Two More Texas Trips

Austin (July 22-24)

Flying out Friday evening from New York is the worst decision ever. There’s always a delay. I had a stop in Atlanta and we sat on the tarmac for a good 30 minutes! I missed my connection to Houston by 5 minutes. Good thing Delta set me up at a hotel (unlike AirTran) and I got the first flight out. Just in time for tubing!
Magnificent Barbecue
Franklin Just Moved Nearby Franklin Barbecue is really good barbecue. Despite the long wait in the heat (well worth it!), this place is freaking awesome: no plates and right on butcher paper, bottles of their sauces right on the table, and they even sell Shiner. It leaves that Dallas BBQ crap up here in New York look like fast food. Not just that, Dallas is definitely not a place where you get barbecue in Texas – that’s reserved for Austin, Houston, and surrounding the towns.

Houston (August 13-17)

After all these crazy Friday evening flights, I decided to take the first direct flight back to Houston on Saturday at 5:45 am EDT! I could not have made a better choice. The lines are noticeably shorter, everyone is still waking up and it’s quiet, and I even got bumped to first class! It’s awesome to be a Continental OnePass Silver Elite, even if I’m at the bottom of the top tier, hehe.
First Class Breakfast of Champions

Manhattan from Above We also got a glimpse of the sunrise and overlooking Manhattan was amazing. I didn’t realize how green and lush Central Park was until flying over it. It takes up a very large portion of Manhattan and so glad I’m on a few blocks away. I tried finding my apartment building, but that was just a lost cause. The rest of the flight was great and I made it back in Houston ten minutes before schedule, awesome.

My brother was supposed to pick me up, but something told me he forgot or just didn’t wake up – I landed around 8:20 am! Sure enough, he woke up to pick me up and we went to get some good old Shipley Donuts! And if you’re wondering, yes I had two breakfasts.
Right Out of the Oven
Before and After Kolaches It was great being back in Houston again, but I need to try and stay in New York a little more often. I just realized that I think I spent more weekends away from New York than staying to go to Central Park which is just a few blocks away. I think I have the travel bug.

Some of you may know this already, but that Monday, August 15, 2011 was my first day at FyrSoft! I left JPMorgan – Asset Management that Friday, but still working with them part time as we’re trying to find someone to transition into my position. If you’re looking (or know someone who is) for a Team Lead/Software development job up here in NYC, with the the Hedge Funds group, please let me know!