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!

• 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!