a quick trip to austin

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a little while, life picked up and since I last wrote… I GRADUATED COLLEGE!!

It’s so crazy how fast four years flew by. I’ve been trying to figure out how to wrap my college experience into a blog post but I decided I would wait until a month after graduation, so until then I have a more ~fun~ post to share!

Since I graduated and had a job lined up (I don’t even know if I’ve shared that but spoiler… I’m employed,) I wanted to take a quick celebratory trip during the week between graduation and my first day of work.

As you know by the title of this post one of my best friends, Sabrina, and I went on a quick trip to AUSTIN, TEXAS!!

Since we are both relatively new graduates, we planned a quick and budget-friendly trip that I’d love to share with you! In total, we both spent $500 on the trip including all expenses!

Similar to my last travel post (linked here), I will break this post into categories followed by our itinerary. I love a good itinerary.

*** JTT = Jamie Travel Tip***

Stay

Like every college grad wallet’s dream, AirBnb always seems to have an affordable gem to stay at. The stay we chose was in the heart of Austin, about 1 minute from UT and within 15 minutes from all the spots we wanted to hit in Austin.

It wasn’t the fanciest apartment or in the nicest complex but it had everything we needed. At the time we booked the stay, we both got our own rooms for about $80/night! I would definitely recommend it if you are trying to save some money. There was definitely room for a few other people as well. AIRBNB LINK

JTT: One of the things I like to do when I travel is make a “Make or Break” list for each person going. This is a list of things the people on your trip feel HAS to be done in order for them to feel the trip will be the most beneficial, the things that shouldn’t be cut out of the schedule. After you make this list, pinpoint the locations of these items and find a place to stay that is as close to all of these as possible! Making this list also helps ensure that no one is going unheard on the trip 🙂

Restaurants

FOOD & DRINK

For Food Places: $: > $10 | $$: $10-20 | $$$: $20+ (for one person)

I don’t know if you have the same addiction we do to cute coffee shops and good eats, but we were determined to eat like royalty, on a budget. We used word of mouth, Yelp and Instagram to find all of our restaurants and coffee shops. There is honestly not one place I wouldn’t recommend on this list so… go wild my friend.

JTT: Eating was the part of our trip that made it most expensive! Sab and I had a discussion of how much we wanted to spend each day on food and found restaurants that fit into our budget. Having this discussion can allow you and your travel mates to feel comfortable with the amount your staying and have an expectation of what you both want to spend your money on.

YALL… I truly believe this place is a hidden gem. Sab and I found this place because it was ~pasta~ and close to our stay on the first night. It was such high-quality food and so decadent and delicious. I ordered the Heel of the Boot pasta, Sab ordered the Pesto pasta and we split the Bruschetta.We talk about this place very often and miss it. :,) I’ll go ahead and share Sab’s Google review so you can understand our love for this place even more.

The Heel of the Boot 10/10 $$

“If you live in Austin or ever find yourself visiting, you absolutely MUST stop by The Heel of the Boot for some of the most delicious, authentic Italian food you will ever have. My friend and I were so so lucky to come across it during our trip to Austin about a month ago. The guys were so kind, and we felt very welcomed. The inside was so fun and comfortable. And the outdoor patio seating is so pretty and has a view of the city. I ordered the pasta with pesto which was incredible. My friend ordered pasta the heel of the boot and enjoyed it so much. The pasta had so much flavor and was so creamy. We also shared an order of bruschetta which might have been the best bruschetta I’ve ever had. It was so fresh!! The portion size of the pasta was perfect enough for us to take half of it home, and it tasted just as great later that evening as leftovers. We still to this day cannot stop thinking and talking about The Heel of the Boot and how wonderful it is. Best pasta ever and I am already planning a trip back so I can try more of the menu. PLEASE go and support this local small business – you won’t regret it!!”

Paperboy 6/10 $$$

Paperboy was a relaxed, chill and tasty breakfast joint. It was delicious and a calm place to start the morning. The food was delicious and well made. I would highly recommend the cheesy hashbrowns!! The coffee and drinks were also a reason to go to Paperboy! I ordered: the Lil Billy and the B.E.C. To be completely honest, I think the restaurant was a tad overhyped and not worth the price point, but the atmosphere was amazing!

Mozart’s Coffee 11/10 $

The most beautiful little coffee shop on the lake. This place felt like home as soon as I stepped into the building! This was the best coffee we had on our trip and I HIGHLY recommend it! We also ate breakfast tacos and they were DELICIOUS. The atmosphere, drinks, food and PRICE POINT made this an 11/10 for both Sab and me!

VIA 313 7/10 $$

This experience was different than the others because we ordered this via DoorDash. Nevertheless, the pizza was scrumptious!! This was perfectly made Detroit-style pizza the was crispy to the bite and so decadent!

Revival Coffee 8/10 $

Our last stop in ATX was the pink coffee shop known by many. I ordered a lavender cold brew with two chocolate donuts and enjoyed every bite!

COFFEE ONLY

For Coffee Only: $: > $4 | $$: 4-6 | $$$: $6+

Jo’s Coffee 5/10 $$

Jo’s is an Austin icon. The South Congress location has the “i love you so much” wall and is located in the heart of South Congress. I highly recommend it if you’ve never been before! As for the coffee, I personally didn’t have the best experience that may have been due to my personal order. I’ve heard good things from others though.

Houndstooth Coffee 4/10 $$$

Now, this coffee shop was hard to review BECAUSE the drinks were good but the price point was out of this world. I ordered a 12 oz iced chai w/ oat milk and paid $7. Since this was at the Domain (a mall) and I took it on the go, I don’t believe I was able to get the most out of Houndstooth. I think if I had stayed to study or chill the review may be higher but I can’t justify giving a higher recommendation rate for what I experienced! The drink was amazing though! 🙂

The Meteor 6/10

This is a soft recommendation. Sab and I met up with a friend and ran into this small diner-esque restaurant. We all didn’t eat there but ordered drinks and thought it was so cute! I believe it’s worth looking into due to the atmosphere!

Itinerary

Day 1

• Arrive @ AirBnb

• The Heel of the Boot

• Watched the Bats

• Caught Up with a Friend @ The Meteor

• OKAY I have to tell you that these bats… guys they took my breath away! It was amazing watching over 1.5 million batts come out of that bridge @ sunset. I think it’s something you should experience bc it was way cooler than I was expecting!

Day 2

• Paperboy

• South Congress, Jo’s

• Shopped South Congress

• The Domain, Houndstooth Coffee

• Shopped The Domain

• Ordered Chinese In (will not review bc it was NOT worth a review)

Day 3

• Mozart’s

• Trader Jo’s Picnic @ Zilker

• Barton Springs, The Greenbelt

• Ordered VIA 313 In

Day 4

• Revival Coffee

• CFA Picnic @ Zilker

• Visited Friends

• Back to Norman!!

Overall, I recommend this trip 100%! These were the perfect three days to rest, explore, and regroup after graduation and before starting my full-time job. I hope you enjoyed reading and were able to take away something from this. Until the next adventure!