7 years ago
Monday, April 14, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
San Angelo, TX
Originally posted March 31, 2008
Hello from Virginia!
I recently returned from San Angelo, TX. San Angelo, if you look on a map is located in West Texas. A little known definition of West Texas is "A region of the United States where every town 100 miles from any other town." The reason I was in San Angelo is because it is the home of the 344th Military Intelligence Battalion at Goodfellow Air Force Base. Go Silent Sentinels!
It was a unique experience to be on base everyday. It is a training base, so I was able to hear all the cool cadences sung by the drill sergeants. My favorite was "Before the army I drove a Cadillac. Now I hump it on my back." I also learned that as a civilian I don’t have to follow most military protocol while on base. Now this is not a license to be rude, but I don’t have to "Make Way" when a senior officer comes along (I only found out I was not beholden to these kind of rules because I did not "make way" and then felt really guilty. Luckily my students told me I was off the hook because I am civilian).
Now you might be wondering what there is to do in San Angelo, TX. The answer is a resounding nothing. Yet I was not nearly as bored as I thought I would be. The hotel had excellent cable (best yet) so I had lots of TV at my disposal. There is also some excellent dining in San Angelo…I am just as surprised as all of you are. Below is a breakdown of my dining experiences. Please note that I try to eat local establishments whenever possible. Most of the restaurants I visited were recommended by my students at Goodfellow - thanks guys!
Hello from Virginia!
I recently returned from San Angelo, TX. San Angelo, if you look on a map is located in West Texas. A little known definition of West Texas is "A region of the United States where every town 100 miles from any other town." The reason I was in San Angelo is because it is the home of the 344th Military Intelligence Battalion at Goodfellow Air Force Base. Go Silent Sentinels!
It was a unique experience to be on base everyday. It is a training base, so I was able to hear all the cool cadences sung by the drill sergeants. My favorite was "Before the army I drove a Cadillac. Now I hump it on my back." I also learned that as a civilian I don’t have to follow most military protocol while on base. Now this is not a license to be rude, but I don’t have to "Make Way" when a senior officer comes along (I only found out I was not beholden to these kind of rules because I did not "make way" and then felt really guilty. Luckily my students told me I was off the hook because I am civilian).
Now you might be wondering what there is to do in San Angelo, TX. The answer is a resounding nothing. Yet I was not nearly as bored as I thought I would be. The hotel had excellent cable (best yet) so I had lots of TV at my disposal. There is also some excellent dining in San Angelo…I am just as surprised as all of you are. Below is a breakdown of my dining experiences. Please note that I try to eat local establishments whenever possible. Most of the restaurants I visited were recommended by my students at Goodfellow - thanks guys!
- Texas Roadhouse - It is a national chain, I know, but I had just landed and it was right down the street from my hotel. The filet was excellent, rolls were light, and the service was wonderful.
- Armenta’s - This was recommended by my waiter at Texas Roadhouse. I really enjoyed some classic Tex-Mex enchiladas. They also have pictures of Chef Bobby Flay up in the restaurant. According to the cashier, Bobby Flay’s wife, Stephanie March, is from San Angelo and they eat at Armenta’s when visiting her family.
- Peasant Village - A wonderful restaurant and the most expensive meal (but worth every penny) I had all week. Located in an old home, Peasant Village had a very comfortable atmosphere. The food was excellent, very European in taste and flavor. I would eat there again and again.
- Western Skies - Home of the 52 oz steak. Now I did not have the 52 oz steak, but I always like having the option. The steak was very good and I liked the low-key nature of the place. I ate a lot of steak in Texas. They have excellent beef there and you can’t help but trip over steakhouses and BBQ joints. So much red meat...so delicious.
- Miss Hattie’s - Miss Hattie’s was once a brothel so I got to have a little scandal with my New York Strip. San Angelo used to be home to Fort Concho during the 19th century. Miss Hattie’s was a place for the local soldiers to get their kicks. The place had a kind of mothball smell to it, which I found distracting, but the overall experience was very cool. I liked the tin ceilings and Miss Hattie’s was decorated pretty much the way I imagined a 19th century brothel to be decorated. I am glad to know that sometimes reality and my imagination are not that inconsistent.
- Johnny Carino’s - Now I totally know that this place isn’t local, but I haven’t found a Johnny Carino’s in Virginia and I really like their bread. My eating dinner there was also in honor of my mother, who would be buried in a Johnny Carino’s if it wasn’t a health code violation.
San Angelo did have a Hastings (music, movies, books) which I adore. Logan, UT had a Hastings and I spent far too much time/money there. I loved the Hastings in San Angelo and purchased some movies and a used book for very reasonable prices. They also had comfortable reading chairs, so it was a nice place to hang out.
I almost missed my flight because of the air show. I had no idea that air shows are such a big deal. While I missed a lot of the air show because I was flying out that day, I did watch the Air Force Thunderbirds training the day before. The things those fly boys can do with the jets are amazing (and they look good doing it too... soldiers are so handsome).
That’s all for now, next trip is to New York City!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Alpharetta, GA
Originally Posted February 18, 2008
Hello All,I just returned from Atlanta, GA last week and I loved it there. The people were friendly, there were plenty of trees and it wasn't freezing cold (like it was in Virginia). I do enjoy traveling for work, I get to go places I wouldn't go ordinarily and, as I have said before, someone else pays. Of course in two weeks I have to go to West Texas, so there are some down sides.
While in Atlanta (Alpharetta to be exact) I tried to make the most of my free time. I am so lazy that I really have to force myself to get out and do things, but I am always glad I got out of the hotel room.
I went on the CNN Center tour, which was fun, short, and to the point and the items in the gift shop were, not surprisingly, overpriced. Apparently the building where CNN is now located used to house an H.R. Pufnstuf theme park. That made the entire trip much more mystical and I enjoyed imagining what would happen if we mixed the worlds of fast-paced news reporting and the H.R. Pufnstuf Living Island. What a long, strange trip it's been.
I also visited the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta. As an avowed Coke lover, it was like coming home. While it was a nice tour (and I spent a lot more time there than I expected) it was a lot of marketing for one day. I felt like I had been to Coca-Cola re-education camp; "I will drink and enjoy only refreshing Coca-Cola products." I did enjoy the tasting room, where you could sample 65 different soda flavors from around the world. Having sampled a lot of those flavors, all I have to say is "God Bless America." We have awesome soda.
I know that my favorite food network show, Good Eats, is filmed in the Atlanta area.
Having spent hours and hours watching television, I recalled that some scenes were filmed at a Kroger grocery store in Alpharetta. I decided I needed to take a chance and see I could stalk Alton Brown. I walked that grocery store, with a very pure heart mind you, but it was all for naught. Alton was no where to be found (esp. since I have learned that he now films on the opposite side of Atlanta). I am sad, but I can at least know that I gave it the old college try.
Hello All,I just returned from Atlanta, GA last week and I loved it there. The people were friendly, there were plenty of trees and it wasn't freezing cold (like it was in Virginia). I do enjoy traveling for work, I get to go places I wouldn't go ordinarily and, as I have said before, someone else pays. Of course in two weeks I have to go to West Texas, so there are some down sides.
While in Atlanta (Alpharetta to be exact) I tried to make the most of my free time. I am so lazy that I really have to force myself to get out and do things, but I am always glad I got out of the hotel room.
I went on the CNN Center tour, which was fun, short, and to the point and the items in the gift shop were, not surprisingly, overpriced. Apparently the building where CNN is now located used to house an H.R. Pufnstuf theme park. That made the entire trip much more mystical and I enjoyed imagining what would happen if we mixed the worlds of fast-paced news reporting and the H.R. Pufnstuf Living Island. What a long, strange trip it's been.
I also visited the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta. As an avowed Coke lover, it was like coming home. While it was a nice tour (and I spent a lot more time there than I expected) it was a lot of marketing for one day. I felt like I had been to Coca-Cola re-education camp; "I will drink and enjoy only refreshing Coca-Cola products." I did enjoy the tasting room, where you could sample 65 different soda flavors from around the world. Having sampled a lot of those flavors, all I have to say is "God Bless America." We have awesome soda.I know that my favorite food network show, Good Eats, is filmed in the Atlanta area.
Having spent hours and hours watching television, I recalled that some scenes were filmed at a Kroger grocery store in Alpharetta. I decided I needed to take a chance and see I could stalk Alton Brown. I walked that grocery store, with a very pure heart mind you, but it was all for naught. Alton was no where to be found (esp. since I have learned that he now films on the opposite side of Atlanta). I am sad, but I can at least know that I gave it the old college try.Dallas, TX
Originally Posted January 16, 2008
So I am not overwhelmed with love for Dallas. I am just not getting that "I could totally live here" vibe. That being said, I have found myself obsessed with the JFK assassination. I was driving around downtown and I passed Dealey Plaza and I thought to that it could not possibly be the same, grassy knoll having, magic bullet theory inducing Dealey Plaza. It is and it looks exactly like, and at the same time, nothing like it did in the Zapruder film. I guess that is how most things are, they look larger than life when you imagine them, but you get there and the grassy knoll does not look nearly so ominous. Also 40 years of time passing could also play a part it the change. I also saw the Texas School Book Depository building and I like the architecture. I am now thinking of becoming a conspiracy theorist as it will give me something to do in my free time.
Anyway, here is a picture of me eating seafood, yes seafood, at a famous restaurant chain here in the south called Pappadeaux. I had the Citrus Crusted Tilapia and it was amazing and that is saying something as I don't care much for seafood. I would highly recommend the place, and thanks Dad for recommending it to me. It was yet another place in Houston that I always wanted to eat but could never afford.
I love traveling on work: good food, nice hotels, and sweet rentals cars. Ahhhh, I'm living the good life. Rock on!
Right now I am in Dallas, TX for work. I am conducting a week long training course for Dallas' Finest. It is very surreal for me to be back in Texas after nine years. I have not returned since I left my mission in Houston. It isn't out of animosity or anything, it is just that Texas is hot, flat, has giant cockroaches, and lacks a sex appeal that I generally look for in a travel destination. It was weird driving through the freeways and seeing blasts from my Houston past: What A Burger, Taqueria Arandas, Taco Cabana (I am a bit freaked out that all my Texas memories deal with food, but I could never afford to eat out in Houston), and everything being "Texas Sized." What does that even mean, Texas is only the second largest state, so wouldn't it be more accurate to say "Alaska Sized?"
So I am not overwhelmed with love for Dallas. I am just not getting that "I could totally live here" vibe. That being said, I have found myself obsessed with the JFK assassination. I was driving around downtown and I passed Dealey Plaza and I thought to that it could not possibly be the same, grassy knoll having, magic bullet theory inducing Dealey Plaza. It is and it looks exactly like, and at the same time, nothing like it did in the Zapruder film. I guess that is how most things are, they look larger than life when you imagine them, but you get there and the grassy knoll does not look nearly so ominous. Also 40 years of time passing could also play a part it the change. I also saw the Texas School Book Depository building and I like the architecture. I am now thinking of becoming a conspiracy theorist as it will give me something to do in my free time.
Anyway, here is a picture of me eating seafood, yes seafood, at a famous restaurant chain here in the south called Pappadeaux. I had the Citrus Crusted Tilapia and it was amazing and that is saying something as I don't care much for seafood. I would highly recommend the place, and thanks Dad for recommending it to me. It was yet another place in Houston that I always wanted to eat but could never afford. I love traveling on work: good food, nice hotels, and sweet rentals cars. Ahhhh, I'm living the good life. Rock on!
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