Horseshoe Lounge

Many places on South Lamar are disappearing and being replaced by condos. Property values are increasing, forcing many small businesses to move to cheaper locales or close permanently. I've driven past the Horseshoe Lounge many times on my way up and down Lamar but never stopped by until last Friday night. It's one of those "blink and you miss it" type places, tucked into a (mostly empty) shopping center on the right side of the road before you hit Oltorf, heading south.

This is one of those old school bars: lots of beer signs (some neon), wood paneling from the 70s, a lone pool table, and a shuffleboard area. There's not many tables, unless there are some in an outdoor area--it was too cold when I was there to even think about sitting outside. It seems more like a place to drink away your sorrows than to hang out with a big group of people.

If you go, bring cash (they don't accept plastic), and come ready to drink beer, as you will find no liquor behind the bar. And if you're curious about this place, go there as soon as possible before it is razed for condo development.

Town Lake Hike and Bike trails

(originally posted 12/5/07)

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to live a couple of blocks away from the trails. I walked/rode my bike on the trails almost daily and never got bored with it. There's something therapeutic about hearing the gravel crunching under your feet as you think about whatever. The trails take you all the way from Mopac to Longhorn Dam--you can go further west than Mopac, but I've never been farther than Deep Eddy Pool. This is a great place to enjoy one of the best parts about living in Austin: the outdoors. You'll see lots of people jogging, riding bikes, and walking their dogs. Some are tuned into their iPods and others are busy chatting on their phones. I always get a kick out of the dogs. All types are represented, from the short, stocky ones struggling to keep up, to the large ones fetching tennis balls out of the river.

Through my many ventures on the trails, I've learned that, like there are certain times of the day where driving is not recommended due to heavy traffic, there are rush hours on the trails. Lots of people like to hit the trails after work, so if you like to be able to ride your bike without getting stuck behind a group of horizontal trail walkers (a group of people who don't walk single file, preferring to take up most of the trail so that only a foot of empty space is left) I recommend doing something else this time of day. Also, weekends can be busy, since most people are off, and if the weather's good, they want to be outside. The best time to go is during the weekdays, when everyone is at work.

The trails are located along Town Lake (now called Lady Bird Lake, after Lady Bird Johnson. No disrespect towards her, but I've always known it as Town Lake, and Lady Bird Lake sounds foreign to me). Parking is available on Riverside, between Lamar and South First, and on Cesar Chavez, between Lamar and Guadalupe.

Dog Almighty

(originally posted 11/7/07)

Saying the name of this place almost makes me want to laugh. I guess it's because when I say it, I think "God Almighty," but since it says "Dog," I think of a dog wearing a red velvet cape sitting on a cloud. That's probably only funny to me.

This place has really good food. It's the only place I can think of that serves veggie hot dogs. And you can get that veggie hot dog covered with vegan chili, which makes for an awesome dog. Their chili won an award, and after eating it, I can see why. You can get any of their hot dog offerings made vegetarian and vegan--as long as you don't get the cheese. They even have veggie bratwurst. Corn dogs and veggie burgers are available, but I'm not sure they're vegan. The last time I had the veggie burger, it looked like it had cheese in the patty.

To go with your dog, you can get fries and/or tots. If you're feeling crazy, you can add chili (and/or cheese if you're vegetarian). They even have frito pies!!! Doesn't that excite you? I'm excited just typing this!

What really makes this place awesome, besides the dogs and the chili, is that they have root beer on tap. It goes really well with the food.

The last time I was there (last week), I noticed a vegan dessert item. Of course, I don't remember what it was, but I was glad it was there. I'm always happy to see places offer vegan desserts. Gosh, living in Austin sure has spoiled me to that.

Dog Almighty has several Austin locations. I usually go to the one in the shopping center on the corner of South Lamar and Barton Skyway.

Clementine Coffee Bar

(originally posted 9/18/07)

It has been too hot to do anything except hibernate, so most of my days off have been spent laying on the couch in front of the tv. Hence, lack of posting since June. Fall officially begins on Sunday, and I am hoping that cooler weather follows shortly thereafter.

Clementine Coffee Bar is an excellent place to grab a glass of iced coffee and escape the enervating heat. If you don't own a MacBook, you might feel a little out of place, but don't let that discourage you from plopping down on one of their semi-comfortable couches from Ikea. Actually, most, if not all, of their furniture is from Ikea--which is alright in my book. There's a deck outside populated with plastic chairs in case you want to have your coffee al fresco.

Food is available, but I haven't tried it yet. So far it seems like the only vegan sandwich is the grilled peanut butter and jelly panini. That's not something I would normally try, but I must admit I'm curious. I was pleased to see on my last visit that vegan chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread are available.

Weekdays from 5-7 is happy hour. For a coffee house, I was impressed with their beer selection: from fancy Stella Artois to the hipster favorite, Lone Star. They also offer beer from tap, with a pint costing $3 during happy hour.

Clementine Coffee Bar is located on Manor Road, across the street from Eastside Cafe.

Day trip to San Antonio, Part 2

(originally posted 6/25/07)

In retrospect, I probably could have made this two part entry into one long entry, but I got lazy halfway through typing the first entry. I think my fingers have enough stamina to make it through this time.

I left off talking about the art museums. After looking at those museums, you'll probably be mighty hungry. Green Vegetarian Cuisine is an excellent place to sate your appetite. All of their items are vegetarian, and most are vegan. When my husband and I went, we had a hard time choosing because there were so many things that sounded good. We both had the chicken fried wheat meat, mine with the vegan brown gravy and his with the white (nonvegan) gravy. You get two sides: I had sweet potato fries and a salad with this awesome vegan chipotle dressing; my husband had two helpings of mashed potatoes. We got so much food that we couldn't finish it all. I didn't even have room for dessert, which was sad because I really wanted to try their cake. Green is the first and only vegetarian/vegan restaurant in San Antonio, so I hope they do well enough so that I can go back some day.

If it's not too hot, I recommend going to the Botanical Garden. It's pretty big, so be prepared to walk. There's not much more to say other than this is a beautiful place and worth visiting--as long as it's not too hot. When my husband and I went, we didn't make it all the way through because of the heat.

Last, but not least, you'll want to visit the missions. Ideally, try to go when the missions are open so you can see the insides. Even if you go after hours, it's worth seeing the grounds. I have a friend who was married in the San Jose Mission. I remember the smell, the colorful ribbons hanging from the ceiling, the hard wooden benches, and the feeling of awe that comes with being in a place with so much history. The mission is surrounded by a brick wall with doors and windows. Lush green grass lines the perimeter.

So I think I covered everything I've experienced. And it only took me two parts to do it.

Day trip to San Antonio, Part 1

(originally posted 6/18/07)

There's something about summer time that makes me want to travel, despite the heat and high gas prices. The road calls. If you're like me, you are living on a student's budget and cannot afford to take that european vacation, or even that overnight vacation because a hotel room would cost too much. Luckily, there are many day trip options in Texas, and if you live in Austin, San Antonio is a great destination.

People usually think of the Riverwalk when they think of San Antonio. While that's a good place to go, it can be claustrophobic and hot. Sure, there are many restaurants and shops, but the sidewalks surrounding the river are small and crowded, and I have yet to eat good Mexican food from a Riverwalk restaurant. Maybe the non-vegan Mexican food is good, but the vegan selections are limited and often bland. I'm not saying you should avoid the Riverwalk, but you should know what to expect.

You can't go to San Antonio without visiting the Alamo, which is close to the Riverwalk. Inside are artifacts from the battle and a gift shop. Be sure to visit the basement! Just kidding. I'm sure the Alamo staff members don't think it's funny when people ask to see the basement. Behind the Alamo is a beautiful, lush area with trees, soft green grass, and benches for you to sit and rest.

To escape the heat--or cold, depending on the season--San Antonio has some excellent museums: The McNay Art Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Witte Museum (which I haven't yet visited). The McNay is in what looks like an old mansion. The grounds are beautiful, and you will likely see many photographers taking bridal and quinceanera pictures. I've only been once, so I can't remember if the museum has a permanent collection. I know they have a non-permanent collection--they had an Andy Warhol exhibit when I was there. The San Antonio Museum of Art has an impressive collection of artifacts from around the world. It is located in the old Lone Star brewing building. There is so much stuff that you could easily spend an afternoon looking at all of it. The most impressive things I remember seeing were the Samurai uniform, the Buddhist shrine, and the items that are thousands of years old. There is a non-permanent collection, but you have to pay extra to see that.

There is so much to do and write about that I'm going to have to make this a two part entry. The last thing I will say is that it is a good idea to invest in a map of San Antonio. Many of the streets change names multiple times, making it easy to lose your bearings.

Cafe Mundi

(originally posted 6/6/07)

I've been slacking with the posting lately. I just haven't made the time to write in this blog. Mainly, it's because I've been studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) so I can get into graduate school. I've been spending a lot of time on the math portion because it's the hardest part for me. If I could have taken the math part in high school, I would have aced it. But about 10 years have passed since I was an algebra wiz, so I'm having to relearn how to solve equations and find the area of triangles. My goal is to take this exam by the end of the month.

Summer is here again--even though it's not officially summer, the heat makes it feel official. And with summer comes iced coffee. I had a good iced coffee today at Cafe Mundi, located on east 5th street, close to Chicon. It's easy to miss because there's not signs or arrows pointing the way. The only way to tell it's location is to look for all the cars and bikes parked out front.

When you walk in, you're greeted with a display case full of desserts, bagels, and croissants. I haven't had too many of their desserts, since most of them are not vegan. They sometimes have packaged vegan cookies, which are pretty good.

You can feel confident that any drink you order will be delicious. The friendly staff know how to pull a shot and make excellent coffee. I usually opt for the iced coffee, since it is a cheap, cool way to get a lot of caffeine.

Food is available in the form of salads, sandwiches, and desserts, but I usually just get coffee, so I can't vouch for the food. I've seen it, though, and if it tastes as good as it looks, you can't go wrong.

The indoor part has couches and tables and chairs for your sitting enjoyment. When the weather's good, it's best to sit outside under the canopy of crepe mertle trees. Here, you can listen to the parrots, enjoy the breeze, and breathe in the smell of freshly made tortillas from the nearby factory. This is a good place to relax with friends and/or a book.

If you want more information about Cafe Mundi, check out their website.