Tag Archives: Texas

Day 7, Part 2: Austin, Texas

30 Apr

ROAD TRIP

Day 7

Austin, Texas

A.K.A- The day everything started to make sense, I ate Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Herb swam in Barton Springs

On the drive from Marfa to Austin I had a moment where it all started to make sense and I was reminded why I wanted to take this journey in the first place.

We rode through the Texas plains as the sun rose listening to music..the open road as far as the eye could see…the wind in my hair…the smell of the fresh air…the excitement of new landscapes…the feeling of freedom…these are the moments I love most.

and in these moments everything in my life feels expansive, new and full of possibility.

After 8 hours of driving through the plains we arrived in Austin, Texas, slightly exhausted from waking up at 5am (who planned this crazy itinerary anyway?) but SO amped to explore and play in Austin (especially after being stuck in the twilight zone the night before). We were thirsty for human interaction!

I have been to Austin a couple of times before and each and every time I fall in love with it a little more. The last time I was there I actually announced to my group of friends who live there that I was moving to Austin. It could have been the three margarita’s speaking, but I sincerely meant it in the moment. The city is just cool- there is no way around it.

Rachel has never been to Austin before and it was one of the cities on the trip that she was most excited about exploring. So the minute we got there we were off and running- so much to do and see in so little time! That reminds me, next time you hear that I am planning a cross-country road trip please remind me to choose to visit less cities in 3 weeks because it’s simply impossible to see a city in an afternoon.

But it doesn’t mean we didn’t try!

Our first stop was Torchy’s Tacos, a Mexican food truck that happens to be one of the main reasons I almost moved to Austin. I am actually thankful they aren’t in LA because nothing good would come of me eating there every day..nothing at all. Rachel is a bit of a Mexican food nut as well, so I was excited to introduce her to this piece of heaven. I ordered a “dirty sanchez taco”, yes, its actually called that, yes it’s a strange mix of things (scrambled eggs, friend poblano chile, guacamole, escabeche carrots and shredded cheese) and yes, it’s delicious.

{me with my new favorite Sud De Sur purse/picture by One Part Gypsy}

After fueling ourselves with mexican food, we set off to browse the vintage clothing stores on South Congress Street. I wouldn’t say I am a cowboy boot fanatic but I absolutely loved poking my head in Allen’s Boots- I have NEVER seen so many cowboy boots in my life. Wall to wall in every shape, color and size. It could inspire anybody to be a cowboy.

After browsing the stores, we drove over to Barton Springs to dip our feet in the water for a bit. It was filled with locals splashing around happily in the early evening light. I envied them all that this was at their fingertips! I would go there every single day to cool off.

We thought it would be fun to take pictures of Herb in the pool too (I mean he is a fish and all). Thank God I don’t have to show my face at Barton Springs for a bit because oh, the stares we got while photographing playing in the water.

{photo by One Part Gypsy}

We were having such a great afternoon in Austin that we found ourselves daydreaming about moving there. Our plan- we would convince the boys they wanted to live in Austin too,  each buy a little house with a porch on the same street and all live happily ever after in Austin! We decided that other than the painful summer heat, it’s a pretty amazing city…great food, easygoing vibe, artistic, lots of outdoor space, music, cute houses, cute people…the list goes on and on.

After our afternoon exploring the city and planning our move to Austin, we decided to dine at La Condessa and indulge in even more Mexican food. I loved the vibe of this place- it was filled with a lively group of people who were out to enjoy themselves (which seems to be a trait in Austin locals). The margarita’s were great, the guacamole was creamy, my dinner was fab and our server Gilberto was a sweetheart- I would eat there every night if I could. Did I mention I have a Mexican food addiction??

After dinner we strolled the warm streets of Downtown Austin and I had a moment- a moment where I realized that everything in my life felt absolutely perfect.

…

 See Rachel’s take and more pics click here!

365til30: instagram  @kate365, twitter, facebook

One Part Gypsy: instagram @onepartgypsy, twitter, facebook

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Day 6, Part 2: Marfa, Texas

25 Apr

ROAD TRIP

Day 6, Part 2

Marfa, Texas

After an 8-hour drive and a run-in with a dirt devil, Rachel and I finally arrived in Marfa, Texas at 3:30pm, two and a half hours behind schedule. In our defense, we did lose an hour with the time change but I am not quite sure where the other hour and half went. We were both exhausted and starved (we had skipped lunch) but still SOOOO excited to explore this town.

Marfa, Texas was a last-minute addition to our overly ambitious itinerary. We had heard a bunch of great things about Marfa from very cool people a few weeks before our trip and thought maybe it was worth a stop?? It became a finalized addition to the itinerary the minute we found out there was a hotel there that offered teepees to sleep in!

A teepee = a must stop

(bottom pic by One Part Gypsy)

Cut to, the day we drove into Marfa..we pulled into a dusty little town in the middle of nowhere, checked into our hotel, signed a waiver acknowledging we were aware that wildlife could crawl into our teepee through open holes and dropped our bags quickly to set off to find food and explore Marfa. We drove around to ALL the recommended restaurants (4 of them) only to find out they were all closed. But why?? It was Tuesday at 4pm? We just couldn’t make sense of it.

In addition to everything being closed we also noticed that the streets were strangely empty. We roamed the streets looking for food feeling like we were in the twilight zone. We finally stumbled upon a little thrift store that was OPEN (shocker) and we decided to go in. After making a loop around the store (a quick one) we walked up to the lady behind the counter (imagine your grandmother wearing blue eye liner and smoking a camel) and asked…”pardon me, we happened to noticed that everything was closed and were wondering why?” In the friendliest voice possible.

She shot us one of the strangest looks I have ever been privy to (it actually gave me chills)- a mix between disgust (she looked us both up and down) and wonder (like we were aliens that recently landed in Marfa), cocked her head, furrowed her brows, crossed her arms and whispered…”I don’t know what you mean”

I mean, there isn’t really anywhere to go from there, right? Clearly, she was not the kinda woman you argued with, especially when you haven’t eaten all day. So, Rachel and I just looked at each other and walked out.

When we got back on the desolate street (to safety) we started laughing and then stopped, realizing we were still exhausted and starved and said, “Now what?”

In the distance we saw a hotel sign which seemed  promising. Enter in  El Paisano Hotel– the only food source open on a Tuesday at 5pm in Marfa. We crawled there. Sat down. Ordered two margarita’s and two burgers (it was a serious situation that only margarita’s and burgers could solve) and sat silently for a bit, taking in the scene. It was 5pm and 10 people, which seemed like most of the town started to trickle in to grab a drink and a bite.

When our waiter came back with our drinks we asked “So, why are all the restaurants and stores closed today?” he smiled and said, “well, most things are closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesday”, “But, Why?”, we asked. He looked at us, puzzled for a moment, and said, “I don’t really know”

Fair enough.

Marfa makes its own rules.

I guess I can get down with that. Wish I would have known though, because I would have found lunch along the way.

After our burger and Margarita’s, we drove around the little dusty, little town looking for something…anything to do. We stopped for a few pics in front of cool signs (I will say Marfa has got some cool signage), and retired back to our hotel, The El Cosmico, to work for  the night.

I love the El Cosmico, by the way- such a cool model for a hotel! They offer converted airstream trailers, safari tents, camping tents and teepees as accommodations  each and every one more unique than the next.

As you know, we choose a teepee…

and after I stuffed the holes that wildlife could possibly climb in through, with pillows, it was SUCH FUN!

Have you ever slept in a teepee?

If not, I think you should, it’s like camping but better. The one and only time I camped I had to sleep on the ground, with some hard rocks but this time I had a heated bed….waaaaay better.  I still had to walk a mile in the middle of the night to pee and had to shower in a communal shower, but hey, you can’t win them all.

I’m not quite sure what I think about Marfa. It is one strange little town in the middle of nowhere. Am I happy we went? Yes. Am I going to go back (when things are open)? Maybe.

….

 See Rachel’s take and more pics click here!

365til30: instagram  @kate365, twitter, facebook

One Part Gypsy: instagram @onepartgypsy, twitter, facebook

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Day 6, Part 2: Marfa, Texas

24 Apr

ROAD TRIP

Day 6, Part 2

Marfa, Texas

more to come on Marfa, Texas and our teepee photos!

 See Rachel’s take here!

365til30: instagram  @kate365, twitter, facebook

One Part Gypsy: instagram @onepartgypsy, twitter, facebook

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Day 6, part 1: Driving to Marfa, Texas

23 Apr

ROAD TRIP

Day 6, Part 1

Scheduling issues, trunks, Dirt Devils, Texas & Marfa

This just in- Rachel and I should not be given the task of planning itineraries in the future…we  happened to plug-in some insane departure times, driving times and were overly ambitious when scheduling our days. I’m not sure if Superman could pull off our itinerary. Our running joke on the trip has been asking aloud…”who planned this schedule?” Most days we get up at 5am to either drive an insane amount of hours, photograph or write. By evening we could both easily fall asleep by 7pm (I wish I was kidding but seriously 7pm has become the new bedtime over here).

So when I looked at our itinerary for Day 6, it read….

Departure from Ghost Ranch @ 5am

Driving time to Marfa, Texas 8 hours

Arrival time in Marfa, Texas 1pm

I looked at Rachel and said- “who planned this schedule?”

When the alarm sounded at 4:30 am, Rachel and I just started laughing in the dark at the absurdity of it all. We were up in the mountains, it was pitch dark, freezing (25 degrees which is cold for us CA girls) and we had to pack up a car and drive for 8 hours? SERIOUSLY, WHO PLANNED THIS ITINERARY?

If I didn’t know better I would think it was somebody who hated us.

We dragged ourselves out of bed and half asleep we packed the car in the dark and headed out of the mountains. When the sun came up two hours later I looked in my rearview window and noticed that my trunk was wide open. WHAT?! I was driving with my trunk open for the last two hours through the mountains!! We just started laughing. I pulled over and Rachel ran out to close it but not before taking this picture.

When she returned to the car, she said through laughter…”well your bag was unzipped and some clothes were hanging out. I guess we will know if you’re missing anything when we get to Marfa”

Not the best news at 7am but what are you going to do.

The highlights from our 8 hour drive

1. Taking a picture with the Texas state sign!

2. When we were driving through Texas on a 2 lane highway in the middle of nowhere and we saw what looked like a mini tornado in the distance. I thought…omg my Dad was right there’s a tornado!! I started taking pictures of it that was until it started coming toward us and Rachel screamed “Oh my God, we are doing exactly what your father told us not to do!!! We’re driving towards a tornado!!!” and slammed on the brakes.

I closed my eyes and tried to roll up my window as quick as I could and Rachel screamed…”It’s got a tumbleweed!!!!”

It’s got a tumbleweed!!!?? Well that’s not good!!! For a moment there I thought we were going to die. I seriously thought that I was going to die and my Dad was going to be proven right…I didn’t know what was worse!

Instead of lifting up our car, the dirt cloud passed over us like a gust of wind.

We barely felt a thing.

We looked at each other with wide eyes and both burst out laughing.

After googling it we learned that it was a “Dirt Devil” and not dangerous AT ALL.

I blame my father for our overreaction to the dirt cloud.

3. Taking pictures with my car

As we were approaching Marfa, Texas I looked at my phone and said…”Rachel, I have bad news. It’s happened again. We lost an hour.”

Marfa here we come!

…

 See Rachel’s take here!

365til30: instagram  @kate365, twitter, facebook

One Part Gypsy: instagram @onepartgypsy, twitter, facebook

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101

29 Mar

ROAD TRIP

Until Monday, Rachel and I were planning to stay in Austin, TX for two nights on the road trip, but changed our minds the minute we learned about a dusty little town in the high desert of West Texas. Enter in the newest addition to our overly ambitious road trip itinerary- Marfa, Texas! Despite a population of only 1,981 it’s become an artist community and cosmic wonder due to The Marfa Lights (aliens?!), Judd Foundation (modern art) and a Prada store (which is less of a store and more of an art installation).

I have a new obsession with Marfa, Texas and I really hope it lives up to my expectations! The odds are stacked in Marfa’s favor because we will be staying at the El Cosmico and sleeping in a teepee!

Have any of you guys been there? I would love some input?!

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103

27 Mar

ROAD TRIP

This road trip is shaping up to be the most insane adventure of my life! It’s becoming way more fabulous then I could have ever imagined it to be. I’m not going to lie, our itinerary is insanely ambitious and we may die from exhaustion trying to stay on schedule but that’s part of the adventure…right? Rachel and I will have to survive the driving and appointment booked days armed with laughter, cameras, our beloved computers, lots of red bull and the support of all our readers!!

New things added to the itinerary

{Living Desert Museum}

{Living Desert Museum}

AMAZING!

(Cup Cafe- Tucson}

I have a feeling that my Huevos Rancheros breakfast from the Cup Cafe is going to be pretty amazing!

{The Compound Restaurant}

I just LOVE this.

{The Compound Restaurant}

Is that not the prettiest dining room you have ever seen?? I hear the food is even prettier…

{Puye Cliff Dwellings- New Mexico}

Puye Cliffs was home to 1,500 Pueblo Indians who lived, farmed and hunted game there from the 900s to 1580 A.D.- I cannot wait to see it in person!

{El Cosmico- Marfa, Texas}

Sleeping in a teepee!! Yes Please!!

{Torchy’s Tacos- Austin, Texas}

I have been dreaming of eating a taco from Torchy’s Taco’s again ever since I tried one three years ago…so delish!

{Hotel Provincial- New Orleans}

This hotel is supposed to be haunted! I can’t tell if this excites me or terrifies me.

{Haunted Ghost Tour- New Orleans}

To really ensure we see a ghost while in New Orleans we have signed up for a ghost tour as well…

{Poogan’s Porch- Charleston}

The menu at this restaurant makes my mouth water- Rachel and I have decided that we MUST order the fried alligator salad because how often do you see that on a menu?

{Graceland- Memphis}

Elvis! Need I say more?!

{Smith-Byrd House, Alabama}

Is this not the sweetest Bed & Breakfast you have ever seen??

{Carriage Tour @ Middleton Place– Charleston}

The above picture is going to be re-created with Rachel and I inserted in to it.

Have any of you guys been to any of these places?? Do you have any tips? Thoughts?

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109

21 Mar

ROAD TRIP

{photo by One Part Gypsy}

I had no idea that simply planning this across-the-country road trip would be so much fun! Rachel and I are both equally obsessed with every little detail, taking great pride in finding the perfect hotel, restaurant and activity in each city we stop. It’s definitely been a process reaching out to local businesses across the US but we have been over-whelmed  by the support we have received from each city- people are so welcoming!  It’s making me even more excited (if that’s possible) to get on the road and connect with people and learn about the history of each city.

This process has reaffirmed my belief in manifesting my dreams, because this 365 til 30 goal is manifesting in a huge, exciting way and I am very thankful for it all!

Los Angeles-> Tucson-> White Sands -> Santa Fe -> Abiquiu -> Austin -> New Orleans -> Jackson -> Memphis -> Montgomery->

Saint Mary’s -> Savannah -> Charleston -> Wilmington

Here we come!

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172

17 Jan

ROAD TRIP

My new road trip inspiration photo…minus the guns and the running from the law part.

I have been obsessed with all things road trip lately- The route! The cities! The music! The people! I am dying to get on the open road with no real objective other than to explore. It speaks to my soul- sounds dramatic but it’s true. I sincerely hope this isn’t one of those goals that sounds much better in my head and the reality of it sucks. I highly doubt it though. Adventure is usually always fun. Sadly, my normal partner in crime, Brian, isn’t available to drive across the country with me (Damn those jobs. Although he may fly in for a leg of the journey…we will see) so I had to move on to my next partner in crime, Rachel. She is a perfect person to road trip with considering she is adventurous, fun and also a beautiful photographer.

She came over the other day to brainstorm the road trip routes and dates and we had so much fun! We were getting more and more excited by each stop and idea! After a few hours we had our route and our departure date…

March 29th 2012

Los Angeles -> Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona -> Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona -> Silver City, New Mexico

Silver City, New Mexico -> White Sands, New Mexico

White Sands, New Mexico -> Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico -> Abiquio, New Mexico

Abiquio, New Mexico ->Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas -> New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana -> Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi -> Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama -> Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee -> Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia -> Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia -> Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina -> Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina -> Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, North Carolina – > Virginia (cities to be decided)

Virginia – > Delaware to visit my family!

When Brian got home from work, I excitedly showed him our plan and he said…”why these dates?” I said…”I don’t know, why not those dates? We kinda just picked them out of a hat” He said “what about a car and hotels and… and…and?“

I said “Details, honey, details. Don’t you know how I work by this point, silly?“

*

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

St. Augustine

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333

9 Aug

PLANNING : DRIVE ACROSS THE USA

The route has been decided and it will now be referred to as “Southern Charm With A Splash Of Delaware”. I have decided to start in Delaware because it’s where my family is from and I will take any excuse to get back east to visit family, eat crabs and catch fireflies. That’s what’s so fun about planning this trip. The continent is my oyster. What freedom! The thought of completing this goal puts a huge smile on my face.  A joyful, giddy, silly AND huge smile on my face. I have always wanted to do this drive and I am doing it!  I still have no idea how I am going to take 3 weeks off from my LA life but those are just minor details…right?  I have found that’s what always stands in the way. Thinking there will “one day” be a better time to do something you long to do. But, really the time is now. Since I put this on my 365 to 30 list for the world to see, I will be filling my soul with cross-country memories before my 30th birthday.

 I figured the first thing to decide was my route then build around that. I went with my gut and chose the South. What better place to start I thought? It is filled with fantastic culture, food and people. Oh man, I can’t wait to get lost and eat pie.

The Route

 Delaware

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

Alabama

 Mississippi

 Louisiana

Texas

New Mexico

 Arizona

HOME In California!!

*

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living”

Miriam Beard

-INSPIRATION SONG: DRIVE ACROSS THE USA-

01 Life Is a Highway

©

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