austin and got us dancing.

We were also able to hook up with a schoolmate of mine from Gtown. I hadn’t seen Andres since before we graduated. I can’t say how soothing it was to reconnect or how kind he was to us. He was the best host showing us Austin nightlife – the music, the people, and the sites. One of my favorites was the Container Bar. Yes, made of real shipping containers. And then there was the food truck serving lomo saltado which was just as lovely as the stuff I inhaled in Peru in 2006.

Austin was a completely unexpected delight. The food was soo yummy. We ate at a Japanese restaurant, Uchi. Japanese food, not being food I normally eat, but I was feeling open. Delicious!!

Austin definitely rates one of the special places I’ve eaten and one I hope to eat again soon. The only thing that made it even more special was exploring with an old friend. Thanks J!