ELIZABETH STREET CAFE

AUSTIN, TX
A Well-Rounded Sensory Experience

Photo courtesy of Foda Studio

 

My husband and I took an impromptu trip to Austin last month to explore, listen to music and eat (of course).  We were delighted to find a multitude of  excellent dining establishments offering much more than the traditional tex-mex and barbecue fare synonymous with Austin. One such excellent place is  Elizabeth Street Cafe; a French Vietnamese restaurant and boulangerie.  

We arrived around 6p and the place was packed so we opted for seats at the bar which gave us a birds eye view of the bar, kitchen, dining room and patio.    I love to take everything in and the visuals did not disappoint.  The restaurant decor is delightful with a cheerful color pallet, french details and asian undertones. The food is a bit on the pricey side, but the ingredients are quality and everything is fresh from a scratch kitchen. We ordered the fresh spring rolls, bun (a noodle dish) and the coffee gelato profiteroles.

Photo courtesy of Casey Dunn

Photo courtesy of Casey Dunn

Photo courtesy of Casey Dunn

Photo courtesy of Casey Dunn

Photo courtesy of Foda Studio

Elizabeth Street Cafe is owned by the McGuire Moorman Hospitality group which owns top restaurants in Austin, including Lambert's, Perla's and Fresa's. The branding was done by Austin design firm Foda Studio.

Elizabeth Street Cafe
1501 S. First Street
Austin, Texas
www.elizabethstreetcafe.com

Weekend Retreat at Esalen - August 2011

Esalen Institute is a retreat community located in Big Sur, California. It was founded in the early 60's and has a rich history of attracting artists, musicians, writers, psychologists, philosophers and alternative healers.  I've been wanting to go for about 15 years and finally got around to booking a weekend retreat this past summer with Buddhist priest, entrepreneur and executive coach, Marc Lesser, titled, "Accomplishing More By Doing Less." Workshops are experiential and didactic.

For a more complete experience I highly recommend booking a shared cabin, going solo and bringing an open mind. For more information, visit www.esalen.org.

Below are images from my stay...  

Clothing optional bath house and massage area.

 

 

 

Meditation nooks are everywhere.

The grounds are gorgeous.  No cell phone coverage, TVs, radio or Skype allowed, so you can truly escape distractions and immerse yourself in the experience.   

Greenhouse, organic garden and chickens!

Love this sign in the greenhouse.

There is a working Sweat Lodge on site.  If you're lucky, they might have one going on during your stay.

This area was once inhabited by the Essalen Indians, hence the name.

My dream house

Big House is where my workshop was held.
We had a roaring fire in the huge fireplace on the last evening. Felt like summer camp. 

 

 

 

View outside our workshop space.

Main Office and space for group activities like Kirtan, Yoga, Movement Classes.

Dining Hall in foreground.  There's a silent table for those who wish to eat in silence.

Cabins.

ACE HOTEL PORTLAND: Everything you need and nothing you don’t

During a trip to Portland, my husband and I stayed at the perpetually hip Ace Hotel in the Pearl District. It was too cool for school, but we enjoyed our stay. The Ace exists in it’s own category of boutique American hotels - a place where style, utility, sustainability and art coexist. The hotel aims to be a counterpoint to the slick, sterile, cookie cutter hotels with its comfortable minimalism and sense of humor.

The Ace Hotel attracts the creative types with tight wallets as well as the more affluent travelers willing to “step down” in exchange for

the hipness factor. Service is limited, meaning no room service and you’ll schlep your own bag. Some of the hotel’s amenities do include an interesting selection of "in room" snacks, free wifi and Macbooks available for use by the guests in the common area. A pair of Dutch made Jorg & Olif bikes are available to borrow in the lobby, allowing the opportunity to explore this bike friendly city more intimately, yet cover a significant amount of area.


Every room is designed by a different artist, going against the grain of uniformity common in most chain and boutique hotels. Standard rooms consist of beds made from 100% organic natural materials and covered with army colored Pendleton wool bedspreads. The army theme continues with reconditioned field desks serving as guest workspaces and housing old record players (borrow vinyl from the front desk). Stacks of second hand books are used for bedside tables, an old trunk for a coffee table and US mailbags have been repurposed as laundry bags. In keeping with a small ecological footprint, materials were salvaged from the formerly run-down building. Bathtubs, signs and doorknobs were restored and reused.


At any given time of day, the lounge area in the lobby is frequented by artists, designers, musicians and the like who are staying at the hotel or are just enjoying a Cup o’ Joe from Stumptown Coffee Roasters which flanks one side of the lobby. Clyde Common, a happening restaurant and bar, is accessed from the lobby as well. Powell’s, one of the greatest bookstores in the world, is less than a block away.

The Ace Hotel
1022 SW Stark St
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 228-2277
Locations also in Seattle, New York City and Palm Springs.