This story first appeared in May 2012 Home and Away Magazine, a AAA travel magazine.

I’m standing in an open field waiting for Foster the People to take the stage. Strike that—a not-so-open field. I’m about smack-dab in the middle of several thousand fans to see this indie pop band from Los Angeles.

My sister is on my right, a foursome of rowdy teens are stuck to the left side of my body in one way or another, and wedging me in place are two 6-foot-tall hippies with a questionable fragrance.... Read More

 
Traveling through the Lone Star State means you’ll likely be feasting on the quintessential Texas food: barbeque! Whether mesquite, hickory, oak, wet, dry, smoked, open-pit or in-ground steamed, BBQ is practically a religion here.  These three AAA inspectors have 30+ years of combined dining experience and have licked sauce from their fingers all over the country, but here are some of their Texas favorites.

Click on the restaurant's name to see it on a map, as well as hours and AAA Diamond Ratings.  ... Read More

I thoroughly enjoy being a AAA inspector but I also like stepping away from the normal activities of reviewing hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, and attractions and forging a new path.  Recently, I did just that and took a day strolling around Austin, Texas sampling the food offerings from the hardworking and very friendly people who operate what has been described as the “explosion” of cleverly-named vendor carts and trailers.... Read More

 Austin, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1) You’re weird, like me. First came the bumper stickers. Next were the tie-dyed T-shirts. Now you’ll find “Keep Austin Weird” (originally a slogan urging support of local retailers like BookPeople and Waterloo Records) stamped on everything from oversized coffee mugs to mouse pads. ... Read More