Adventures in and Around Fort Worth

I heard one time that the best way to travel is to do what you love to do at home in the new city you're exploring. So I eat and jog. My adrenaline is up, my mind is sharp, and it's much quicker to get around when I jog. I also feel that I absorb more around me when alone, so this is a great way to discover new territory before the rest of your crew gets moving for the day.  This morning I wanted to explore the tiny peninsula that is Charleston. I also wanted to see water because oceans make me happy. Below is a description of my route to give you an idea.  I jogged down the west shore to the Ashley River and traced the edge of the water back up the east side of the peninsula that faces the Atlantic. I then jogged Broad Street across the peninsula back to where I started. I didn't have a definite course mapped out — I just went for it. Below are some sights I saw along the way. Cool flowers that look like fireworks. Hydrangeas light up almost every home in this moist ...

We arrive to Hominy Grill early to beat the lunch crowd and good thing we did — the wait at noon was 45 minutes. The place was more low key than I imagined given it's mentioned in a national food magazine on a regular basis. It was quaint and fitting for a romantic southern town. The specials were written on a chalk board (side note: soup of the day ... tomato bacon), and the waitresses wore khaki shorts and tee shirts. When the menu came I was already drooling. Things like the fried green tomatoes, grilled eggplant and herbed goat cheese sandwich, and the pecan-crusted porterhouse pork chop with spiced peach sauce had my taste buds running laps in my mouth. I knew what we had to do. Each of us ordered something different and we all got to taste something. Below are the heavenly items we got to sample. Picnic Sampler: pimento cheese, shaved country ham, okra pickles, picked eggs and toast.  That was the best pimento cheese I've ever tasted. I can't stop thinking...

Caviar and Bananas It's only my first day in Charleston and I've already done some serious damage. Our first stop this morning was at a little one-stop gourmet market/café called Caviar and Bananas . It's like a tiny specialized Central Market, and these foodies savor items from around the world. As long as it's extraordinary it has a home here. I hear their pimento cheese is out of this world.  prepared goodies Caviar and Bananas Dips, Cheeses and Cured Meats Next post will be about the famous Hominy Grill in downtown Charleston. I read Bon Appetit  magazine cover to cover, and they've featured something from this restaurant twice in the last six months. We've also heard them mentioned on the Food Network. In touch...

I will be blogging from Charleston, South Carolina this week. I'm staying with some dear friends who know where to eat and what to do, so stay tuned. Things I plan to do this week: 1. eat 2. jog 3. eat 4. jog 5. eat 6. explore while jogging view from home

Spring Arts Goggle last weekend was hyper-local in an awesome way. I brought four girlfriends with me that had never been, and we all had a great time. We got there about 5:30 p.m. and walked straight to the Wiener Man food truck for a snack. After all, we were going to be walking all night and needed fuel. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our order. The crowd started to build and bands played on Magnolia as we ate our artisan hot dogs on a bench in front of Avoca. Next we stopped at The Usual to wash our hands and grab a drink. (You must try the Jimador's Revenge or Moscow Mule cocktails.) When we stepped out 40 minutes later, the crowd multiplied and the scene was bustling on Magnolia. After a few stops and distractions, we arrived to a kaleidoscope of booths filled with clothes, hand-shaped glass beads, drawings, paintings, doggie beds and vintage jewelry that dotted the closed-off street. Everything was affordable, which was so fun because we could actually purchase th...

Arts Goggle 2011 Bring a blanket and your friends to the one-acre park between Rosedale and Magnolia this evening for live music and local yummies. Fort Worth South, Inc . works with Fort Worth Weekly to host First Fridays on the Green every month from April to October. (It happens to fall on the second Friday this month so not to interfere with Mayfest.) Next month the event is June 3, and my favorite local band, Calhoun, will play. Arts Goggle this Saturday is an entirely different and biannual event occurring Spring and Fall. It's a coincidence they both fall on the same weekend this year. Fort Worth South, Inc. originally linked the event in 2003 to Fort Worth Gallery Night to bring people's attention to the South Side. Arts Goggle quickly got it's own following, so the separate events now attract their own substantial crowds. "This part of town is more about the grassroots community and less about expensive art galleries," said Mike Brennan, Fo...