*** VD 13 Commentary Thread ***

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  • Kevin Seitzer
    All Star
    • Jan 2011
    • 9175

    Originally posted by The Feral Slasher

    I ventured into German territory for some inner tubing, beer and BBQ. It was exceelent
    Nice! New Braunfels area?
    "Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"

    Comment

    • The Feral Slasher
      MVP
      • Oct 2011
      • 13396

      Originally posted by Kevin Seitzer

      Nice! New Braunfels area?
      Yep, heading to Austin now
      ---------------------------------------------
      Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
      ---------------------------------------------
      The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
      George Orwell, 1984

      Comment

      • Ken
        Administrator
        • Feb 2016
        • 10977

        Originally posted by Kevin Seitzer

        You should have those things before you get north of Waco.

        I mean, north of Waco they will still probably be better than what you find in Greater Seattle, but still, have the BBQ where the Germans and Czechs settled, and the Mexican food where the Mexicans settled.
        I agree on the German and Czech part, those areas of Texas are unique and I enjoy the cuisine. Always recommend going to those parts of the state for that specialty.

        My experience with Mexican food is very different. The Mexican population in certain areas/neighborhoods in North Texas is very strong and I'm not sure that they care that their ancestors weren't there in 1830. I've found the North Texas locations (especially Fort Worth) to be superior to what I've had in the Houston or Corpus Christi areas.

        Comment

        • The Feral Slasher
          MVP
          • Oct 2011
          • 13396

          I was pleasantly surprised by all the great swimming in cool clear water from springs. It .made the extreme heat less of an issue. Lots of great spots, I may want to come back to explore some more.
          ---------------------------------------------
          Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
          ---------------------------------------------
          The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
          George Orwell, 1984

          Comment

          • Kevin Seitzer
            All Star
            • Jan 2011
            • 9175

            Originally posted by Ken

            I agree on the German and Czech part, those areas of Texas are unique and I enjoy the cuisine. Always recommend going to those parts of the state for that specialty.

            My experience with Mexican food is very different. The Mexican population in certain areas/neighborhoods in North Texas is very strong and I'm not sure that they care that their ancestors weren't there in 1830. I've found the North Texas locations (especially Fort Worth) to be superior to what I've had in the Houston or Corpus Christi areas.
            Houston in general is not great for food. Certain parts of Houston you can find good Mexican food but not if you just randomly pick one. And Houston is definitely not where to go for good barbecue. It is, unsurprisingly, good for Cajun food, compared to the rest of the state.

            My experience with San Antonio, and to a large extent in Austin as well, is that you can randomly hit a Mexican restaurant and it will be quite good. You can find good Mexican restaurants throughout a large part of the state, but your chances are more 50-50 in my experience, as to whether it will just be fine or whether it will be amazing.
            "Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"

            Comment

            • Kevin Seitzer
              All Star
              • Jan 2011
              • 9175

              There's also a difference between Tex-Mex and more traditional Mexican. Both can be very good.
              "Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"

              Comment

              • The Feral Slasher
                MVP
                • Oct 2011
                • 13396

                Originally posted by The Feral Slasher
                I was pleasantly surprised by all the great swimming in cool clear water from springs. It .made the extreme heat less of an issue. Lots of great spots, I may want to come back to explore some more.
                I hadn't been in Texas since 1996, I think, not counting airports. Had never been to Austin or San Antonio before...they were both interesting, but I enjoyed the small towns more. New Braunfels and San Marcos were both nice. If I head back to Texas I will likely focus on smaller towns, although Houston is probably the largest US city I have not been to so I will try to make it there at some point. I survived 4 really hot days, so I am sure it would be even nicer in a cooler season
                ---------------------------------------------
                Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
                ---------------------------------------------
                The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
                George Orwell, 1984

                Comment

                • Kevin Seitzer
                  All Star
                  • Jan 2011
                  • 9175

                  Originally posted by The Feral Slasher

                  I hadn't been in Texas since 1996, I think, not counting airports. Had never been to Austin or San Antonio before...they were both interesting, but I enjoyed the small towns more. New Braunfels and San Marcos were both nice. If I head back to Texas I will likely focus on smaller towns, although Houston is probably the largest US city I have not been to so I will try to make it there at some point. I survived 4 really hot days, so I am sure it would be even nicer in a cooler season
                  Yeah, coming to Texas in August is crazy. What were you thinking ?

                  I love all of the Hill Country, basically from New Braunfels in a big circle around north of San Antonio and the west side of Austin. It's beautiful country, and the food is good pretty much anywhere you stop. If I could pick one place on earth to live, ignoring the current politics of the state of Texas, that would be it.

                  Similarly to the east of Austin has a lot to recommend it, but I find the more rugged hills and live oaks of the Edwards Plateau to have a certain beauty to them.
                  "Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"

                  Comment

                  • Kevin Seitzer
                    All Star
                    • Jan 2011
                    • 9175

                    Originally posted by Ken

                    I agree on the German and Czech part, those areas of Texas are unique and I enjoy the cuisine. Always recommend going to those parts of the state for that specialty.

                    My experience with Mexican food is very different. The Mexican population in certain areas/neighborhoods in North Texas is very strong and I'm not sure that they care that their ancestors weren't there in 1830. I've found the North Texas locations (especially Fort Worth) to be superior to what I've had in the Houston or Corpus Christi areas.
                    You probably know both the Corpus Christi area and the DFW Metroplex better than I do. I have been in the Dallas suburbs area a lot to visit my brother-in-law, but they have probably not been living in Mexican food hot spots (Grand Prairie, Frisco, Plano).
                    "Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"

                    Comment

                    • heyelander
                      MVP
                      • Jan 2011
                      • 10398

                      Originally posted by The Feral Slasher
                      I was pleasantly surprised by all the great swimming in cool clear water from springs. It .made the extreme heat less of an issue. Lots of great spots, I may want to come back to explore some more.
                      Barton springs is a good time. Good people watching too.
                      I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

                      Comment

                      • heyelander
                        MVP
                        • Jan 2011
                        • 10398

                        Just heard a stat that the likelihood of someone returning to a restaurant after their first visit is only 29%. All this traveling is driving down the stats!
                        I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

                        Comment

                        • The Feral Slasher
                          MVP
                          • Oct 2011
                          • 13396

                          Originally posted by heyelander
                          Just heard a stat that the likelihood of someone returning to a restaurant after their first visit is only 29%. All this traveling is driving down the stats!
                          sorry !
                          ---------------------------------------------
                          Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
                          ---------------------------------------------
                          The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
                          George Orwell, 1984

                          Comment

                          • The Feral Slasher
                            MVP
                            • Oct 2011
                            • 13396

                            Originally posted by heyelander

                            Barton springs is a good time. Good people watching too.
                            I had some time constraints, so I visited at 9 am on a weekday. So it was 90% locals swimming laps, lots of them seemed to know each other. There was a 60ish year old woman doing flips off the diving board. it was nice enough, but I can imagine it would have been more lively on a weekend or later in the day. I talked to a few people and the consensus was that all the development in Austin is clearly changing the character of the city (apparently it is now around top 10 in US city population ?). We stayed near 6th street. Sooooo many huge buildings and then found the historic part which was not as impressive as i hoped. Rainey street has skyscrapers going up all around it, lots of construction, but looked like it would have been very cool 10 or 20 years ago. South Congress still seemed less developed, it had some newer buildings, but no skyscrapers, and that was the area we liked best in the limited time we had. Glad I went, wish I went 30 years ago, won't make an effort to return.
                            ---------------------------------------------
                            Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
                            ---------------------------------------------
                            The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
                            George Orwell, 1984

                            Comment

                            • The Feral Slasher
                              MVP
                              • Oct 2011
                              • 13396

                              Originally posted by Kevin Seitzer

                              Yeah, coming to Texas in August is crazy. What were you thinking ?

                              I love all of the Hill Country, basically from New Braunfels in a big circle around north of San Antonio and the west side of Austin. It's beautiful country, and the food is good pretty much anywhere you stop. If I could pick one place on earth to live, ignoring the current politics of the state of Texas, that would be it.

                              Similarly to the east of Austin has a lot to recommend it, but I find the more rugged hills and live oaks of the Edwards Plateau to have a certain beauty to them.
                              Mrs. Slasher had a conference in San Antonio, we both have always wanted to visit San Antonio and Austin, so I tagged along. We knew August wasn't probably the best time, but did not expect the 105-110 degree temperatures. Between SA and Austin I only saw New Braunfels/Gruene and San Marcos. Barely got off I-35, I'm sure there is a lot of interesting stuff off the beaten path which would be fun to explore, hopefully when it is just a bit cooler. Gruene Hall was very fun, saw a local band. They were awesome and I loved the venue, but it was really hot inside.
                              ---------------------------------------------
                              Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
                              ---------------------------------------------
                              The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
                              George Orwell, 1984

                              Comment

                              • Ken
                                Administrator
                                • Feb 2016
                                • 10977

                                Originally posted by Kevin Seitzer

                                You probably know both the Corpus Christi area and the DFW Metroplex better than I do. I have been in the Dallas suburbs area a lot to visit my brother-in-law, but they have probably not been living in Mexican food hot spots (Grand Prairie, Frisco, Plano).

                                Good point - those Dallas suburb locations are *not* the locations to go to for Mexican food. I'm with you there,

                                Comment

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