MmmmMmmMmm. I've been eating like a champ lately.

Care to drool?

1. egg and avo salad on greens

2. bitter caramel ice cream with hot donuts from The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz

3. tender pork belly with turmeric pickled daikon and green shiso from The Chairman

4. our favorite coffee from Pacific Bay Coffee Co.

5. quince black pepper ice cream in the best waffle cone of my life (Penny)

6. Ike's "Pinky & the Brain": halal chicken, onion Rings, swiss, teriyaki, wasabi mayo

7. homemade farmer's breakfast

8. calamari at Aldo's in Santa Cruz

9. spaghetti squash carbonara based on this recipe (winner of the ugly-but-tasty award)

10. pork banh mi salad

11. fresh ramen with pork and soft boiled egg 

I hope everyone is enjoying a calm and joyful week!

Boston Meets Austin

There's lots to say.

Austin, I love you so much.

I was in Austin for the weekend with 15 other ladies for my friend Sarah's bachelorette party. Great choice, Sarah! I've loved Austin ever since Jimmy and I checked it out a couple of years ago, and I saw so happy to have the opportunity to explore it further. In just 3 short days, the 16 of us danced, saw, did, shopped, drank and ate so much. There's lots to say, but first for some photos, courtesy of instagram (follow me @allierowe).

As you can tell, we had no fun at all. ;)

Just a couple of highlights, in case anyone's planning an Austin trip (which you obviously should)...

What to --- in Austin.

Eat:

• barbeque. preferably at Stubb's, though I'm sure there are a bunch of amazing places. every last bite was drool worthy, especially when doused with their famous sauce. I'd love to see a live show there, too.
• tex-mex. obvi! we went to Pelon's which we'd heard was great, plus it was right near our hotel (and coincedentally, right across the street from Stubb's!). they put together a delightful taco bar for us, which paired nicely with endless pitchers of sangria and margarita's. and queso dip. lots and lots of queso dip (try it).
• food trucks. the SoCo (South of Congress) district has a wonderful bunch of them, and which Jimmy and I also experienced a couple years ago. So much fun. but sadly, it seems that they'll be dispersing soon. they will have to relocate somewhere though, so just look for nomad dosa, short bus subs, and crepesmille.
• happy hour. tons to choose from. we picked a tex-mex place with a roofdeck, and managed to have a huge meal and 2 drinks each for less than $20 per person. me likey. 

See:

• live music. luckily, you couldn't avoid it if you tried! 6th Street is crawling with great live bands, and we didn't come across a single place with a cover. bar hopping is fun.
• the beauty of SoCo. even if you don't go in a single shop or eat at the food carts, you'll enjoy yourself just viewing the wall art, the fairy-lit oak trees and spur of the moment street performances.
• the treats of Uncommon Objects in SoCo. It's like a museum.

Do:

• tube down a river. this was our favorite day. there are a bunch of places to do it 1/2 hour south of Austin - make it happen.
• honky tonk!! we went to the Broken Spoke ("last of the true Texas dance halls") where a nice young man taught each and every one of us how to two step. feeling confident, we headed back downtown to Rebels Honky Tonk to show off our skills and watch people flail off the mechanical bull. this place was bachelorette party heaven.
• shop. in where else?? SoCo. adorable vintage shops, millions of cowboy boots/hats, cute unique jewelry, crafts -- what more could you ask for?
• get on stage. we befriended an wonderfully interactive band who invited me on stage not once but twice to help them with a chorus or two. rockstar fantasies whaaaat?
• go off the beaten track. after tubing we stopped at the Gristmill in Gruene, TX for a snack. it was the definition of a "local watering hole". so picturesque and just...so texas.

Pack:

• cowboy boots (when in rome)
• comfy, light clothing
• a bubba keg (or other non-disposable drinking device) for your tubing refreshments
• sunscreen
• cheap sunglasses & flip flips for tubing (you might lose them)
• a bachelorette (helpful for free drinks and skipping lines!)

You planning a trip yet?? I hope so!

Peace Out, Portland!

Well we're outta here! Funny how quickly life has been flipping all around lately. Less than 2 months ago we were fairly convinced we'd be moving permanently to Portland, OR, and here we are, leaving for California tomorrow. We are so excited to get some order back in our lives after a full 8 months of travel, adventure, and unemployment.

For example, here are some things I'm desperately craving:
  1) my own kitchen to cook yummy, healthy meals in
  2) a place to put all my things
  3) the sense of purpose that comes from having a job you enjoy
  4) a gym membership/exercise schedule
  5) I feel like I'm forgetting something...oh yeah, an income.

So I guess I've learned that the nomadic life is not for me, at least not permanently! But don't get me wrong. This hiatus from the "real world" has been amazing. Know what's especially fun? The time after you've accepted a wonderful position but before you've started working, when you can call off the job search and just enjoy being unemployed for a little bit! That's why our almost-two-weeks in Portland has been so lovely. We've relaxed, planned our move to CA, explored the city, checked out about a million happy hours, and enjoyed freedom.

Here are some shots from Portland.....

1. Line for Voodoo Doughnuts on a Saturday

2. North Waterfront Park

3. View of the Burnside Bridge

4. Food carts

5. the International Rose Test Garden 

6. Forest Park

7. Our little Airbnb apartment

8. Wine, beer & Settlers

If you guessed that these pictures aren't all from the past two weeks, then...you would be right. I'm a cheater. It's been miserably gray while we've been here and therefore, no fun to take pictures! I didn't want to present lovely Portland in that way. So instead, the outdoor shots are leftover from the last time we were here. But we did visit each of these places while we were here this time, too... so I'm not that big of a cheater.

Now time for some packing & sleep - we're heading south tomorrow, to be in Ashland, OR by night!


p.s. the Airbnb link is my referral link, so if you sign up I'll end up getting travel credit when you take a trip! Jim and I absolutely love it - we used it to book our apartments in Sardinia and Puglia, too. We've found many wonderful apartments and B&Bs, sometimes for less than $20/night, and we'll be using it to transition to CA, too. Fully recommended!

Oregon: Front Row Seats

 

We're on the road! Currently in Fort Bragg, CA about to eat our first hot breakfast in a few days. Then we'll be continuing down the CA coast in search of wine and scenic vistas. 

Here are a few glimpses of our first couple of days out here!

 Travel...

Exploring Portland...

And the Avett Brothers show!

We have plenty more to share but for now it's time to eat! Posting pics on here takes forever - does anyone know how to easily re-size images on the computer??