Archive for the ‘Budget Travel’ Category

2 comments

Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Austin out Thursday


2011
08.30

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Books & Lit, Budget Travel | 2 Comments »

Speaking of culinary mysteries, does anyone know when The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Austin will be hitting shelves around town? Amazon.com says the publication date is September 1, 2011, but like good localistas, we’d love to buy a copy at one of our neighborhood booksellers, to keep the local cashflow circulating.

We’re excited about this book, mostly because we bought a copy of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to San Francisco back in the day, and it was busting with great info on how to live the good life on a shoestring budget. Looking forward to gleaning similar tricks and tips for Austin!

This particular volume is written by Houston Chronicle writer Kristin Finan who, according to the book’s “About the Author” section, is an Austin native who divides her time between Austin and Houston. She’s also written The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Houston, so hopefully she’s been doing her homework down here in the Capital to bring us more than the usual suspects of free live music pretty much everywhere and free wine tastings at Spec’s.

2 comments

Why I’d use car2go every day if I could


2011
08.10

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel | 2 Comments »

It’s no secret that I intensely dislike Austin’s Capital Metro service. In my experience, Austin has the absolute worst public transit system I’ve ever used, for a wide variety of reasons (all of which have been catalogued here and added to the online suggestion box over at Speak Up Austin). My main complaint, of course, is that the buses I need to take only run once every half an hour, which either means that I end up getting somewhere either infuriatingly early or ludicrously late. Add to that the insult of knowing that I can usually get to my destination in only 20 minutes by car, whereas the bus route takes its sweet time and deposits me there after ONE WHOLE HOUR, and you do not have the makings of a world-class public transit system.

It’s really ridiculous. Austin can do better, but apparently whomever is in charge of scheduling buses just doesn’t give a damn. I mean, you can’t even check the bus schedule at your individual stop to find out when the next bus is coming! It all screams “We don’t care about our riders; everyone should go buy a car and quit bothering us. Seriously, why don’t you just drive? Kill the planet with a giant SUV or something; WE DON’T CARE!!”

There are plenty of things I’d do differently, if I were in charge. Like post bus schedules at every stop. Or simplify the terrible phone system so that you can quickly and easily access information about your stop, at the press of a button (not the scan of one of those squiggly codes that my “dumb” phone can’t read). Or run cross-town routes every 10 or 15 minutes instead of every half-hour. You know, the basics.

But sometimes, you just don’t care about why your public transit sucks anymore; you just want an alternative so you can get there in 20 minutes, not an hour. Enter the mysterious car2go, whose teeny Smart cars you may have seen zipping around town. They look something like this:

It almost looks like it’s smiling, doesn’t it? That’s because the car2go system is really easy to use. You sign up for a membership online (mine was free, from a promo when they first came to town; these days it’s a one-time $35 fee to join), wait for your little card to come in the mail, and then you’re ready to roll.

To go for a drive, just find a car near you and use your card to unlock it. You can either reserve a car in advance (by locating one online with their map, or by calling their customer service number), or just grab any free car that’s nearby (a better bet if you’re already downtown). To unlock the car, you hold your membership card up to the card reader (pictured below), and wait for it to unlock the doors. Then you hop inside, and answer a few questions about the car’s condition–using the on-board computer that controls the GPS, radio and reporting devices–before using the key to start up the engine. Simple, right?

Here's me telling car2go about the condition of the vehicle, before driving off!

The car itself is super fun to drive. Smart cars can be used as either manual or automatic transmissions, so if you’re the type who knows how to drive stick-shift, you can switch to manual and conserve gas. If, like me, you have no clue how to change gears properly and have previously destroyed a clutch on a friend’s VW Rabbit, you should probably stick to the automatic side. Either way, this little car is super peppy, which is why you’ll always see these cars zooming past you on the streets.

Or maybe that has something to do with the fact that they’re charging you by the minute (35 cents a minute, to be exact), and people are just in a hurry?

Like I said, my commute to work takes only 20 minutes by car versus one hour by bus, so on Saturdays I really find the car2go handy. I reserve a car the night before, get an update via my cell phone about where the car is located, and then have 15 minutes to pick up my reservation. I hop in the car, drive to work, park it in any legal spot (there are car2go parking signs in certain areas of the city, but you can also use any free street parking spots, and car2go has a deal with the city so that you don’t have to pay for the metered spots, either), and I’m done.

The great thing about car2go is that you’re only charged for the time you’re using the vehicle, so if it takes me exactly 17 minutes to get to work, I’m charged $5.95 (plus tax). For 20 minutes, it’s $7. If you want to use the car by the hour, it’s $12.99 per hour, or you can take it for the whole day for $65.99. You can also keep the same vehicle by telling the computer when you stop the car that you’re doing a “stopover.” Keep the key while you shop, hit the gym, or run your errands. When you get to your final destination, you tell the computer you’re done for the day, return the key to its place by the gearshift, and log out with the card reader. Simple.

Car2go is obviously more expensive than public transit (you can’t beat $1 per ride, or $2 for a daily pass, really), but it’s super handy when you need to get someplace FAST. I don’t use the system every day, but on the weekends it’s my favorite way to get to work. I can listen to the radio, take whatever route I want, and even grab a coffee or breakfast taco on the way there. It’s like having your own car without all the hassles. You don’t have to have auto insurance, pay for mechanical repairs (unless they’re your fault, of course), deal with getting city stickers updated, pay for parking tickets (unless you manage to park illegally, which is next to impossible with the free meter parking)… it’s awesome!

The downsides? Okay, there are a few. Number one: if you forget which credit card you’ve assigned to your account and then don’t have the appropriate funds set aside (because they charge you at the end of each ride), you’ll get dinged $25 for the declined payment. Ouch. It’d be nice if you could add multiple payment options, to avoid this type of thing, but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.

Second, if you don’t pick up the car you reserved within your allotted time frame, they charge you $6 for a “no-show.” This sucks, because sometimes people can reserve the car right out from under you, so you’re left hunting around trying to find a non-existent vehicle. I think this problem stems from the fact that car2go doesn’t require users to return cars to any central (or other) location, so the cars are always available for rent wherever the last person has left them; therefore, someone might take your car before your reservation time, and a new one will not magically appear to take its place. Doh! On the plus side, however, their customer service reps are really nice and will happily refund your money if you call to explain the situation.

Third, it’s definitely pricey if you want to use the system on a daily basis. Since I mostly rely on public transit to get where I’m going (despite the fact that it takes FOREVER), and only use car2go on the weekends, I think it’s a good deal. If you want a regular go-to vehicle, however, you’d probably be better off buying or leasing a car of your own, depending on your finances.

For me, the benefits of car2go far outweigh any negatives. I like having the option of circumventing the bus system when I really need to get somewhere in a hurry, and although the system is a little too pricey for me to use on a daily basis, I don’t consider their prices unfair. Most of the places I’d drive to are short trips, so I can’t see ever having to pay for more than an hour’s worth of driving, which makes car2go a perfect alternative to the bus.

So, in conclusion: if you’re looking to ditch your car on a full-time basis and fill in public transit’s gaps with a car-sharing system, I’d recommend a car2go membership. Rock on over Austin!

No Comments

Tasty touring: Austin Eats Food Tours showcases local restos


2011
05.17

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel, Restaurants | No Comments »

This past weekend I had a chance to check out one of the Austin Eats Food Tours, led by husband and wife team Andy and Lindsey Potter. As it was Sunday, I tagged along for their South Congress tour, eating and drinking my way down SoCo and 1st Street along with 11 other Austinites and out-of-towners eager to sample some hometown cooking!

Our first stop was at Jo’s Coffee (1300 S. Congress), where we got the inside scoop on their infamous “i love you so much” graffiti as well as a steaming hot cup of coffee (perfect for our 10 AM meeting time).

Keeping Austin… Japanese?

Next up (and just across the street) we hit Snack Bar (1224 S. Congress) for some Japanese-inspired breakfast food. The Tamago Yoko (or “Yoko Ono,” as staff refer to it) is a tasty mixture of cabbage, leek and shrimp made into a hash that’s mixed with eggs, bacon (or seitan for vegetarians), wasabi aioli and sriracha drizzle, plus a sprinkling of nori and bonito seaweed flakes. If that sounds a bit weird, just picture a Japanese version of an omelette, with the wasabi and sriracha providing a spicy kick. It was delicious, and set a high bar for the rest of the tour, as I was ready to devour an entire plateful! But with only 3 hours for 8 restaurants on our tour, we had to move on.

Owner Bethany Andree was awesome, giving us a fun overview of how she came to own the diner/lounge and its history serving the adjacent Austin Motel’s various clients from seedy to hipster over the years.

Here’s a photo of her with the Tamago Yoko (pre-slicing):

And a slightly blurry close-up picture of the dish itself:

Tex to the Mex

Next on our tour was the ever-popular Tex-Mex eatery Güero’s Taco Bar (1412 S. Congress), originally built as a seed and feed store in the 1800′s and converted to the enormous tacqueria it is today back in 1995. Boasting the “best margaritas in town” (where have we heard that before?!), we were able to taste a shot-glass full of their house blend of tequila, Triple Sec and fresh-squeezed Key limes, hand-shaken (not stirred!) and rimmed with salt for a refreshingly tart take on the killer marg. Okay, it was pretty damn good, but as I haven’t made an exhaustive study of the rest of Austin’s margarital offerings, I’ll withhold judgement for now. Oh, and if you’re into non-alcoholic beverages, don’t miss their limeade, made from more freshly-squeezed Key limes.

Also on hand were homemade tamales, fresh queso for dipping, and handmade tortillas fresh off the stove. Employee Jeff demonstrated just how difficult it actually is to make a perfectly round tortilla by hand, crediting his authentic Mexican tortilla-makers with the fresh corn beauties we sampled. His tortilla maker on shift was giving him dirty looks over the sorry-assed, only vaguely rounded mess he made of his attempt, and laughing at his baby girlish inability to touch a hot griddle with his bare hands. She was tough stuff!

Burgers and gourmet shakes

Back down the street, we spent a bit longer in burger joint Hopdoddy’s (1400 S. Congress), tasting their burgers, fries, alcoholic Black Cherry Hard Limeade (could limeade be the poster drink for Austin in the summer?), and even some surprise Sea Salt and Caramel milkshakes — delicious! While I’m still convinced that my own burgers are the best in town, Hopdoddy’s did serve a mighty tasty shake. I may have to return to sample more of their thick and creamy flavors, which I’ve heard are made with hand-churned ice cream. Now that’s a $5 milkshake I can get behind!

Skipping and jumping over to 1st Street (which Andy described as the up-and-coming version of SoCo, akin to the slightly gritty state of South Congress back in the 1990′s), we had a chance for a few photo ops with another infamous Austin landmark: the “Greetings from Austin” mural. Here’s my take on the scene:

Greetings from Austin, Texas!

Sweet Austin treats

Next door to the mural is La Pâtisserie by Luxe Sweets (602 W. Annie), a French-style bakery that offered us a wide variety of sweets, including chocolate eclairs, pain au chocolat, millefeuille and a citron madeleine. We sipped some sweet tea (a nod to their southern location), enjoyed their pastries, and gawked at the selection of oversized macarons. The next time I get a hankering for a Montreal-style breakfast of almondine and café au lait, I’ll know where to go!

Almond croissants, aka almondines (photo via La Patisserie)

After the sugar rush at La Pâtisserie, it might seem a bit overwhelming to immediately follow up with MORE sugar over at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop (1905 S. 1st Street), but that’s exactly what we did. Here we got to sample some of their sugary lemon squares, as well as their Cupcake Smackdown-winning James Brown cupcakes. Can you say sugar high?

Lucky for me, the crowd was feeling the weight of all the food we’d been munching through, and there were 2 lemon squares and 2 mini cupcakes left on the table. Andy got a to-go box and asked if anyone wanted to take them, and I volunteered a home for them in Celebrity Intern’s stomach. (I actually ended up eating them later on that evening, as he’s misplaced his sweet tooth. WTF?) Woohoo, free cupcakes!

Southern grit

The group collectively weakening in our eating-related resolve, we rolled our way back to SoCo for our penultimate stop at The Woodland (1716 S. Congress), an upscale diner specializing in southern comfort foods. Here we sampled their Shrimp & Grits, featuring plump Gulf shrimp, bacon, tomatoes, green onions and Creole seasoning over cheesy homemade polenta grits. The portion was quite large for our second-to-last stop, but I couldn’t stop myself from eating it all. In fact, I almost wanted to lick the bottom of the bowl it was so good. I predict more of this delicacy (and possibly their Chicken Pot Pie, as I’m a sucker for a nice, flaky pot pie) in my immediate future. And if they ever put a Cobb Salad on the menu, Celebrity Intern will surely freak out and possibly buy stock in their company posthaste.

After a brief stop at Big Top Candy Shop (1706 S. Congress) and Monkey See Monkey Do (1712 S. Congress), we headed for our final destination: the back patio at Austin’s favorite New York-style pizzeria, Home Slice (1415 S. Congress).

NYC pizza: The challenge

Plain cheese and simple pepperoni pizzas were served up to our about-to-burst crew, along with small glasses of beer, and while Home Slice may not be the bestest New York pizza this jaded former New Yorker has tasted, they’ve certainly got the traditional NYC utility slice on their radar. Sorry, dudes, but the best NYC slice I’ve ever tasted was a hot, fresh Sicilian from some hole-in-the-wall pizza joint near East 92nd Street that may or may not have gone out of business since I first tasted it in 2001, featuring a nice thick crust, a nice thick layer of red sauce, and delicate polka dots of pesto. If you can recreate that, give me a call and we’ll talk Best Pizza Ever.

No, seriously, get on that. I’d love to eat one of those magical Sicilian slices again, and I’m fully willing to give credit where due if you can make that happen. Hearts!

All in all, I enjoyed my SoCo food tour with Andy and Lindsey (and their new tour guide to-be, Olivia), as it exposed me to lots of eateries I never would’ve checked out on my own, as well as a number of Austin stand-bys that I had yet to try. As Andy mentioned to me during our journey, many of the people who come on the Austin Eats Food Tours are actually locals, not tourists, so I think they’re definitely onto something with the concept. Since they’re constantly changing the restaurants they visit, there’s always something new to enjoy, so unless you’re hanging out on SoCo every spare moment, you’re bound to find a new favorite.

A word about the price:

While a $65 outing may seem a bit overpriced for a budget blogger to be recommending, I should also note that I’d put this tour into the “splurge” category of something you’d want to save up for. It’s definitely a fun time, you’ll get to meet some interesting new people (possibly even locals like yourself!) and experience your hometown from a fresh perspective; it’s kind of a get-away in your own city. But honestly? If you’re hitting 8 restaurants on the tour, that works out to about $8 per stop. Let’s face it: you’d undoubtedly spend much more than that at each of these restaurants if you went there on your own, so it’s really a bargain when you look at it that way.

As for Austin Eats’ other tours, they’re starting a bike tour from Barton Springs in the coming weeks (bike rentals included), and also have plans to start a mid-week fine-dining tour in the near future. I’m looking forward to hearing more about these tours, and if they start a food-truck crawl, I may have to return for more!

In the meantime, check them out online at austineatsfoodtours.com, and if you’ve been on one of their tours, we’d love to hear what you think.

No Comments

Road Tripping on a Budget: Hike the Hill Country


2011
05.15

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel, Sports | No Comments »

The weather this weekend has been excellent (unlike last week’s much-needed, but still weekend-ruining torrential downpours), and Austinites have been soaking up the rays at the Armadillo Hill Country Classic and other outdoor activities. If you’re looking to get a jump on next week’s plans, why not check out Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s “Hike the Hill Country“?

Inks Lake (photo by Flickr user kim.anh)

On Saturday, May 28 from 1 to 4 PM, hit up Inks Lake State Park (3630 Park Road 4 West in Burnet, TX) for educational programs, hiking trails, wildlife watching and guided tours. It’s almost free, thanks to your tax dollars at work (minus a $5 entrance fee), and services are available in both English and Spanish.

Inks Lake State Park is about an hour’s drive northwest from Austin, so pack a picnic lunch, your sunscreen and plenty of water for a day trip with friends. You can even stay overnight if you’ve got a tent to pitch, or try your hand at fishing (with the appropriate license). Click here for applicable fees, and then shout it with me: ROAD TRIP!

P.S. You might even see one of these!

Leapin' lizards! (photo by Flickr user Anthony George)

Is that an iguana? Or a native Texan lizard of some kind? Nature enthusiasts, help us out here, cus we’ve got no clue.

1 Comment

Shoestring Austin’s Best of 2010


2010
12.29

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel, Recipes, Restaurants | 1 Comment »

Seeing as today’s high was 68 degrees in Austin, I’m going to have to say that today was one of the best days of 2010. I mean, where else in the world can you write notes on your novel-in-progress while you lounge, barefoot, on your balcony on DECEMBER 29?!

Okay, maybe in Hawaii, but I’m talking contiguous 48, peeps. Shut up, California.

Anyway, before 2010 finally draws its curtains shut and we miss our chance entirely, I wanted to highlight some of Shoestring Austin’s BEST OF 2010. We found some delicious restaurants, made some tasty recipes, and found a lot of cool things to dig about this town in this, our first year in Austin, and I just want to give mad props to the people and places that made it worthwhile.

So without further ado, here’s what made our year!

Best Chips and Salsa: Beanitos and Texas-Texas salsa – delicious, local, good for you!

Best Farmers Market: Barton Creek Farmers Market – granted, this was the only one we hit up in 2010, but we’ll remedy this in 2011 for a more even-handed awards ceremony, mmmmkay?

Best Local Charity: I Live Here, I Give Here - helping Austinites keep money in our community with focused giving campaigns that highlight different charities on a monthly basis

Best Mexican: La Tapatia - tasty breakfast tacos, delicious migas, affordable prices and no lines! (R.I.P. our previous fave, A La Carrera)

Best Cheap Wines: Gato Negro and Sea Ridge - find ‘em at your local Randall’s or H-E-B for only $4! Ya can’t beat deals on delicious wine.

Best Cheap Recipe Apps: Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything On The Go app ($4.99) and Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meals ($7.99) – the Minimalist and the Naked Chef both kick ass in the kitchen, and their apps (available in the iTunes store) will help you achieve culinary greatness with much less pain than the average cookbook or highfalutin’ app. LOVE!

Best Staycation: Ye Kendall Inn (Boerne, TX) – mixing business with pleasure, Celebrity Intern and I stayed at this very cool hotel in San Antonio, and savored their decadent food at their award-winning Limestone Grille. Highly recommended if you’ve got the scratch for a romantic weekend get-away!

Best Comedian: Tig Notaro – Ok, so Tig is actually originally from Mississippi, but we saw her in Austin, so we’re counting her as our fave comedian of 2010. Deal with it! If you’re looking for homegrown talent, however, we also saw Lucas Molandes, who was voted the Funniest Person in Austin for 2010, so we will wholeheartedly endorse him as Austin’s funniest comic.

Best Tips for the Broke-Ass Traveller: Rideshare, couch surf, explore your own hometown, and get the hell online for crazy deals! – ‘Nuff said.

Best Italian Recipe: Italian Sausage-Pepper-Onion Wraps – Easy to make, any time of year. Colorful. Delicious. Lower on carbs than your average pasta pot. DIG IT!

Best Chili: Cook’s Illustrated Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans – The recipe is a secret (unless you Google “Cook’s Illustrated Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans” and find an unauthorized copy, which you TOTALLY didn’t hear from us), but the chili is delish. Savor it in the winter months or sweat your cheeks off in the summertime to its delights. Either way, a surefire winner.

Best Homemade Tacos: OURS! – Here’s the recipe so you can recreate them for yourself. YOU’RE WELCOME.

Got a fave dish, restaurant, or other inexpensive Austin score you’d like to share? Let us know @shoestringATX on Twitter or in the comments section!

1 Comment

San Antonio staycation: Ye Kendall Inn


2010
08.31

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel | 1 Comment »

Celebrity Intern and I were down San Antonio way just a few weeks back, on an overnight, mid-week trip with both business and pleasure involved. Call it a getaway if you like, or perhaps a staycation—not quite a vacation, but a night away from home. Armed with a gift certificate from a former employer, I had made reservations at a hotel in nearby Boerne, Texas at a place called Ye Kendall Inn. After the business part of the trip had concluded, we lit out for the hotel in search of rest, relaxation and plenty of wine!

Ye Kendall Inn, front view (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)

Ye Kendall Inn is an historic landmark for both Texas and the U.S. at large, having put a variety of famous people up for the night, including rebel shit-disturber leader Jefferson Davis, atom-bomb opponent and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and southern Civil War general Robert E. Lee. First purchased for only $200, the Inn was built by a couple named Erastus and Sarah Reed, who rented out spare rooms to stagecoach travelers of the 1850s. The Inn itself is built of solid limestone, 20 inches thick, which keeps things cool in the summertime (though they’ve now got A/C like any modern hotel deep in the heart of Texas), and there are several independent cabins and suites that give the hotel a very old-timey appeal.

The room we stayed in was called the Carriage House, and was a free-standing structure behind the main Inn. Surrounded by 3 other cabins and a former church (the St. John’s Suite), it was almost like being plunked into the middle of an Old West town, complete with rocking chairs on the porches, a tin roof and little “Welcome!” signs on each door.

Carriage House, interior (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)

Inside, the cabin was a mixture of old fashioned furnishings and modern comforts. The vintage dresser was topped with a high-definition flatscreen TV, and there were both uneven limestone floors and free wifi throughout. The bed was plumped with decorative pillows, and was nearly tall enough to require steps to climb into it. In the bathroom was a fabulous claw-foot bathtub, perfect for soaking in after our long drive, as well as a vanity furnished with Neutrogena bath products. Nice!

Reading the guestbook, we found that the ice machine was housed in a white gazebo off the Inn’s suites, so we stocked up on ice, uncorked a bottle of red wine, and chilled a few beers (and our complimentary bottles of water) in the sink. Cranking up the A/C, we clinked our glasses and kicked back with a few episodes on the Food Network and Discovery Channel.

Eventually, it was time to dine in the Inn’s award-winning Limestone Grille, whose menu we’d perused online. I had already selected the Prime Rib Wednesday special (which includes soup or salad, Porcini Four Cheese Potatoes, and Peach Cobbler for dessert) but Celebrity Intern was gunning for the special of the day, which turned out to be Sea Scallops in a mango sauce with couscous on the side. Torn between red and white wine, we decided to order by the glass, with a red Meeker “Roller Coaster” for me and a white Gary Farrell chardonnay for Celebrity Intern. Yum!

Limestone Grille (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)

We both started off with their Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola soup, and were ready to lick the bowls clean. Delicious doesn’t do it justice: the mushrooms were tender, the Gorgonzola tangy, and the creamy soup was fantastic. Homemade bread and butter was also well received, and used to mop up excess soup. Cus we’re classy like that.

Our main courses arrived, to much oohing and ahhing. My prime rib was tasty, crusted in sea salt and served with horseradish dip on the side, into which I dipped modestly, preferring to savor the meat itself. The four-cheese potatoes were decadent and delicious, but ultimately I couldn’t finish them all. Dare I utter the unthinkable? There was too much food! And I still had dessert?!

Celebrity Intern was happy with his jumbo-sized scallops, but was nevertheless a bit peeved that the waitress had promised 5 and he had only gotten 4. Despite the mixing of savory and sweet (the mango chutney sauce), he enjoyed the dish and studiously avoided the couscous carbs.

Dessert was meant to be a Peach Cobbler, but I sneakily asked for a substitution and got the Aztec Brownie instead. The waitress did warn me that they kept on changing the recipe, but even so, I wasn’t prepared for the enormity of the brownie presented, nor the overwhelming volcano of cherry coulis. Drizzled? This thing was drenched!

As the table behind us, full up with Old Money jackholes, began tossing out nonsensical topics of conversation such as “Obamacare is going to ruin us all,” and “Why haven’t they impeached that n***** yet?”, we decided to retire to our cabin both to avoid stabbing them in the eyes with our forks and to prevent our own deaths by chocolate. We paid the bill (after gift certificate and including a tip, totalling $20) and brought the brownie with us for later consumption.

Waco Cabin, exterior (photo by Celebrity Intern)

Despite clueless, small-town nincompoops and their racist remarks, the dinner was quite delightful, and if I ever have a couple hundred bucks collecting dust in my account, I’d definitely return. The Inn and restaurant overlook the nearby Cibolo Creek, and when we checked out the next day, we saw staff setting up for what appeared to be a wedding party. Definitely a sweet place to retreat after your big day, and the St. John’s Suite is even described in hotel literature as perfect for honeymooners.

All in all, I’d recommend both Ye Kendall Inn and their Limestone Grille to anyone in the Boerne/San Antonio area needing a little getaway. Guest rooms don’t come cheap, starting at $109 a night, but if you’re in the mood for a romantic getaway, this would be a great place for it. Heck, we didn’t even get a chance to try out their Texas-sized hot tub, but that right there is reason enough to hit up this historic inn.

Texas-sized hot tub at Ye Kendall Inn

3 comments

Summer budget travel tips for the thrifty or broke-ass


2010
07.16

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Budget Travel | 3 Comments »

It’s hot as a mofo here in Texas, and when the temperatures get this sticky, our thoughts turn to travel. Preferably to a nice, cold igloo somewhere in the Antarctic.

For those not able to achieve such lofty, costly travel dreams (like, say, us!), we’ve decided to hit you up with our top 5 budget travel tips to keep things sane, sensible and hopefully very, very cool this summer.

  1. Explore your own hometown. What? You mean you’ve already checked out EVERY nook ‘n’ cranny Austin’s got to offer? C’mon, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Okay, so the place may not be as dense with hotspots as New York, L.A. or even Chicago, but I guarantee it’s still got some tricks up its sleeves to blow your fragile little mind. Chances are, born ‘n’ raised Austinites have never bothered with the “touristy” stuff, like the Museum of the Weird (412 E. 6th Street, and only $4 for admission or free entrance to the gift shop) or even toured the Texas State Capitol (1100 Congress Avenue, and completely free to tour), which is the largest state capitol building in the entire United States! Pick a place that’s sure to be blasting the AC to make sure everything’s ice cold.

    Texas State Capitol (courtesy of the State Preservation Board)

  2. Hit up the swimming holes. Maybe you’ve done Barton Springs to death, but what about the hundreds of other swimming holes Texas has to offer? Most boast free admission, so you can laze the day away floating in a natural pool or floating down a real-life lazy river. In these overheated dog days of summer, you’ll love the chance to cool down and chill out, and doing nothing is oh-so-apropos for a summer getaway.
  3. Use your tech. Okay, so we’re shamelessly stealing this suggestion from James Nestor’s excellent article over at ReadyMade, but people: technology is there to make your life easier! Put it to work with a few good travel websites that’ll shave precious buckazoids off your total, leaving you with a bigger budget for everything else on your to-do list once you’re there. Wherever you’re dreaming of traveling to, consider this: ReadyMade recommends travelzoo.com if you don’t know where to go but want a bargain, or skyauction.com if you know where you want to go but are flexible on dates. For everything else, there’s kayak.com (and the Kayak app for your iPhone). We’ll also throw in a recommendation for our fave, Hotwire.com, which can score you some nice low prices on hotels, airfare and car rentals.
  4. Staycation, not vacation. If you’re a total broke-ass like us, and don’t have the money for a full-fledged vacation, why not try one of them fancy staycations you’ve been hearing so much about? For those who’re out of the hip slangy lingo loop, a “staycation” is a kind of mini-vacation, usually one within easy driving distance of your hometown. If you can’t get away for an entire week, a staycation is perfect; they usually take up a weekend, possibly throwing in a Monday or Friday off work to make it really feel indulgent without being a total time (or money) suck. Brilliant! We can recommend a number of fabulous places within driving distance of Austin, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston (all 3 hours), New Orleans (8 hours), Phoenix, Nashville (both 14 hours), and Orlando (18 hours), depending on how long a drive you’re down with. As a completely random aside, we here at Shoestring Austin have recently won an overnight stay at Ye Kendall Inn down near San Antonio in Boerne, Texas, so we’ll be taking a little staycation of our own sometime in the near future; stay tuned for our report!

    There really IS a streetcar named Desire in New Orleans! (image via streetcar.org)

  5. Rideshares and couch surfing. For the truly budget minded, rideshares and couch surfing are simple facts of life. If you’ve never heard of either, boy howdy, you’re overpaying for your travel! Check out eRideshare.com to get started on finding an inexpensive ride to the (driving distance) destination of your choice, and set up a profile on CouchSurfing.org to find a place to crash once you get there. Both of these sites are the budget traveller’s best allies, whether you’re taking a day trip to Dallas or trekking to Abu Dhabi. In brief: couch surfing involves sleeping overnight (or possibly for a weekend) on a stranger’s couch for free, whereas ride sharing involves a small outlay of cash for a spot in a fellow traveller’s car, where the fee typically covers gas money and possibly the rental of said car. They are both brilliant ideas, and we highly recommend them to the budget minded. Just be sure you’ve got your safety in mind when relying on the kindness of strangers, and you’ll be good to go.

Got any other tips you’d like to share with our budget travellers? We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to post your comments or email us with additional tips and tricks.