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Summer budget travel tips for the thrifty or broke-ass


2010
07.16

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Posted in Budget Travel, Frugal Fun | 1 Comment »

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.

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Hut’s Hamburgers


2009
12.13

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Posted in American, By Cuisine, By Location, Downtown, Drinks, Food Type, beer, burgers, milkshakes & floats, sandwiches, soups & salads | No Comments »

I found Hut’s Hamburgers quite by accident. I was downtown, starving my ass off, and right on 6th Street. Up ahead, a shining beacon: Hut’s Hamburgers! I love me some all-beef patties, so—badda boom, badda bing—I stepped inside and was instantly transported back in time.

Outside of Hut's Hamburgers (photo via hutsfrankandangies.com)

I’m not sure what era, exactly, Hut’s is currently channeling, but the place has been around since 1939, so there’s plenty of memorabilia to gawk at. Penants from all manner of university teams, photos signed by famous sports heros and celebrities, Texas license plates, neon lights, a longhorn steer’s head, and a big woolly buffalo head. While you wait for your food, you’ll likely find yourself wondering where all this stuff came from, how long it’s been there, and what the story behind it all could be.

Inside, Hut's Hamburgers (photo via hutsfrankandangies.com)

But then you’ll get your juicy burger, with all manner of unusual condiments and fixin’s, and all of your concentration will be diverted toward enjoying it to the fullest—while it lasts. Those burgers are often devoured as fast as they’re placed on the table, so be prepared! Plus, they’ll put everything but the kitchen sink on there, if you want it. (Actually, they’ve even got a “Sink Burger” on the menu.) Chili, jalapeños, various cheeses from Swiss to Cheddar to Bleu, mushrooms, guacamole, even pineapple, my friends. Plus all the usual suspects like mustard, mayo, ketchup and (my favorite) delicious salty bacon. God bless America, and Texas for spicing things up!

In my opinion, the best burger on the menu is the “Mr. Blue,” a delightful mix of bleu cheese crumbles with dressing, Swiss cheese, lettuce, bacon and one of Hut’s Texas-bred longhorn-beef patties. Grass-fed, hormone-free, this beef is some of the best, and with these simple but classic toppings, it’s a surefire winner. Another one I’m tempted by is the “Milner’s Mushroom Burger,” with thick, creamy mushroom sauce and grated cheese. And you can’t go wrong with the all-American classics like the “Hut’s Favorite” (mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and American cheese), “The Dagburger” (double the meat plus mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and American cheese), or the aptly-named “All American Buddy Holly Burger” (mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and American cheese).

If you’re feeling wild and crazy, and have somehow wound up at Hut’s without a craving for a juicy burger (are ye MAD?!), the menu also offers all manner of fast-food eats, from hot dogs and grilled cheese to southern-style Po’ Boys, NYC-style Reubens and pure Texas chili. For dinner, there are also plate specials on chicken-fried steaks, fried chicken, meat loaf and catfish on Fridays (the menu states “while supplies last,” which makes me wonder how fast catfish goes in Texas, anyway). Grab a soup and a salad if you’re on a diet, and be sure to save room for dessert, cus they’ve got old-fashioned milkshakes, Coke and root-beer floats, fudge brownies and a Brownie Blitz—one of their fudge brownies blended into a milkshake and topped with whipped cream. Yum!

As far as specials go, this one’s tops: On Wednesdays, from 6-10 PM, Hut’s offers a “happy hour” on all their burgers, where you can get two of the same type for the price of one. Yowza! For vegetarians, you can get the same deal on Monday nights as well (but only on veggie burgers). More good news for vegetarians: All of their veggie burgers are made in-house, fresh, and never frozen.

I’m glad I stopped by, as Hut’s is one of those places I’ll return to again and again, trying something different every time. Plus, it’s a great place to people-watch (especially during the lunchtime rush) or take a trip down memory lane. Although I’m not old enough to remember the 1950s, I do remember going to a similar 1950s-esque joint in Chicago when I was a kid. Portillo’s is now a chain throughout the Chicagoland area, while Hut’s remains at its’ original location, but the vibe at each was the same: good food, good prices, and plenty of atmosphere. Just what I like from my nostalgia-laden fast-food eateries. Dig it!

P.S. Be sure to check out their sister restaurant, the Italian Frank & Angie’s, just behind Hut’s if you’re in the mood for pizza and pasta, or a nice Francis Ford Coppola wine.

ADDRESS: 807 West 6th Street
PHONE: 512-472-0693
ONLINE: hutsfrankandangies.com

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Austin thin-crust pizza round-up


2009
12.01

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Posted in By Cuisine, By Location, Downtown, Food Type, For Delivery, Italian/pizza, North/Northwest, brownies, desserts, pizza | 3 Comments »

As the New Girl in town, I’ve been ordering a lot of pizza. I’m busy setting up a new apartment, trying to find a job, and just can’t be arsed to cook sometimes between the laundry and the blogging and the trying to find a decent damn dollar store where stuff actually costs only one dollar. I’m sure this happens to everyone. (Maybe not the dollar store thing.) Of course, being the New Girl, I also have no idea which places are good for delivery-style pizza. And, man, can this be a problem when it shows up at my door looking all sorry and smushed.

"Home Slice of My Heart" (photo by Flickr user FilmNut)

I’ve tried my share of the U.S. chains over the years, and while I seemed to recall Papa John’s being pretty good back in the days when I lived at my parents’ place and we actually had to pull a Seinfeld-esque scam to get them to deliver to us (the cut-off for delivery to our area was literally the house next door; we would give their address and sit in the driveway with the cash), it seems their wares haven’t withstood the test of time. Either that or I’m getting picky in my old age, but I’d like to think a cardboard-like crust has never qualified as a pizza.

Still, Papa’s got locations everywhere and you can order online, which is something a phone-phobic weirdo like me can appreciate. As some say, bad pizza’s like sex: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

I don’t typically share that opinion, however—not outside of NYC, anyway—so I’ve been on the hunt for a more satisfying pie. I gave Gatti’s a try, but was similarly disappointed in their thin crust. Their toppings, however, delighted me more than Papa John’s, and you can also order online. (Seems to be a trend here in town, which I applaud. Now if they’d just take Paypal…) Smoked provolone cheese on a pizza? Nice touch, boys. You’ve got goombatz.

After I got a hot tip from my banker, I hit up Austin’s Pizza. Of the thin-crust pizzerias in town, so far I’ve enjoyed Austin’s the most. Now, you can order online here, but it seems my credit card has expired (this after my fuggin’ bank just sent me a replacement card a month ago; nice job, maroons!), so I had to do it the old-fashioned way and call. The gal I spoke to was friendly and polite and gave me the same price they quoted me online, which includes a $2 delivery fee. I’ve noticed most of the joints around here have this fee, which ranges from about two to four bucks a pie, and it makes me wonder: does this mean I should leave out the tip for the delivery guy? Or is this just another way to jack up the price?

Anyway, Austin’s was smooth. You can get a small or a large (10 or 14″), build your own or pick from some of their tried-and-true selections. The Californian with grilled chicken, spinach, Roma tomatoes, red onions, garlic and cheddar cheese was calling my name, but I ultimately opted for a DIY mushroom + “breakfast bacon” (as opposed to “Canadian bacon”—which Canadians actually refer to as “back bacon”) + Jack cheddar cheese/mozzarella concoction that hit the spot. Nice thin crust, not at all cardboard-y (score!), plenty of cheese, salty bacon, and decent mushroom spread. Could’ve used a bit more from the topping distribution (I find Austin pizzerias to be a bit chintzy on the toppings in general), but it was definitely the tastiest thin-crust pie I’ve had thus far.

Oh: I was also terribly tempted to throw in one of their Butter’s Brownies, described as “A locally-made chocolate chip square of heaven, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Donna Hicken Foundation for women living with breast cancer, and the Mayo Clinic.” I mean, chocolate heaven AND donating to breast cancer? That’s hot! Alas, I did not give into this temptation, but perhaps next time. I do love me some brownies.

Giordano's: the One True Chicago Deep-Dish pizza!

I should add that I’ve also tried Conan’s Pizza, but I’m waiting on another suggestion from the Foodie Banker to compare and contrast their “Chicago style” with another in town. As a born-’n'-raised Chicagoan (okay, okay: I’m really from the western suburbs, but eff off, willya?), I’ve got hometown pride about the proper way to build an authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. And obviously, Giordano’s is the One True Chicago Deep-Dish, but since they have yet to set up shop here in Austin, I’m giving the locals a chance to prove themselves.

So, any suggestions for a worthy pie—deep-dish or thin-crust? Knock my socks off!