A decent outcome

As has been widely reported in recent days, JetBlue is pulling out of Nashville effective Jan. 6, 2008. Sadly for me, that's before my trip to NYC next spring to see NYC sister and fiance get hitched. I was so thrilled recently to have found a great fare on JB. And then this....so last night I started looking around for other fares, and wasn't able to find anything within $150 of what I'd paid [for three tickets, so not THAT awful a price, but still. I wanted my cheap fare!]

Well, I just got a call from JetBlue. They offered to EITHER refund my full price, OR book me on Delta flights for the same amount!!

Bless those people. I love Southwest, but I will miss the JB option to NYC.

Kicking off the holiday weekend

Yesterday, I became distressed that I'd failed to make plans for this weekend. It suddenly seemed unforgivable not to be going to the beach, or the mountains or having a party. [In fact, the 8yo tried to have a party -- she started inviting people without actually telling me. Once I informed her she wouldn't even be here at the time she'd picked for her party, that put an end to that. I think I will have to keep a close eye on this girl. Though I applaud her spirit of hospitality.]

So, mid-afternoon yesterday, I decided to take the 2yo on his first trip to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga today. Reflections on our day:

* The 2yo loves, loves, loves turtles. I had no idea. I think he spotted every single one in the aquarium, usually from 10 or more feet away. Whereupon he'd streak over to the tank, index finger pointing the way, shrieking, "Tuttle! Tuttle! Right dere!!" in his outdoor voice.  He was also fascinated by the butterfly garden [really quite magical] and by the sharks.

* I forget how much I love Chattanooga's downtown. But I really do. You should go next weekend. It's so walkable, and there are dozens of restaurants, theaters, museums and art galleries. I am especially fond of the outdoor sculpture galleries in the Bluff View Art District, but we didn't get up there today.

* Because my cell phone mysteriously quit working. The device worked -- I could move around in it and look up numbers, etc., but when I tried to dial, nothing happened. So I removed the battery and restarted it, no change. Except now, of course, the phone wouldn't come back on, either. I thought, surely there is a Sprint store in downtown Chattanooga.  [But look, there's not. At least not a repair center.] At any rate, after wandering around for 10 minutes in the car, I figured I should go to the nicest mall. Surely that area would have one. In my atlas, I found a mall near Signal Mountain called "Hamilton Place Mall." That sounded swanky. So I headed straight for it.

I could tell I was in the right area upon exiting the interstate, since I might as well have been in Cool Springs. That's what I wanted.

Now, let me share a scenario with you. Imagine going to Cool Springs, and you don't live here. And you say to someone, where's the closest Starbucks? And they say, It's over by the Outback. And you say, but what street, and where do I turn? I don't know where Outback is. And you then proceed to go back and forth for 10 minutes, whereupon you both concede it is impossible to give directions to anywhere in a modern mall environment, unless there is an actual breadcrumb trail to follow.

It took four tries, and getting out of the car twice, but we found the Sprint repair center. Also a Verizon store, two Sprint kiosks at the mall and one Sprint sales store.

Let me throw in: I am addicted enough to my cell phone access to try getting it fixed if it breaks while I'm out of town. I can admit that. But once we didn't immediately find the store, it ceased to be about phone access and quickly became about the quest itself. I would not have wasted an hour and a half in Chattanooga just to be able to talk on the phone. I don't use it all that much, anyway. But I gladly spent an hour and a half in Chattanooga to prove to myself that my hunch about finding a Sprint store in that particular mall area was right. As a plus, my phone works and the repair was free. [Yes, all the dude did was take out and re-insert the damn battery. Yes, that's exactly what I tried an hour and a half beforehand.]

* We got home around 5 this afternoon, but the 2yo was too tired to make it to the Vandy game. Understandable. The random, extended shrieking on the way home and at dinner, not so understandable. Someone please send him the English 4.0 upgrade. Otherwise, one of us will not survive much longer. English 2.0 is not sufficient for my purposes.

* If you've ever been to my house, this is mildly interesting: I moved the sofa into the den, and the loveseat into the living room. I am going to hit up someone to help me soon by moving the other loveseat from the office into the living room. Only person definitely off the hook: My friend Theron, who has helped me move lots of heavy, awkward stuff. He's met the lifetime quota; there's no way I could begin to repay his previous efforts.

* I'm wrapping up the day cheering for the Golden Bears.

Happy 4th of July

We're here in Florida visiting my family over the holiday. I'm pleased to say I've already had homemade ice cream [courtesy of a visit with my Aunt Mary in Sturgis, Mississippi, on Monday. We also got to have some of her famous sour-cream pound cake, and a lovely visit with her and cousin Melanie]. That leaves barbecue and watermelon on the must-have list.

If you have never done so, make plans to drive the Natchez Trace Parkway. We took it from Nashville to Sturgis on Monday, spending a very enjoyable day on the road. There are lots of interesting historical sites to stop and take in, places to hike and several nice views. Best of all, there's no one else on the road. The parkway's 50 mph top speed limit keeps the gotta-get-there folks on other roads, and you can set the car on cruise for miles and miles at a time.

Bonus: Because you don't go very fast, you'll arrive at your destination with plenty of gas!

There's more from Austin, TX

I couldn't begin to encapsulate everything we did in the past four days, so please:

See my Flickr photos from Austin, TX, SXSW and every restaurant we ate in
Then be sure to view Summer's, Cole's and Rex's photos.

Summer has also blogged some of the restaurants where we ate, and Rex has blogged several sessions I didn't attend, and some I did.

Finally, NYC sister's fiance's coworker saw all these restaurant reports here on Fixin' Supper, and he passed along these recommendations for the next time I'm in town:

Z Tejas is highly recommended, especially the apple cobbler, and you'll probably need reservations. East Side Cafe apparently has a greenhouse attached to the restaurant, so at least some of the food is grown right there. And he concurs with your conclusions about The Salt Lick and Guero's.

The Salt Lick, Austin TX

  Texas-style barbecue

We went to the Salt Lick Sunday night. If you aren't a vegetarian, you must make this fabulous restaurant in Driftwood, Texas, a definite stop on your tour of Austin.

The brisket is great, the dill pickles crunchy and pucker-inducing and the ribs are very flavorful.

My complaint remains from my first visit to the Salt Lick: With all the other great home cooking here, why are they serving us store-bought bread? There's some on my plate here but I ate little of it. It offends the palate compared with the other authentic Texas barbecue fare.

More photos in my Flickr account.

Two years later, question is answered

  Las Manitas Chilaquiles Verdes

Two years ago I had the chilaquiles rojas at Las Manitas, after I let the waitress talk me into that over the verdes. Two years later, I've determined it's truly personal preference, because I really loved the verdes.

Funny thing about lunch. We were here in this really old building, at the historic restaurant, and Summer was on her cell phone and Patrick was using his phone and my computer to try to fix the Hammock servers.

  Working lunch

He seems to have been successful because my email is running again.

Guero's Taco Bar: Two thumbs up

  I'm stuffed.

We had a great meal tonight at Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress in Austin, TX. The building is a former feed store, and it's more than 100 years old. Sadly, they had to laminate and post a sign to that effect at our table, to admonish diners not to write on the walls.

What would inspire you to write on the walls anywhere, I'm not sure. [Yes, I was that square when I was a kid, too.]

They had so many different margaritas that I didn't know how to choose. I had "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and I'm sorry to report I don't remember what made it unique. It was good but not the best margarita I've ever had.

But my word, the food here is phenomenal. I ordered enchiladas verdes -- one chicken and one cheese. I could barely get through 2/3 of my meal....lots of food. But, just absolutely fresh and homemade. There is nothing better than a homemade tortilla. Wow. I was delighted with the whole meal. Fresh, melt-in-your-mouth tender chicken, one of the most unusual cheese enchiladas I've had, and really flavorful rice.

Good stuff.

I'm here, dammit

Got in to Austin about 2:45 this afternoon, and Summer and Cole picked me up at the airport in his massive truck [note: link updated 3.11.2007. Thanks, Cole!]. It's a Ford F-150 and it's like a full-size car with a huge truck on the back. It also apparently requires a lesson in getting in and out. I didn't splat on my butt in front of the downtown Hilton, but it was close.

I stayed in the downtown Hilton here two years ago and it was just as happy an experience coming in the second time around. No line, beautiful room just like I requested, wonderful. Then I came across the street to SXSW. OK, I haven't been here in two years, so I didn't remember that registration is upstairs. There are no signs to tell you this. I finally asked someone where it is, and I was on my way to the escalator when I was accosted by all the volunteers....looks like the entire UT campus is here in army green shirts. "Miss, where are you going?"

A. I am 35 years old. I am so not a Miss. I get that some people freak out if you call them "Ma'am" [not me, btw], but let's be real here. I have lots of gray hair.

Then I learn that, as I was just told by someone else, registration is upstairs. Gee, thanks.

I go upstairs, and am accosted by volunteer #2. "Are you here to get a badge?" Umm right. I'm the one not wearing a badge. So first I have to pick up a card and a golf pencil to fill it out. Fine.

There's no "line starts here" sign. Just lots of people standing around. I have to find someone to ask where I'm supposed to go.

I hand my ID to the guy at registration and hand him my first green pencil, because I've since discovered the pencil lead is worn down to nothing. He hands it back to me and says, "I can't have that back here." Huh??? What, a golf pencil is the trigger to the bomb under your desk?

So, I say, "I don't really care what you do with it, but it's impossible to write with it. It's going to annoy someone else if you leave it up here on the counter with the other pencils." He picks it up, looks at it, and puts it back with the other pencils.

After my badge is ready, I am sent back downstairs to pick up my schedule and bag, whereupon I have to come back upstairs for my first session.

There was more, but I'll stop whining. SXSW is awesome, but the user experience here at one of the best web conferences all year sucks. That's all I have for you now.

The best thing ever: Trip to Austin

I couldn't be more excited: Tomorrow midday, I fly out to Austin, Texas, for SXSW!! I first attended SXSW Interactive two years ago, and it proved to be not only one of the best conferences I've ever been to, but also a great culinary experience.

Some of my restaurant reviews from two years ago, in the early days of Fixin' Supper:
Las Manitas
The Salt Lick
The County Line
Katz's Deli
The Hula Hut
[Several of these used to have photos, but I lost them when I moved my blog to Typepad a number of months ago. I'll see if I can track him down.]

I'm definitely eating every free meal again at Las Manitas, and we're also planning a group trip down to the Salt Lick again. I'm not sure what else is on tap, but watch this space for updates and pics.

This really looks precarious

I was at Dulles today on one of the people-movers. I noticed out the window, as we were unloading, this construction scene. There's a lot going on at Dulles right now with various updates, and when you're on the people-movers at a certain place, it looks like you're riding on air instead of the ground b/c you can't see any of the pavement out your window. Seriously creepy.

Well anyway, this is another view. What I missed in the frame with my camera phone was the walkway these columns are holding up, between some of the gates.

Side note: Who can tell me what the "MUFIDS" renovation is at BNA? I keep seeing it promoted on signs there. It's not very effective promotion if they don't even tell me what they're updating.