Happy Saturday!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
do: Barton Springs
I mayyyyy have mentioned once or twice that I'm in love with Austin, TX. I realize this. However, my gushiness is about to continue & I'd like you to go ahead and deal with it.
Outside of multiple face-stuffing opportunities for BBQ and tacos, Austin also has these amazing fresh spring pools that are not waist line enhancing at all! Hamilton Pool (which, to me, is the prettiest) is quite a drive outside the city. Since we live in a van, we decided to forgo that experience and head to Barton Springs on our day off instead.
Instead of me trying to describe what Barton is like, I'm going to leave it to Wiki:
The water is constantly chilly, but can be crazy refreshing if you let it. In my experience, the best way to do this is to just jump on in. Our very own Meghan Tonjes put us all to shame when she said "eff it" and jumped in first. That's hero shiz.
The best part of all of this is - it's CHEAP! $3 and you're in. The men in speedos come free.
That about wraps up our Austin visit. We attempted to go to Franklin's BBQ since we've been berated for only going to Salt Lick... but it was, sadly, closed. Ahhh well... I guess we'll have to come back.
post love/hate/advice below! (please don't really post hate. I live in a van. I can't deal with hate)
Outside of multiple face-stuffing opportunities for BBQ and tacos, Austin also has these amazing fresh spring pools that are not waist line enhancing at all! Hamilton Pool (which, to me, is the prettiest) is quite a drive outside the city. Since we live in a van, we decided to forgo that experience and head to Barton Springs on our day off instead.
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| Barton Springs |
Instead of me trying to describe what Barton is like, I'm going to leave it to Wiki:
Barton Springs Pool is a man-made recreational swimming pool located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The pool exists in the channel of Barton Creek and is filled by water from Main Barton Spring, the fourth largest spring in Texas. The pool is a popular venue for year-round swimming, as its temperature maintains a narrow range from about 68.0 °F (20.0 °C) in the winter to about 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) in the summer.
The water is constantly chilly, but can be crazy refreshing if you let it. In my experience, the best way to do this is to just jump on in. Our very own Meghan Tonjes put us all to shame when she said "eff it" and jumped in first. That's hero shiz.
The best part of all of this is - it's CHEAP! $3 and you're in. The men in speedos come free.
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| People always ask Ron what he'd be doing if he didn't play music for a living. Clearly he'd represent the US in Olympic diving. |
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| You need a close up of this beaut. |
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| free toes! |
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butt cracks aplenty! (but seriously, this place is gorgeous)
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| Carl got in & them promptly took a nap. Perhaps he had too much fun the night before? Perhaps. |
That about wraps up our Austin visit. We attempted to go to Franklin's BBQ since we've been berated for only going to Salt Lick... but it was, sadly, closed. Ahhh well... I guess we'll have to come back.
post love/hate/advice below! (please don't really post hate. I live in a van. I can't deal with hate)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Austin: We've arrived.
in fact, we arrived JUST in time to make it to Antone's Record Shop to do a little show preview. It was a free (FREE... FREEEEEEEEE!!!) acoustic set and we gave away free (FREE!) beer. It was pretty fun. I got all nostalgic for record stores & wanted to buy everything... and then I remembered I live in a van most of the time.
From there we went to our BBQ heaven, the Salt Lick. I can't tell you why it has the best brisket in the world... you have to find out for yourself. All I can say is - if you're in a town known for great BBQ and all of the locals (and anyone who has ever visited) tell you to drive 30 minutes away to get BBQ - you know you've made the right decision. So, we relaxed on their beer deck with a couple of buckets of Shiner Light Blonde & went to work. Any photos of Meghan's cleavage, she took herself.... and below is proof that Carl does not actually smell bad (since I took a picture with him).
TONIGHT: full band show at the ND. Rock.
Later!
From there we went to our BBQ heaven, the Salt Lick. I can't tell you why it has the best brisket in the world... you have to find out for yourself. All I can say is - if you're in a town known for great BBQ and all of the locals (and anyone who has ever visited) tell you to drive 30 minutes away to get BBQ - you know you've made the right decision. So, we relaxed on their beer deck with a couple of buckets of Shiner Light Blonde & went to work. Any photos of Meghan's cleavage, she took herself.... and below is proof that Carl does not actually smell bad (since I took a picture with him).
TONIGHT: full band show at the ND. Rock.
Later!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
road food: Karyn's on Green
Morning, Lovlies!
We have approximately 30 minutes until van call, so I'm going to rush out a little baby post for you guys. I haven't done this yet on this tour... so here's our first recommendation!
Our first one comes from the Windy City... also known as Chi-town.... also known as Chicago. I'm currently sitting in a hotel room in Houston, TX & about to make my way to Austin, TX where I will consume unthinkable amounts of BBQ at Salt Lick. In light of that, I thought I'd write about an amazing vegan find. As I always say - it's all about the balance!
After Ron did a radio interview, we craved veggies. I mainly stick to eating vegan/vegetarian on tour (it makes it easier to not go off the rails), but make exceptions for certain places. I will never shove this thinking down your throat - it's just how my body likes to function. I feel better when I eat this way. ANYWAY - back to our vegan lunch. I Yelped and found Karyn's on Green. Sometimes I don't know if places are incredible because of the lackluster food that I usually eat on tour... but I 100% know that this place was phenomenal! You have to try it! Even meat eaters should get adventurous once in a while.... branch out... expand your horizons... all of that jazz.
We have approximately 30 minutes until van call, so I'm going to rush out a little baby post for you guys. I haven't done this yet on this tour... so here's our first recommendation!
Our first one comes from the Windy City... also known as Chi-town.... also known as Chicago. I'm currently sitting in a hotel room in Houston, TX & about to make my way to Austin, TX where I will consume unthinkable amounts of BBQ at Salt Lick. In light of that, I thought I'd write about an amazing vegan find. As I always say - it's all about the balance!
After Ron did a radio interview, we craved veggies. I mainly stick to eating vegan/vegetarian on tour (it makes it easier to not go off the rails), but make exceptions for certain places. I will never shove this thinking down your throat - it's just how my body likes to function. I feel better when I eat this way. ANYWAY - back to our vegan lunch. I Yelped and found Karyn's on Green. Sometimes I don't know if places are incredible because of the lackluster food that I usually eat on tour... but I 100% know that this place was phenomenal! You have to try it! Even meat eaters should get adventurous once in a while.... branch out... expand your horizons... all of that jazz.
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| Karyn's |
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| butternut squash soup (with coconut milk) |
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| a TREE-tini. Everytime you order one, they plant a tree! How could I say no? |
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| Kale Salad w/ apples, cashews, & sesame vinaigrette |
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| MUSHROOM bacon. yes. |
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tofu benedict with root vegetables and something that was not hollandaise, but was bomb all the same
Oh I should probably tell you that I'm starting to post pictures of myself to counterbalance all of the God-awful ones Rp seems to snap of me. I don't want you to think I'm a goblin. Why do guys seem to have a knack of only taking TERRIBLE pictures of their lady loves? AMIRITE, LADIES?
love/hate/comment below!
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday Evening Update
If you follow me on the tweet machine, you may have noticed that I will be staying home from the show tonight. I have a bunch of non-fun work to catch up on... and, yes, occasionally it's pretty nice to have a night to myself away from the boys. Not that I don't love them to pieces... it's just that Carl smells really bad.
(kidding!!)
(or am I??)
Before I strap myself to excel for the night, I'm going to update you. Looks like the last you got was Toronto. Whoa, what have I been doing with myself? Oh, right. RUNNING THIS MACHINE. So - where have we been? We've been to Pontiac, MI; Akron, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; and Chicago, IL.
Let's do this thing.
Pontiac, Michigan: The boys did a stripped down, acousticy show for the fans since the stage was Nate-sized. These are always fun. Fans seem to enjoy them just as much if not more!
Akron, Ohio: We played at our beloved Musica.... which was great and I met some amazing Rp fans who wrote me a love letter. I never get letters, so I am keeping it forever and potentially framing it. But are you aware that EVERYTHING shuts down in this place on Sunday? We had to search high and low for somewhere to eat. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME? PEOPLE EAT ON SUNDAY HERE, RIGHT? IS IT A LAW THAT YOU MUST COOK ON SUNDAYS? Luckily, we stumbled upon Luigi's and had a stellar Italian meal (and that's a high compliment from a girl who's about to get hitched to an Italian fellow). I would recommend it, but you have to go under a bridge, talk to a gnome, answer a riddle, and do an interpretive dance of a meatball. So if you're up for that... go for it! (I accidentally put the letter in a frame with Columbus, OH below. IT STAYS - I AM LAZY.)
Pittsburgh, PA: I'm actually not going to say a lot about this stop. The guys played great, but I didn't love the place so much. Hmmmm...... (insert whatever emotion you think I need here). PLUS, we had to leave directly after the show to drive to Columbus for a radio interview... so we didn't see much of Pittsburgh either way.
Columbus, OH: What up guuurrrrrl. You're way cute. You gave us an amazing NPR station interview (hello, WCBE!), Ethiopian dinner, and a packed out venue.
Indy, IN: LOVE YOUR FACE. Who knew this city was a real city (jk jk)? So clean and fresh - I could kiss you and then squeeze you and then make you scared that I was stalking you. Our friend Dave took us to eat at The Libertine and out for drinks//some touristing. You... you're GREAT!
[INSERT MOMENTARY SCREAM FOR BATTLE CREEK, MI WHO CANCELLED THE SHOW WITHOUT TELLING US. YOU READ THAT 100% RIGHT. THEY DODGED OUR PHONE CALLS, IGNORED OUR EMAILS, AND THEN WHEN WE FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF THEM THE NIGHT BEFORE RON WAS TO PLAY, THEY TOLD US THAT TWO SHOWS HAD BEEN BOOKED, OURS HAD BEEN CANCELLED, OUR CONTACT NO LONGER WORKED THERE, AND THEN THEY HUNG UP ON COUSIN CARL. THEN THEY TOLD FANS THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE THERE FOR WHEN SOME SHOWED UP. THERE IS NO WAY I COULD/WOULD MAKE THIS UP. NORMALLY I WOULD NOT RANT ABOUT SOMEONE IN THE INDUSTRY BUT THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLY UNCALLED FOR AND DISAPPOINTING.]
(anyhoo...)
Chicago, IL: We started off on a bad note when you ripped my big toenail in half, but you TOTALLY REDEEMED YOURSELF. Amazing interview at Fearless Radio (you'll be able to listen to the podcast tomorrow)... packed-house show... found an amazing vegan food spot... got to hug multiple members of Zach Berkman's family. It was FANTASTIC!
And now you can see why I've been a little up and down on the twitters. I feel like the thing people have said the most is that they want the real-ness of what it's like out here. Well... didya enjoy that realness? CONSIDER YOURSELF UPDATED!
(I'm really sorry for my overuse of caps lock in this post)
please post love/hate/advice below.
(kidding!!)
(or am I??)
Before I strap myself to excel for the night, I'm going to update you. Looks like the last you got was Toronto. Whoa, what have I been doing with myself? Oh, right. RUNNING THIS MACHINE. So - where have we been? We've been to Pontiac, MI; Akron, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; and Chicago, IL.
Let's do this thing.
Pontiac, Michigan: The boys did a stripped down, acousticy show for the fans since the stage was Nate-sized. These are always fun. Fans seem to enjoy them just as much if not more!
Akron, Ohio: We played at our beloved Musica.... which was great and I met some amazing Rp fans who wrote me a love letter. I never get letters, so I am keeping it forever and potentially framing it. But are you aware that EVERYTHING shuts down in this place on Sunday? We had to search high and low for somewhere to eat. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME? PEOPLE EAT ON SUNDAY HERE, RIGHT? IS IT A LAW THAT YOU MUST COOK ON SUNDAYS? Luckily, we stumbled upon Luigi's and had a stellar Italian meal (and that's a high compliment from a girl who's about to get hitched to an Italian fellow). I would recommend it, but you have to go under a bridge, talk to a gnome, answer a riddle, and do an interpretive dance of a meatball. So if you're up for that... go for it! (I accidentally put the letter in a frame with Columbus, OH below. IT STAYS - I AM LAZY.)
Pittsburgh, PA: I'm actually not going to say a lot about this stop. The guys played great, but I didn't love the place so much. Hmmmm...... (insert whatever emotion you think I need here). PLUS, we had to leave directly after the show to drive to Columbus for a radio interview... so we didn't see much of Pittsburgh either way.
 |
| my grr face at the sitch + my middle tooth (like Tom Cruise)/ron on the phone/pittsburgh |
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| RP doing radio//my luv letter from Akron |
[INSERT MOMENTARY SCREAM FOR BATTLE CREEK, MI WHO CANCELLED THE SHOW WITHOUT TELLING US. YOU READ THAT 100% RIGHT. THEY DODGED OUR PHONE CALLS, IGNORED OUR EMAILS, AND THEN WHEN WE FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF THEM THE NIGHT BEFORE RON WAS TO PLAY, THEY TOLD US THAT TWO SHOWS HAD BEEN BOOKED, OURS HAD BEEN CANCELLED, OUR CONTACT NO LONGER WORKED THERE, AND THEN THEY HUNG UP ON COUSIN CARL. THEN THEY TOLD FANS THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE THERE FOR WHEN SOME SHOWED UP. THERE IS NO WAY I COULD/WOULD MAKE THIS UP. NORMALLY I WOULD NOT RANT ABOUT SOMEONE IN THE INDUSTRY BUT THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLY UNCALLED FOR AND DISAPPOINTING.]
(anyhoo...)
Chicago, IL: We started off on a bad note when you ripped my big toenail in half, but you TOTALLY REDEEMED YOURSELF. Amazing interview at Fearless Radio (you'll be able to listen to the podcast tomorrow)... packed-house show... found an amazing vegan food spot... got to hug multiple members of Zach Berkman's family. It was FANTASTIC!
And now you can see why I've been a little up and down on the twitters. I feel like the thing people have said the most is that they want the real-ness of what it's like out here. Well... didya enjoy that realness? CONSIDER YOURSELF UPDATED!
(I'm really sorry for my overuse of caps lock in this post)
please post love/hate/advice below.
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