What are you thankful for?

 

Thanksgiving is finally around the corner! Some of us aren’t as elated as this is always a reminder that the ensuing year is almost a month away. It’s a time to see that one cousin that we never want to see, hear your aunt call someone in your family fat, wear sweatpants, and stretch for Black Friday as to hurdle over other customers that were trampled by mothers.. with their babies in their arms. Continue reading →

Keep Austin weird

**Homeslice restaurant located on South Congress pictured above. Oh, and hi Cameran (that would be cousin with her colgate smile).

I’m definitely 2 weeks overdue on this post but I’ve been occupied with life’s other beautiful events that have kept me occupied. I visited Austin approximately 2 weeks ago to visit family and to meet some partners out there and I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Last time I was out there (2 summers ago), it was about 105 degrees and more humid than a sauna.. I really wish I exaggerating. This time around it was between 65-75 degrees my whole time there, so I was finally able to finally focus on what Austin has to offer.

*Hopdoddy located in So. Congress

I’m blessed to be related to have success and ambition run in the family and it shows through their work. My cousin Larry Perdido is the co- owner for Hopdoddy and Moonshine in Austin (and now Dallas) and has made his way to the top of Austin’s best restaurants over the past decade. Hopdoddy’s layout reminds me of a hybrid between Chipotle and a uhm, a bar? It’s difficult to describe but as soon as you walk into their So. Congress location you’re greeted by the bar (which is never a bad thing) and you make your way to the line which usually extends until outside of the restaurant during peak hours. Their menu is located here and has some of the most amazing creations I’ve had, although there might be some bias behind that opinion. They have another location in North Austin located on Anderson, and they’re quickly expanding west. They should be opening 3 additional locations in the LA County (Hopdoddy) in the next year or two so make sure you try their burgers. Oh and by the way their shakes.. Dear God. Millions of Milkshakes in WeHo has NOTHING on these shakes. You can check out their shake menu on their main menu page as well.

Their house is something out of a magazine which is probably why their house has been featured in numerous Home & Garden magazines within the Texas area. I’d like to consider it a cross between contemporary, vintage, urban, and industrial styles which compliments each other extremely well. As you an tell from the pictures above, there’s a plethora of things going on but in my mind there’s nothing better than organized clutter. Right? One of their kids bedrooms has a Keith Haring theme which I actually tried having a personal photo shoot in.. but that didn’t work out so well.

In terms of my overall trip, I was able to go to Dirty Sixth which can be considered an ideal scene for college students while they also have West Sixth which is more targeted towards adults in their late 20’s and early 30’s. They have another popular location near Moonshine called Rainey Street where they’ve converted numerous houses into these bars so you’re surrounded by homes in these suburbs which actually has a nice vibe to it- definitely recommend! Some other big events throughout the year are SXSW (South by Southwest), ACL, and Blues on the Grass which are a combination of tech, art, and music festivals that they host in Austin.

…. and their BBQ. I die.