10. Jamba Juice. Yes, it has very little to do with Texas, but in northern New England we are not blessed with such fruit amazingness.
9. BBQ. Of course we wanted to eat real Texas BBQ while in Texas. First, some friends who live in Texas tried to tell us all the best places to go, but the conversation quickly turned into an argument with four adults shouting out their favorite BBQ places, so we didn't really pick up much useful information. In Austin, we tried to go to a BBQ place, but it was closed because it was Sunday. In Killeen, we tried to go to a BBQ place, but it was closed because it was Monday. Finally, my last night in Texas, we drove by a red shack with an open sign and outdoor seating. BBQ. The pulled pork was good, but the sides were unimpressive. For me, the side dishes are my favorite part of BBQ. They didn't even have corn bread!
8. "Downtown" Killeen. In a city of over 120,000 people I expected a lot more from what the city of Killeen advertises as "downtown". Three square blocks of run down shops does not make a downtown.
7. Sonic! We don't have many of these types of establishments in New England considering half the year it is freezing cold. Pretty awesome to eat hot dogs and tater tots (!!!) in a car.
6. Cupcake truck in Austin. Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting! (I keep finding quirky cupcakes wherever I go and am not complaining.)
5. Mexican meat. We went to a friend's house, a transplant from Candia, and had fajitas made with this giant slab of marinated beef she bought at a Mexican market.
3. Journal Club Texas Style. This activity consists of a bunch of doctors shooting guns for three hours then discussing some journal articles. The ranch where the event was held was beautiful; vastly different lifestyle from most of the run-down little cites we saw. I was pretty astounded at how many guns the doctors seemed to own. I didn't shoot anything, but for me, it was a big step just to be standing near guns.
2. South Austin. Wacky antique shops (I especially liked the one with a giant stuffed hare over the door) and chic restaurants. I had some amazing French toast with peaches and cream on top.
1. Honor to the confederacy. At the capitol building in Texas, a building a real Texan I met proudly proclaimed was taller than the US capitol building, the floor in the rotunda honors all of the countries that have flown their flag over Texas. This includes the Confederate States of America. And they have a monument to the victims of the War of Northern Aggression who died for "States Rights Guaranteed under the Constitution". You just have to admire that gumption!
9. BBQ. Of course we wanted to eat real Texas BBQ while in Texas. First, some friends who live in Texas tried to tell us all the best places to go, but the conversation quickly turned into an argument with four adults shouting out their favorite BBQ places, so we didn't really pick up much useful information. In Austin, we tried to go to a BBQ place, but it was closed because it was Sunday. In Killeen, we tried to go to a BBQ place, but it was closed because it was Monday. Finally, my last night in Texas, we drove by a red shack with an open sign and outdoor seating. BBQ. The pulled pork was good, but the sides were unimpressive. For me, the side dishes are my favorite part of BBQ. They didn't even have corn bread!
8. "Downtown" Killeen. In a city of over 120,000 people I expected a lot more from what the city of Killeen advertises as "downtown". Three square blocks of run down shops does not make a downtown.
7. Sonic! We don't have many of these types of establishments in New England considering half the year it is freezing cold. Pretty awesome to eat hot dogs and tater tots (!!!) in a car.
6. Cupcake truck in Austin. Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting! (I keep finding quirky cupcakes wherever I go and am not complaining.)
5. Mexican meat. We went to a friend's house, a transplant from Candia, and had fajitas made with this giant slab of marinated beef she bought at a Mexican market.
4. Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco. While the museum was definitely a giant tribute to capitalism right down to their Freemarket Institute, they have an awesome old soda fountain where we imbibed on some delicious Dr. Pepper.
2. South Austin. Wacky antique shops (I especially liked the one with a giant stuffed hare over the door) and chic restaurants. I had some amazing French toast with peaches and cream on top.
1. Honor to the confederacy. At the capitol building in Texas, a building a real Texan I met proudly proclaimed was taller than the US capitol building, the floor in the rotunda honors all of the countries that have flown their flag over Texas. This includes the Confederate States of America. And they have a monument to the victims of the War of Northern Aggression who died for "States Rights Guaranteed under the Constitution". You just have to admire that gumption!
