Some Random Places in Austin (TX) -- March 2015

Thunderbird Coffee (Manor Road, Austin) – March 2015

Tucked away off Manor Road is a building which looks like it used to be a residence.  Considering the area, it probably once was.  The footprint for the area means parking is extremely limited if you’re coming there to meet friends.  If you can park someone else and walk there, that’s probably better.  The interior is quaint and quiet, a perfect place to unwind.  The side lot has picnic tables where you can socialize, but the busy road makes it noisy.

Service was good, and the staff were very friendly.  The cup of hot chocolate I got came in what I expected would be used for a soup bowl.  It was filled to brim too, so when I was walking to the outdoor area, I thought sure I was going to spill it.  It tasted very good.

If you’re anywhere within walking distance of this establishment, it’s a good place to go.

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Taco Cabana (Mopac & Parmer)

I generally avoid national chains, but when my friend said she wanted to take me there, I’ll go.  For being a Friday evening, it wasn’t that busy, which I found surprising.  The parking lot seemed full, but that could’ve been because some of those vehicles were parked for the nearby businesses which shared the lot.  We sat on the outside patio for a short time, until the intensity of the wind sent us inside.

I wasn’t overly hungry, so I ordered the chicken fajita bowl.  It was a fried tortilla shell molded into a bowl shape, but it was still served in a plastic counterpart.  There wasn’t much meat on it, when comparing it to the ratio of the rice, but it was still filling.  My friend ordered the steak fajita dinner, and received a huge amount of food.  Needless to say, she ended up getting a take-home box.

I found the food average, but my friend liked it.  And at the end of the evening, that was what was important.

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Fuddrucker’s (IH-35, Round Rock)

My friend wanted to take me out for a burger, and this was his destination of choice.  I’ve found better burgers from local establishments in the area, but today it was his choice.  I ordered a grill chicken BBQ sandwich on wheat bun, and a side of chili cheese fries.  The piece of meat I received was respectable size, although the sauce wasn’t very “bold” in flavor.  The fries had a generous helping of chili on it, although there could’ve been a little more cheese on it.  Overall, it ended up being a not bad meal.

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Zoe’s Kitchen (University Blvd, Round Rock)

We were looking for a relatively quick place for a sit-down dinner, and since we were in the area, we opted for something we hadn’t tried yet.  The menu has selections of soups, sandwiches, and some entrees.  We ended up both getting the chicken kabobs, which came with rice and a Greek salad.  I was worried about getting too much food, and she was worried about not getting enough.

Each entrée had two skewers with chicken chunks, tomatoes, and peppers for the kabobs.  After pulling everything off the skewers, it turned out to be a rather small amount of meat.  The bed of rice was decent sized, but the salad portion took half the plate.  Thought everything was prepared well, although the salad wasn’t I wasn’t too crazy about it.  My friend thought hers was okay.

In the end, we had a satisfying dinner, but we were still hungry afterwards.  For a lunch destination, I think this would be good (especially for the businesses in the area), but it’s not as impressive as a dinner locale.

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Verts Kebap (Anderson Lane)

I’d never been to this location before, but I’d had a good experience at a companion location, so when my friend couldn’t figure out where to have lunch, I was able to suggest this with confidence.  One of the high marks for this was that we didn’t have to wait in line for an hour in order to be even be seated (unlike a so-so burger place nearby).  The interior here was neat, there was a nice mural on the wall to give it a “uniquely Austin” feel, and a small patio for outside.

I got the chicken salad, which was a great option for me as I try not to have bready-things in my diet.  The mix of meat and veggies in a bowl could be eaten with a fork, in order to keep my hands clean.  My friend wasn’t as hungry, and just went for the fries.  He really liked the atmosphere.  Even when the place was filled with people later on, it didn’t get that noisy.

There’s a lot of parking in the plaza, but with so many businesses sharing it, it can be tough to find a space.  The selection for dining choices are numerous on Anderson Lane, and a few here.  This is one of the ones you should go, especially if you’ve never been here before.

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Game Plan (Freidrich Ln, Austin)

When the management team was looking for a place to do a team-builder function, this came up as a good suggestion.  Located in an office park, the building doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the interior was want counts here.  Dozens of arcade games (many from the classic 1980’s period) were available to play, along with a pool table, air hockey, ping pong, and shuffleboard.  A couple of additional side rooms contain various console systems each connected to their own monitor in order to provide a different style of gaming.

All the games were set for “free-play,” so there was no need to carry a pocket-full of quarters.  The entrance fee paid allows for the continuous use of the games.  The version of Gauntlet was on, but not set in playable mode.  That, and the water fountains not working, were my only quibbles.

We were there in the early afternoon, so the team had the entire place to ourselves.  I can see how this would fill up on the evenings, as the location was very accessible and there was plenty of parking.  No refreshments were available on site, but arrangements could be made for large groups for items to be brought in.  It was a good venue, and one which is worth returning to.

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Some Random Places in Southern California -- February 2015

Hyatt Place (Riverside, CA) – February 2015

Because of the good experiences I had on my previous visits, I made sure to book here when I was going to be in the area again.  The cost to park is a little extra, but it’s really not too bad when you consider the lot is set aside for guests only (not a public lot).  If you’re going to be here more than a couple days, the cost could add up, but it’s convenient.  I was greeted with a friendly smile at the front desk, and an issue at check-in was quickly resolved.  An error had appeared on my reservation which placed me in a handicap-accessible room.  Since that wasn’t something I needed, I asked to be moved to a room which didn’t have that feature (in order to free it up for someone who did need it).

Every room I’ve stayed here has been similar to the ones before.  This was nice not to have an adjoining room, and enjoy a king bed this time.  Previous visits had given me a view of the pool area, but this time I got to see the street.  The lounge area was convenient to put my suitcase on.  On my previous visit, the Director of Sales (Donna) had left a cookie and card addressed to me specifically in the room as a nice gesture.  Because of the room swap I did, the front desk mentioned the treats from Donna would have to be dropped over later.

As my stay here isn’t very long, I haven’t had the opportunity to take advantage of the outdoor pool or the exercise room.  The bed was comfortable, the room clean, and I was again satisfied with the quality.  The only suggestion I have is the breakfast having some more protein items available.  Between the French toast, muffins, and cereal, there’s a lot of bread items, and there’s a decent selection of fruit.  I just wonder if some scrambled eggs could be added just to give some variety.  That’s my only quibble, and not something which would keep me from returning here.  This has become my preferred hotel when I stay in the Riverside area.

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Java Bakery Café (Lake Forest, CA)

While looking for a place to have lunch before meeting my client, I drove around the area and chanced upon this place.  The “grand opening” sign visible from the road meant this was an opportunity to try something new, in more ways than one.  Located in the corner of a strip center, not only was there decent amounts of parking, but the building design allowed for some outdoor seating in a shaded area.

There was quite a large selection of soup and sandwich options on the menu, and well as a number of coffee variations.  I ordered a BBQ chicken pinani, with chips and a fountain beverage, and ate outside on the patio.  BBQ things tend to be a little messy, which I knew going in, but it was not overly so.  The sandwich was very good, and made a perfect filling quick lunch.

The layout of the building made the interior long and narrow, and the interior seats were spaced along that.  It made it a little congested between those ordering, those picking up, and those moving through to other parts of the establishment.  There was only a single bathroom for the patrons, which was in use the entire time I was there.  I would’ve liked to have been able to wash my hands after eating.

From the location near a residential area, and the variety on the menu, I can envision this as doing good business all the time.  The next time I’m in the area, I look forward to coming back here.

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Flame Broiler (Redlands, CA) – February 2015

Work brings me out to this area, and there isn’t too many places nearby to go for lunch.  With the road construction on Alabama Street (which has been going on for months), it makes it difficult to go anywhere for a “quick lunch.”  This was within a short walk from my client’s job site, and we were able to walk there quicker than we would’ve been able to drive there.  Hard to tell if this construction has impacted business at all.

I went for the chicken bowl (without veggies), and loaded it up with the “special sauce.”  That basically turned the plain brown rice to something with a teriyaki glaze which actually made it taste a lot better.  As far as a lunch meal goes, it was filling, and that’s what it needed to be.

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Jimmy John’s (Costa Mesa, CA) – February 2015

The reason for going here was because it was next to my client’s location, and I didn’t have to cross many busy lanes of traffic to get here.  This place advertises themselves as “being fast,” which comes from having a pretty limited menu and allowing very little variation on the orders.  Whatever sandwich you get will be absolutely no different than the person in line behind you that orders the same thing.

I asked for the roast beef sub.  It came with provolone cheese and covered in mayo, and no opportunity to swap for a different dressing or type of cheese.  Overall the sandwich was okay and satisfied the lunch hunger, but being able to customize a sandwich is what sets other sub shops above this one.

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A Drive to Laguna Beach -- February 2015

A Drive to Laguna Beach – 20 February 2015

I was in Garden Grove this morning in order to meet with my dealer there, and it was getting close to 11 am.  Normally I’d stay until noon, and then head over to my next target for the day, while getting lunch in between.  I was a man with a plan this time, as my next visit was in Costa Mesa.

Using the direct measurement of “as the crow flies,” my next destination was about six miles to the south, but I’d planned to take a scenic route.  Since I’d already been on Trip Advisor to figure out various places I was going to eat the rest of the week, I’d done that similar bit of research for what I was going to do today.  I mentioned this to my contact at Garden Grove (named Raymie), and she thought it was a fun and amusing plan.  Being able to share you insanity is always good.

So bear with me as I talk like a native Californian right now, and describe the route that I took.  Follow along on a map, if you must, but it’ll give you an idea of what I did to take the “scenic route” to my next locale.  Or “long way around,” whichever you’d like to term it.

I hopped on the 405 and cruised east, and then picked up Interstate 5 to take me past Santa Ana’ and Irvine.  Heading towards Lake Forest (near where one of my other dealers was located), I debated whether or not I was going to follow I-5 all the way to Dana Point.  That would take me a bit farther out of my way, and I still needed to keep this side-trek justifiably short.  I turned south on to Route 133.

At this point, I was in the hilly region of Laguna Canyon.  This was a nice area of gentle mounds and rises which would be considered “large” in Texas, but were “small” for the area (and similarly “small” for New York where I grew up).  The two-lane road didn’t have any pull-over sections to take proper pictures, so I had to hold the camera over the steering wheel, and hope for the best.  Keep in mind I’d only snap a shot when there were no other cars around me, and I was on a straightaway so there was less chance of any unexpected things happening.

As I got closer to the coast, then signs of civilization began to return.  On either side of the road were the houses and business which made up the settlement of Laguna Canyon.  I don’t know if it’s an actual incorporated municipality or not.  But it looked like the road was built on the path of least-resistance, and the dwellings were stuck on either side of it.  It was a nice, small town feel here.

Soon I arrived in the “not-so-small town” area of Laguna Beach.  This was very much an upscale area which drew the tourists and the “pretty people with money” which California prides itself on having so many of.  I knew there was an actual beach here, and I wanted to get as reasonably close to it as I could before heading northward up Pacific Coast Highway.

Near where I came in was the Laguna Art Museum, which looked like a great place to check out, even though parking nearby looked few and far between.  I went down a narrow side street towards the coast and found some street parking near an odd-looking tree.  There was a meter there I could pump change into, if I had some, but choose not to.

The actual beach was down a bunch of steps, with a rapid descent in elevation.  On a quick wander around, it would take me time to get down there and back.  And since I didn’t have time for anything other than a few pictures, I had to be brief.  Also, I was the only one in the area wearing a suit, so I was already out of place.  Add taking pictures to that, and I look like either a tourist or CIA or both.

The area appeared to very safe and friendly, without any nasty elements (like what I saw over in Venice Beach months ago).  I only went a short distance from the car in order to get some shots of the actual beach.  Considering how early sunset happens in the winter months, this was the only beach view I was going to get this trip.

If the beach was closer to the car, or I had more time, I would’ve gone down to get a few more pictures of the area to show a better sense of what the area looked like.  It feels odd, and a little creepy, to show up at a place, take a few random photos, and then leave.  Trying to keep the creep factor low.

From there I cruised northward up Pacific Coast Highway.  Along this section, the road was very close to the coast, so I was able to look to my left and see the ocean.  I enjoyed the view as much as possible, keeping my eyes on the road at the same time.  There were no pull-off points along the way either where I could frame a decent shot, so I had to be innovative in order to get what pictures I could.

The further north I went, the more distant PCH got from the coast, and my ocean view faded.  I could see neighborhoods and housing developments to the west, which I’m sure had a great view.

Because there was construction along the way now, time got added to the trip, and that’s in addition to having to wait through traffic lights.  It was a nice drive, but it was taking a little longer than I’d planned.  I arrived at Newport Beach, which was a very nice and economically-thriving area.  At one of the stop lights, I was amused at the shrubs which had been carved into whale-shapes.  I thought that was nice.

My original plan had been to continue up PCH until I reached Huntington Beach, and then back-track a little to Costa Mesa.  But once I finally got on the other side of Newport Beach, I grabbed a side road which brought be directly to my dealer.  I was able to do this because I had my final destination already programmed in, so I got to keep hearing the route recalculate.

So there was a section of PCH I didn’t drive, but that wasn’t a big deal, because I essentially did what I set out to do.  As a side note, once I was done at my dealer, I bee-lined towards Huntington Beach, where I decided to have dinner at Ruby’s Surf City Diner at the end of the Pier.

I timed my visit so I was able to catch the sunset over the Pacific which I look forward to on every trip.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Garden Grove (CA):  http://www.ci.garden-grove.ca.us/

Costa Mesa (CA):  http://www.costamesaca.gov/

Dana Point (CA):  http://www.danapoint.org/

Laguna Canyon (CA):  http://lagunacanyon.org/

Laguna Beach (CA):  http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/

Laguna Art Museum:  http://lagunaartmuseum.org/

Newport Beach (CA):  https://www.newportbeachca.gov/

Huntington Beach (CA):  http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/

Ruby’s Surf City:  http://www.surfcityusa.com/listings/rubys-surf-city-diner/281/

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March Field Air Museum (Moreno Valley, CA) -- February 2015

March Field Air Museum – 17 February 2015

Yeah, I know.  Because I’ve been coming out here for work the last few months, a large majority of the entries have been each days travel.  While interesting the first couple times, it started to get repetitive because I stayed in the same areas each time.  Instead of mention each day’s play-by-play, I decided I wanted to hit what would be the more interesting highlights.  I hope that ends up being more interesting.

Once again I flew into LAX Monday morning, drove out to Redlands to interface with my dealership there, and spent the evening in Riverside.  I did note a couple of things on the street, like this sun dial and Chinese-style gazebo.

Tuesday morning I spent in Moreno Valley, and while the normal plan was to leave about lunch time, I’d decided to step out a little early in order to make a side trek.  I had this idea that I’d drive south towards the Upland Game Hunting Area, swing by the Lake Perris State Recreation Area, and that would bring me around the backside of the March Field Air Museum.  My navigation unit took me a different way which kept me on the highway.  That was probably quicker, but not as scenic.

Since I’m planning on coming out here at a later point purely as a tourist, I knew I’d be able to explore this in-depth at that time.  Today was only a “scratch the surface,” because if I stepped foot inside, my love of aviation would’ve kept me here for the rest of the afternoon.  I parked in the lot, and took a quick look at what I could see in this specific area.  When I come back, I’ll gladly drop the $10 to get inside the main building so I can spend as much time as I want drooling over the SR-71 Blackbird advertised to be within.

A chain-link fence separated me from the larger planes out in field area, so obviously I couldn’t read any displayed placards which described specifically what they were.  There was a mix of transport planes, and some Cold War-era fighters.

The walking path leading up to the main entrance had two fighter jets parked out there.  The F-105D Thunderchief and Phantom RF-4C were nice to see.  There’s no question these planes have been decommissioned (their technology no longer a secret to the Russians anyway), but I didn’t appear these were still considered flyable.  Other air museums I’ve been to with still working pieces usually have an oil pan underneath to catch engine drips.  I didn’t see that on these.

Out front was a Minuteman missile, and near the entrance was a monument dedicated to Jimmy Doolittle.  The way behind the monument had plaques commemorating various airborne units.

The only other statue out here was that of a soldier with a dog.  This was to honor all the K-9 units.  The area around the statue had the names of various doggies who died in the line of duty.

The thing which got my attention was, of course, the thing I’m going to mention the last.  A sculpture of a P-38 Lightning was a monument to all the fighter squadrons.  This was one of my favorite planes, which goes back to when my age was in the single digits, and someone gave me a Matchbox version.  It was one of the odd-designs I’d seen, but something about always drew my attention to it.  Perhaps there’s more than just the distinctive shape, I’m not sure, but I found it awesome from when I first saw it.

There was just enough wind available to have the flags blowing in a manner which allowed for a proper picture.  Of course, as you can see, I also went for a couple “artsy” shots of the statue too.

This was just what could be seen from outside on the grounds.  I hadn’t even stepped inside the main building.  I didn’t have a lot of play time today, as I had to get on to my next dealership, but this was a great taste of what this attraction had available.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Upland Game Hunting Area:  http://alltrails.com/parks/us/california/upland-game-hunting-area

Lake Perris State Recreation Area:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=651

March Field Air Museum:  http://www.marchfield.org/

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Leaving L.A. to Be Stuck in Dallas -- January 2015

DAY FIVE – 22 January 2015

So, in case you’re wondering, do all of my California entries come out as being “Here’s where I ate in between visiting my dealer, and maybe some small interesting thing that I might’ve seen”?  Yes, as my primary reason for being is work, the only play time I get is what I can squeeze in between work stuff.  I’ve been scoping out areas, with the idea I’ll come back on a different time when I can explore.  I’ve been spending the time getting familiar with the lay of the land, and that should serve me well on subsequent trips.

The dealership I visit on my last day is located in Torrance, as that’s pretty close to LAX.  It allows me to get a half-day’s work in before scampering off to the airport.  I know I could take PCH most of the way there, but I still program it into the GPS unit which comes with the rental.  On this trip, neither of my hotels and only some of the dealers were stored in memory, so it was good I still had the physical addresses with me.

The route the GPS gave me I swear took me the longest way possible, and through any road construction it could.  It took me on the 405, and then through a bunch of side & residential streets through West Carson before dropping me in Torrance.  It took an hour longer than it should have.  I don’t tell my dealers I’ll be there at a particular time, but I like to get there as early as possible to get the most out of the day.

The GPS at least got me back to the airport with no issues.  That’s good, because LAX is already in a scary part of the city, and I don’t want some alternate route to take me to even more scarier sections.  Getting through security is a breeze because I know how to do it, and I got my turkey sandwich for a reasonable lunch.  I couldn’t get a direct flight back, so I was set to have a layover in Dallas.  Normally I can get a flight at 3 pm which gets me back by 8 pm, but this time it was a 4 pm flight to get me back by 10 pm.  Not so bad, because there’s not much else I could be doing that night.

From my aisle seat, I could still look out the window, and watched as the plane arced southward around the Los Angeles Basin before heading eastward.  Since it was such a clear day, that would’ve been a perfect photo opportunity had I been in a window seat.  Beyond that, the rest of the flight was uneventful.  Once I landed in Dallas Love Field, I walked out and confirmed my connecting flight was leaving from the exact same gate, but it was now delayed an hour.  Well, my layover had been 15 minutes, so now it meant I could grab some dinner.

Right nearby was a decent-looking Mexican restaurant, something which looked better than anything at Austin airport.  Called Cantina Laredo, this had good tables for sit-down meals, and space for to set up my laptop to get a couple things done.  The cheese enchiladas I had there were very good (not as good as my favorite haunts in Austin), but enough to satisfy my craving for them.  I then spent a little time walking the airport to stretch my legs.  I stopped off at one of the side areas to look at a modern art sculpture.  A previous conversation said it looked like it was going to be too late to stop by and see someone when I got in, and that was before the delay.

When I was out in Los Angeles, the temperature was 10 degrees warmer than normal and Austin was 20 degrees below normal.  It was warmed up a little when I arrived in Dallas, but not where it should’ve been.  Dallas Love Field was still a comfy temperature, but it was chilly when I got back to Austin.  The fleece pull-over I hadn’t worn all week I was glad to have with me now.

I like the trips out to the field, because it feels like a mini-vacation as it gets me out of the office for a week.  It’s nice to be able to try new restaurants, but I’d like some time to be able to explore the area.  And it would be nice if I had someone with me to return to the hotel with.  They can do whatever they want during the day, just as long as we have some hangout time in the evening.  Whether they need their own car, and their own flight arrangements to get there is nice, but I got room to spare.  It’s an unlikely prospect, but it would be fun.  That was one of the nice things about going on vacation with someone, the ability to enjoy the experience.  Perhaps on subsequent trips stuff at home will be less crazy and I can smuggle someone out with me.  >grin<

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Torrance:  http://www.torranceca.gov/

West Carson:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Carson,_California

Dallas Love Field:  http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/

Cantina Laredo:  http://www.cantinalaredo.com/location/dallas-love-field-airport-texas/

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